Spiders range in size, shape, and color, with some of their bites being harmless—and others being venomous. Although the number of species with dangerous bites is small, why take a chance? Gregory’s Pest Control can remove spiders from your South Florida home, protecting you and your family.
These spiders aren’t native to our state, but populations of three species have been found in locations in Florida. These include the brown recluse, with its trademark dark mark in a violin shape; the Mediterranean recluse, which looks similar to the brown variety, but with a lighter violin hue and parallel sides; and the Chilean recluse, the most dangerous variety of this type of spider. This recluse also has a violin-shaped mark, dark with a wider front.
Recluse spiders can be found in or under objects, often not easily seen. They’ll even hide in clothing that’s been not worn for a period of time. To protect yourself, don’t reach where you can’t see, or at least wear gloves.
Widow Spiders
These spiders, which are native to Florida, also like to be hidden in less visible places, from rocks and logs to grills and sandboxes. Four species can be found in Florida, including the southern black widow, the northern black widow, the red widow, and the brown widow.
In general, females are about 8-15mm long, with males much shorter, even as small at 2 mm. When a widow spider bites, it’s usually a female, and it’s often when she is trapped near human skin.
When a bite occurs, the venom spreads through a person’s lymphatic system within one to three hours, causing significant pain, along with cramping, nausea, vomiting, hypertension and more. These symptoms can last for up to five days if not medically treated.
Other species of spiders, fortunately, are less dangerous, but most people still don’t want them in their Florida homes.
Spotting Spiders in Your Home
Sometimes, the spiders are large enough or numerous enough that it’s easy to see them. Other times, they simply hide too well. That, though, doesn’t mean that you can’t find other evidence of their presence. For example, if you vacuum up spider webs and they come right back, then there are spiders doing the work. If you find spider eggs, then you know there’s an active infestation in your Florida home.
You can also (carefully) check potential hiding spots, whether that’s in the eaves of your home or by windows, in the basement, crawl spaces, attics and so forth. Think of places that are dark and somewhat out of the way, and they can be ideal for spiders.
Plus, if you know that you have an infestation of another kind of pest, you may well find spiders nearby. After all, those other pests are a potential food source for them.
Keeping Spiders Away
If you don’t have a spider population in your home, you can help to keep them away by:
Spraying essential oils, such as peppermint, lavender, rose, cinnamon, or tea tree
Spraying a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water in corners and cracks; this can damage varnished surfaces
Use plastic storage containers rather than cardboard
Vacuum and dust often
Keep piles of leaves, woodpiles, compost and more away from your home’s foundation
When to Call a Spider Exterminator
If you find more than a spider or two in your home, or see these other signs, it can make sense to contact a professional exterminator for an inspection. Highly trained technicians at Gregory’s Pest Control will perform a full 20 point inspection of your home and then share results with you.
We’ll then provide personalized pest control services for your South Florida home, including our perimeter defense service.
Contact Gregory’s for Spider Pest Control Services
Our company is family-owned and operated, just as it has been since our founding in 1985. We believe in forming personal relationships with our customers, providing quality services and treatment plans that are safe and effective. In fact, we focus on protecting our customers’ homes and families, just as we do our own. Satisfaction, 100% guaranteed!
Why do I have so many spiders in my yard? How do I rid my yard of spiders?
Spiders, just like any other living creatures, head where they can get food and drink—and, for spiders, this includes ants, cockroaches, fleas, flies, mosquitoes, moths and other insects commonly found in Florida lawns. If you have outdoor lights around your home, be aware that spiders will be attracted to those lights as night falls.
To reduce the number of spiders in your yard, it can help to manage the presence of insects that they feed upon. Plus, Gregory’s offers safe and effective outdoor spider control services that can allow you to enjoy being outside without worrying about being bothered by these pests.
What attracts house spiders besides food? How can this be controlled?
