Spiders are not very tolerated by most people, period. They scare people, some types of spiders can bite, they leave messy webs and some people have a phobia - a deeper than normal fear of the little eight legged creatures.

Spiders feed two ways. They hunt down their prey (other insects), or create a web to catch the prey while they wait. A live spider that uses a web, will keep the web clean and in good repair. If the spider has abandoned the web, the web will build up dust and become more visible and eventually start falling and looking bad.

Spider Migration

Spiders migrate (travel) by crawling, hatching or ballooning. Ballooning is when the spiders (usually babies) hatch from a nest, let out a web and the wind current or breeze carries them until they basically "hit a house" or tree, or fence, or just land. During the windy times of year, spiders really move around and that's when we get most of our spider service calls.

A spider nest can hold up to several hundred eggs. The baby spider is very tiny but grows quite quickly. If the nest has hatched inside your home, within a week or two the babies become bigger and more easily noticed - but there seems to be a lot of them. Sometimes they are a generation of brothers and sisters.

Spider Bites

Occasionally spiders may bite. A spider bite is normally determined by your doctor. Some people do not tolerate spider bites very well. The main difference between spider bites and bites from fleas, mosquitoes and most mites is that spider bites will normally feel more sore than itchy.

A spider has a stomach enzyme that gets into the wound upon the bite. This emzyne is designed to break down the tissue. In an insect, the spider cannot chew up its prey, it will bite the prey and the enzyne will break down the insect to a fluid and then the spider can drink the dissolved insect.

We have had reports from some customers that the bite has caused a serious infection including staph infection. It is very important that if a suspected bite becomes inflamed, painful and/or is not healing normally or you develop symptoms like fever, a red line going up your arm or other area where the bite occurred, you need to get a diagnosis and treatment from a qualified doctor.

Black Widow Spiders

Black Widow, Brown Recluse and Yellow Sack Spider are examples of spiders that can be very dangerous if you get bitten. Fortunately the Brown Recluse and Yellow Sack Spiders are not common to the Santa Clara Valley and if these spiders or bites are suspected then usually the bite occurred while traveling or were shipped or transported in somehow. If bites from any of these spiders occur, immediate medical attention is necessary.

The Black Widow however, is very common to the Santa Clara Valley. The good news is that they can be easily treated and controlled. The Black Widow is a unique looking spider. The female is black with a shinny, round, hard looking body with a red marking on the underside of the belly (mostly described as an hour glass). The Black Widow is very shy. She likes cellar-like environments such as garages, basements, sub areas and dark damp places like wood piles, and any other stacked debris that stays relatively dark, quiet and undisturbed.

The Black Widow is a nocturnal spider that primarily hunts at night. The Web is more sturdy than other spider webs and feels very elastic. The web pattern is also irregular in appearance. The egg sack from a black widow is also unique. The egg sack is white and round like a cotton ball and could be the size of a marble or up to the size of a golf ball. The female Black Widow can deposit approximately 300 eggs. The male and female Black Widows all look the same when babies. The babies have a spotted appearance and as they grow, they molt. Molting is a process where as an insect grows, they need to shed their skin periodically as they outgrow it. As the Black Widow babies develop, the male becomes a wimpy smaller spider and the females take on the unique appearance described earlier. The female is also known to kill the male after mating.

The Black Widow is not normally aggressive, but will become defensive if she or her egg sack is threatened. Do not poke at or handle Black Widows or her egg sack. Most of the time the Black Widow will stay hidden and quiet, they are very reclusive.

What does Bay-Valley do?

It is important to treat the surfaces spiders are likely to roam and crawl on. Generally this is under the eaves, around window and door frames, ceiling corners, and other possible areas inside and outside the home. It is our job to determine these areas and treat effectively and routinely (at least once every two months, Bi-Monthly). It is also our job to pick a product that works on spiders.

By treating areas that spiders roam we are able to keep the spiders down to a tolerable level. Certain products work extremely well and others really won't do anything. Knowing the products that work and where to apply them is everything in spider control.