The Ultimate Spider Prevention Guide For Atlanta Homeowners

If you are a homeowner in Georgia, you will have to face trying to figure out a way to encourage spiders to get out of your home sooner or later. The good news is spiders, unlike most other pests, have no interest in items stored in your pantry, and escaping cold weather is not a priority; spider bodies generate a substance reminiscent of antifreeze, allowing them to survive colder temperatures.
In nature, spiders serve a vital role in keeping the number of predatory and often disease-carrying insects, such as mosquitoes and ticks, down. Most common household spiders are harmless to humans, with the majority not even equipped with fangs long enough to bite through our skin. A couple of spider species in Georgia, however, have dangerous venom that can cause medical issues.
Let's take a look at how to identify harmless spiders and spot highly venomous spiders in Georgia, how to get rid of spiders if they've taken over your property, and, if the DIY approach fails to succeed, how to find reliable pest control in Atlanta.
Types Of Spiders Commonly Found In Atlanta
Most spider species have no interest in being anywhere near humans (which is a great thing due to the estimated one million spiders per human on earth). If you encounter a spider on your property, it's most likely one of the following types:
- Black widow spiders are 1 1/2 to 1 3/8 inches long, jet black, and have a characteristic hourglass mark on the abdomen.
- Brown recluses are 1/4 to 1/2 an inch in size, brown, and have a violin-shaped pattern on the back.
- Common house spiders are 3/16 to 5/16 of an inch and big with yellow-brown bodies.
- Wolf spiders are 3/4 to 1 3/8 inches long, dark brown, and have yellow or white stripes or markings.
- Yellow garden spiders are 3/4 to 1 inch in size with brown or yellow bodies.
- Orb weaver spiders are 1/2 to 1 inch long with reddish-brown or gray bodies.
Of all the spiders on that list, only brown recluse and black widow spiders carry a venom potent enough to hurt humans.
Why A Spider Infestation In Your Home Can Be Problematic
Spiders in Atlanta are not likely to bother with destroying your food like most other pests or spread dangerous bacteria and pathogens across the surfaces of your house, but a bite from a black widow or a brown recluse can be very dangerous, especially for a child or a pet.
A bite from a brown recluse produces necrosis of surrounding tissue, commonly resulting in an infection and taking weeks to heal. Black widows don't bite often, but their venom can cause fever, increased blood pressure and heart palpitations, sweating, and nausea.
As unwelcome as the consequences are, resulting from a spider bite; the reason they are in your house is likely more problematic. Spiders are predators, and the only likely reason for them to infest your home is the abundance of prey from an insect infestation.
Environmentally-Friendly Spider And Pest Prevention Tips
It's a lot easier to make your home unwelcome to spiders than try and get rid of them once they've set up camp in your home.
The following tips will help:
- Clear out debris and clutter.
- Don't store firewood next to the house walls.
- Seal cracks in the outside walls.
- Make sure window and door screens are in good shape.
Taking steps to take care of the infestation spiders are feeding on will be the most significant step you can take to make sure spiders pass your house by.
Professional Pest Control Makes For The Best Spider Control
An experienced pest control technician will be able to apply training and experience to quickly determine the species infesting your home and develop a plan to get rid of spiders in your Atlanta home and keep them from coming back.
If your Atlanta home has a spider infestation, get in touch with us at Solstys Environmental today to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Atlanta. We'll make sure your property is spider free and stays that way!