Some species are attracted to areas of high humidity (which explains why they like the state of Florida, overall). If they get into your home, these spiders will probably settle into your basement, crawl space, or other high humidity area. For these types of spiders, controlling your home’s humidity and moisture can be helpful. Other species of spiders, though, prefer a drier environment and they might feel at home in air vents or in corners where your walls and ceilings meet.
Although some spiders get most of the moisture they need from the food they eat, others need an additional water source. So, remove standing water in and around your home and make sure that faucets aren’t dripping. Also, don’t leave any trash out where spiders can get to any food.
If you have more than a couple of spiders in your home after trying these tactics, you may need our spider removal services where we provide safe and effective indoor and outdoor spider control services.
What should I do if I find a brown recluse spider in the house?
The short answer: if you suspect you have a brown recluse or other venomous spider in your home, don’t attempt to address the problem yourself. Contact us for professional spider removal services. If you or someone else has been bitten by this spider, seek medical attention.
If a brown recluse feels trapped, they can bite and inject venom. This can lead to significant pain, blistering, stinging sensations, and swelling. This can ultimately lead to an ulcer that heals slowly, and people who are bitten can develop a fever, among other symptoms. Some people can experience a severe allergic reaction.
Gregory’s spider pest control services can help you to proactively keep these dangerous pests away.
How quickly can we receive spider pest control services from your company?
We recognize that, sometimes, when you need spider treatment pest control services, you need them, stat. That’s why we offer same day services. Our company was, in fact, founded on the idea that customers value personal relationships with local businesses and our fast response is just part of that relationship building.
Call us at 954-326-8287 for prompt, personal attention and premier customer service.
Can pest control professionals get rid of spiders?
Yes, we can! When you see more than a couple of them in your home and need spider removal services, please reach out for our free 20-point inspection or call (954) 326-8287. We’ll find the dark corners and hard-to-reach places where spiders like to hide, feed, and breed. We’ll then clean out the spiders themselves along with their webs where they catch their food. Our trained spider exterminators can also provide you with information about and help with preventative techniques that, once the spiders are out, will help to keep them out.
Is pest control worth it for spiders?
There are two species of venomous spiders here in Florida. Because they can slip into hidden places in your home, we believe that spider control services are definitely worth it: for your safety and comfort as well as that of your children, guests, and pets. Recluse spiders can lurk beneath linens, behind curtains, among documents, beneath your furniture, in clothing and shoes—especially ones that haven’t been worn in a while—and so forth. You can find them in your attic, closets, or crawl spaces. Spider pest control can allow you to relax in your home as you reach into dark or hard-to-see places. Widow spiders also hide well and their bite can cause significant pain and other symptoms—but, fortunately, our professional spider control services can remove them from your home.
Why are spiders so hard to get rid of?
First, they can often be hard to locate in your home, and, with over-the-counter sprays, you practically have to spray them directly for the insecticide to have any impact. This makes DIY spider removal pretty difficult. With professional spider pest control from Gregory’s, our trained spider exterminators will thoroughly inspect your home to find the pests’ hiding spots, and then use highly targeted treatments to safely and effectively get them out of your house. We’ll then focus on keeping the spiders out going forward.
How do I keep spiders away permanently?
The approach to keep spiders away will depend upon whether you currently have a population living in your home. If you do, then the first step will be thorough spider removal (contact us for this!). Then, once your home is spider-free, you can use the preventative techniques we’ve listed on this page under “Keeping Spiders Away.” These range from spraying essential oils that spiders don’t like and/or using the water/white vinegar mix described above in cracks, crevices, and corners where spiders might lurk. The second technique may damage surfaces that are varnished. Dust and vacuum often. Stop using cardboard boxes to store items, choose plastic containers instead.
Walk around the outside of your home to see where spiders might hide. This could include leaf piles, compost, woodpiles, and so forth. Move them away from your foundation. Also, keep trash cans clean and away from the home.
