Roommates are nice… but not when they refuse to pay rent and have eight legs.
Finding a spider in your house can be a scary experience, but there’s no reason to panic. Most spiders in Delaware won’t hurt you, and with the right help, they aren’t hard to get rid of.
We’ve put together this guide to show you what you need to know about house spiders and how to handle them, so let’s get started!
1. There Are Only a Few Species of Spiders in Delaware
This doesn’t mean there are only a few spiders in this state, but they do all fall under the same family species. The most common ones include:
- Grass spiders
- House spiders
- Wolf spiders
- Sac spider
- Garden spider
- Black Widows
- Brown Recluse
- Etc.
In other words, Delaware isn’t swarming with as many spiders as you might think. While there are still a lot of them out there, the common myth about all spiders living everywhere simply isn’t true.
2. They’re Almost Always Harmless
Most of the spiders you’ll find in your house (or out in your yard) aren’t dangerous. They don’t have any desire to bite humans, and even if they did, most spiders don’t have mouths or teeth large enough to bite you anyway. Most spiders, while they might give you a scare, don’t pose any threat to your health.
That said, there are two poisonous spiders in Delaware you need to stay away from: the black widow and the brown recluse.
Black windows hide in small, dark areas, and they usually don’t venture inside the house. Their bodies are black with a red hourglass shape on their backs and abdomens. Getting bitten by one of these spiders can cause pain, swelling, chills, nausea, and trouble breathing.
If you get bit by a black widow, you should get medical help right away.
Brown recluses are much less common in Delaware, but they do make appearances from time to time. These spiders are brown in color and violin-shaped mark on their lower backs. A bite from a brown recluse is much more severe than a black widow bite, and if you don’t get the right help, it can even lead to death.
Always seek medical help right away.
3. They’re Often Scared of You
Most spiders aren’t aggressive. They won’t attack you if you get too close to them.
In fact, the opposite is true. Many spiders are scared of you. They’ll do their best to run away or hide if they see you coming. The only reason they’ll ever attack is if they feel threatened and unable to escape.
So if you see a spider in your house, odds are it won’t want to get too close to you either.
4. They Don’t Bother You at Night
Have you heard you swallow eight spiders a year while you’re sleeping? No one wants to unintentionally eat a spider, so of course, you would feel anxious if you find a spider in your house.
The good news is the whole swallowing spiders thing is just a myth. Spiders don’t crawl into your mouth while you’re sleeping, and you don’t eat them.
This means you don’t have to stay up all night if you see a spider in your home. Instead, get a good night’s sleep. They’ll leave you alone.
5. Seeing One Doesn’t Always Mean Your House Is Infested
Just because you see one spider in your house doesn’t mean there are others. It could have just crawled through an open window or door.
You should only start worrying if you see any of these warning signs:
- More spiders than usual
- A lot of webs
- Finding bites on your body
- Egg sacs
- Plenty of flying bugs (these can attract spiders)
If you notice these things, there might be a crack somewhere in your home that’s serving as their front door. They’ll keep coming until you find and fix this problem.
6. They Get Rid of Other House Pests
Spiders eat things like flies, mosquitoes, roaches, and more household pests. If you can stand having them as a roommate, they can actually be a helpful pest repellant.
But if you have too many, it just replaces annoying pests with scary pests. They also don’t do as good of a job as professional pest control services. Don’t settle for keeping spiders around, especially if you don’t like them.
It’s not worth it.
7. Not All of Them Spin Webs
Not all spiders have webs. Just because you don’t see webs in your house doesn’t mean your home is spider-free.
But don’t let this make you anxious.
Most spiders spin webs. Other spiders that don’t still often invade other spiders’ webs to get their food. So if you don’t find any webs or spiders in your house, you’re probably safe.
What to Do After Finding Spiders in Delaware Homes
Spiders aren’t usually dangerous, but they are still unpleasant. It’s completely reasonable to dislike these pests and to want them out of your house for good.
If you come across spiders in Delaware, the best way to handle them is by calling our team at Pointe Pest Control. We’ll take a look at your house to see how many spiders you have, what type they are, where they’re coming from, etc. After this, we’ll put together a plan to get rid of them and keep them from coming back again.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today!