Ahh, Fall... As the weather cools down more creepy crawlers are heading indoors, and more bugs mean more creatures who like to munch on bugs a.k.a spiders!
Recently we've been getting a lot of calls about black widow spiders. While these spiders are not aggressive (and they ultimately avoid confrontation), they will bite if they feel threatened or to protect their eggs. Their venom is neurotoxic to humans, and a bite could be fatal to a child or the elderly.
In our previous article we highlighted how to spot a black widow, as well as what to do about black widow bites. Our BugMaster technician George Forgie shared some more information with Castanet News about how to deal with black widows in the video below.
Black widows build webs close to the ground that can stretch over a large area. The web will appear irregular in shape and is made of strong threads. They typically favour dark, secluded areas such as garages, basements, or woodpiles. Brushing away the webs is not enough to discourage these guys, they will quickly re-build. The best course of action is to call a professional pest control company. Our technicians will spray with a chemical called Pyrethrin, which is made from the African daisy or chrysanthemum flower. Pyrethrin is not toxic to dogs, cats, kids or people with allergies; it is not going to hurt anybody but it is going to kill spiders.