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Everything You Need To Know About Black Widows In Dallas, TX
October 15, 2021
The black widow is one of the most famous (and infamous) North American spiders. Black widows are one of just three spiders that can inflict medically significant bites – meaning their venom can cause illness or injury. They’re very distinct looking with their shiny, jet-black skin and the unique bright red hourglass marking on their abdomens. Females are also notorious for killing and eating their mates (though they don’t always do this). While these spiders can be beautiful to look at, they’re not a pest you want hanging out in your Dallas home. The good news is there are plenty of measures you can take to prevent them.
Black Widows In Your Windows
As we said above, black widow spiders pack a medically significant bite. They have a neurotoxic venom that can cause severe illness in healthy adults and may even put small children or the elderly at risk of death. Fortunately, black widows are not aggressive. They won’t bite unless they feel threatened – but the thing is that because they like to hide out of sight, it’s easy to put your hand or foot on them without realizing it, causing them to inflict a bite, possibly without you ever seeing them.
If you’re bitten by a black widow, you’ll start experiencing symptoms within minutes to hours. Some people only have mild symptoms like burning pain and localized swelling close to the site of the bite. Other people have more severe reactions. You might experience:
- Muscle spasms and pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Sweating
- Rash and itching
- Weakness and shaking
- Difficulty breathing
If you experience more severe symptoms – especially difficulty breathing or anything resembling a seizure – get to the hospital right away. If a small child or elderly person was bitten, seek emergency medical attention, as these groups are more vulnerable than healthy adults.
Black Widow Prevention
Aside from their potent venom, black widows aren’t really all that different from any other spider. They eat the same things any spider eats – including ants, caterpillars, beetles, roaches, and silverfish. They build tangled funnel webs to ensnare prey like many other spiders. That means the prevention measures you take with other spiders should be effective with black widows as well.
Spiders don’t really need anything our homes have to offer. The main thing that attracts most spiders to your home is infestations of their favorite prey. If you’ve got roaches, silverfish, flies, and other common pests, you’ll probably see an uptick in spider activity. To deter most common prey items, take measures like:
- Properly store potential attractants by keeping trash tightly covered and store foods either in the fridge or airtight containers.
- Take care of moisture problems by fixing leaky plumbing, unclog the drains, dehumidify the wet areas, and fix any other issues that cause moisture buildup in your home.
- Clear clutter by vacuuming often to eliminate crumb attractants and keep the clutter off the floor to eliminate insect hiding spots.
In addition to keeping spider prey out of your home, you can take measures to make your home more hostile to spiders themselves:
- Trim trees and brush away from your home’s exterior and make sure to store firewood well away from your home.
- Seal off cracks and holes in your home’s exterior with silicone caulk.
- Remove any cobwebs you find in and around your home.
Sometimes, a large number of black widow spiders might decide to take up residence in your house. If this happens, we can help. Here at Addison Pest Control, we’ve been offering superior pest control service to Northeast Texas since 1986. So give us a call at (972) 882-9423 or visit our contact page to schedule your free inspection today.