Flies
Pest Concern
You Want To Know More About Flies
How To Treat Flies
Many off-the-shelf DIY products are designed to target a variety of fly species. Use these remedies with caution, as they can be harmful to your family and pets if applied incorrectly. Do-it-yourself solutions often only treat adult populations; therefore, you should plan on re-treating as eggs hatch and larvae develop. If you experience a problem with flying insects, a pest control professional can identify the type of fly and treat it appropriately at all stages of its lifecycle.
How to Prevent Flies
Flies are everywhere! While it will be difficult to avoid them entirely, these guidelines can help reduce your interaction with these pests:
Install fine mesh screens on windows and doors or keep doors and windows shut.
Clean up food particles, pet waste, and spilled or spoiled food and beverages immediately.
Secure lids on trash bins and clean up trash overflow.
Maintain a clean home.
Cover food being prepared or eaten outdoors.
Rodents
Pest Concern
You Want To Know More About Rodents
DIY Methods of Rodent Control
Do-it-yourself baits and traps may attract rodent intruders. However, if not properly administered, they can also be harmful to people and pets. A pest control professional can evaluate your property to determine how to best prevent and treat pesky rodents.
Prevention
Rodents are most harmful when they find their way into your home. Preventative measures you can take to keep your home free of rodents include:
Blocking potential entry and exit points
Keeping your home and its surroundings clean
Storing food in airtight container
Removing clutter and debris
Pruning trees and shrubs away from your home
Cockroach
Pest Concern
You Want To Know More About Cockroaches
DIY Methods of Cockroach Control
While there are many do-it-yourself treatments sold – like foggers, bombs, or powder containing boric acid – they can be ineffective if not administered correctly. These DIY treatments may disperse rather than kill roaches, driving them into areas they might not have previously been. Their contents can also be highly toxic and harmful to other humans and pets in your home. The best way to address a roach infestation is to contact a pest control professional who can identify the type of roach and the most effective approach to exterminate them.
What Can You Do to Prevent Cockroaches?
Roaches are constantly on the hunt for food, water, warmth, and shelter. When you see one cockroach, you can be sure there are many more lurking. While it may be impossible to eliminate all roaches from your property, following some basic guidelines will help make it less attractive to them:
Keep your home clean. Roaches thrive in unsanitary conditions.
Repair water leaks and dry wet items and areas.
Seal cracks, holes, and crevices where roaches can enter and hide.
Store food in airtight containers and clean food preparation areas.
Clear clutter and dispose of old newspapers and boxes.
Avoid leaving clothes in piles.
Remove debris from around your home.
Keep crawl spaces, basements, and areas under porches dry and well-ventilated.
Change exterior lights to yellow bug lights, which are designed to not attract pests.
Ant
Pest Concern
You Want To Know More About Ants
DIY Methods of Ant Control
While the most effective way to prevent or address an ant infestation is to call in pest control professionals, you can also try these do-it-yourself methods:
Place natural repellents like coffee grounds, peppermint oil, and lemon in areas where ants are likely to enter. This will keep ants at bay, but will likely not resolve the source of an ant problem.
Clean with a solution of equal parts water and distilled white vinegar, which ants dislike.
Poison ants with bait stations or topical solutions from a home supply store. Ideally, the worker ants will take the poison back to the queen and eradicate the colony. However, in many cases, the workers die before they ever get back to the nest, so the poison doesn’t make it to the source of the problem.
What Can You Do to Prevent Ants from Settling in Your Home?
Ants are driven by a search for food, water, and shelter. While it may be impossible to stop every ant, following some basic guidelines can help prevent an invasion:
Avoid leaving food, dirty dishes, or food particles where ants can get to them. Though they aren’t very selective, most ants are drawn to sugary, fatty, or greasy foods.
Use gap sealant or caulk to seal cracks and openings around windows, doors, and pipes so ants can’t enter your home.
Remove debris, rotting logs, and lumber from your yard.
Repair leaks and dry out moist areas in your home.
