Spider Identification & Prevention

Spiders are a group of venomous and carnivorous arachnids. Most spiders hunt insects and other small invertebrates, but the largest spiders in the world can kill and eat things like frogs, lizards, rodents, and even small birds. Fortunately, we don't have any gigantic bird-eating spiders in Oregon.

The spiders you're likely to run into in our home state include harmless spiders, like the hobo spider and the cellar spider, and more dangerous spiders, like the black widow.

The good news is that there is only one poisonous spider in Oregon, and all the rest are pretty benign. Of course, all spiders are venomous, but this doesn't mean their venom can harm people. For instance, after a bite from a cellar spider or a hobo spider, the worst thing you're likely to experience is pain and swelling at the site of the bite. Systemic symptoms are rare.

This is not true of the black widow. Black widow spiders pack a powerful neurotoxin that can cause systemic symptoms like:

• Nausea 
• Vomiting
• Muscle spasms
• Sweating 
• Severe pain
• Headache
• Weakness

Most healthy adults can survive black widow bites, but they can be deadly in young children and the elderly. Even in healthy adults, it's common for black widow bites to require medical intervention. It's important to seek medical treatment as soon as a bite occurs. 

There's only one real reason for you to have a spider problem, and that is a different pest infestation. Unlike many pests, spiders don't have any reason to come into our homes. The only thing that draws them inside is the presence of their prey. If you go from seeing a stray spider in your home every now and again to seeing spiders all over the place, you should suspect that you have an infestation of the things they like to eat.

Different types of spiders like to eat different things, so the type of infestation you have may determine the type of spider you wind up with. For example, hobo spiders lay in wait and ambush their prey, so you should suspect you have an infestation of silverfish, roaches, or other crawling bugs if you start seeing hobo spiders all over your house.

Oregon has all kinds of local spiders that will hide just about anywhere. The places you find spiders will often depend on the type of spider. Hobo spiders will hide out underneath appliances and cabinets because this is where their crawling prey often is.

You may find black widows weaving webs close to the ground, and these spiders love to stay out of the way of people. You will likely find them in more remote places such as sheds, basements, and crawl spaces.

Once you already have a spider infestation, getting rid of them can be a problem because female spiders lay egg sacs that can often hatch hundreds or even thousands of individuals all at once. If you have one female spider breed inside your house, you can have a horde of spiderlings crawling everywhere in no time.

If you have an established spider infestation, the best thing you can do is call us here at Bugs Northwest. Identifying house spiders and evicting them from your abode is one of our specialties! Not only can we help you get rid of the spiders crawling around your house, but we can also help you eliminate the infestations attracting them. Don't put up with your eight-legged roomies any longer; contact us today.

The best way to prevent spiders is to prevent other infestations that attract them. Common spider prey includes ants, silverfish, flies, roaches, and other juicy bugs. If you take measures to keep these pests at bay, such as covering your trash cans and addressing moisture issues, you can make your home unwelcoming to any eight-legged unwanted guests. And if you wind up with these party crashers anyway, expert help at Bugs Northwest is just a click or call away.