It may surprise some that nearly 2 million people call “Sin City” home. What more could you ask for with the proximity to entertainment, shopping destinations, and good food? But, with all the dazzling neon lights and slot machines, it’s easy to forget about the less inviting things: spiders. Unfortunately, Las Vegas is home to the black widow spider that can present a threat to your home or property. This is why having effective home pest control or commercial pest control options is important when protecting your Las Vegas property.
How To Identify Las Vegas Black Widow Spiders
The black widow spider has a shiny, black body that’s about the size of a half-dollar. The adult female is commonly jet black, with orange or red marking that looks like an “hourglass.” Male widow spiders have a mix of coloring and have some stripes or dots. The vision of a black widow is poor, and the spider relies on vibrations from its web to navigate. As a result, you can quickly tell if a web in your home is the work of a black widow simply by looking at the pattern. Specifically, unlike other spider species, black widows don’t follow an organized pattern when making their webs; they are abstract and somewhat messy looking.
Where Black Widows Hide
Black widows enter your property if you offer harborage, food, and water. They are reclusive by nature and like to prey and hide in cluttered, dimly lit areas. They want to hide in window shutters, rock crevices, woodpiles, gardens, tall grass, and areas under decks outside the home. While they prefer the outdoor life, they will enter your garage, home, or shed to chasing down prey or avoid harsh weather. Inside your home, spiders like dark, quiet areas and typically like corners of rooms, basements, attics, closets, and under furniture. You can also find black widows along outside boards, behind shrubs, under stones, and siding that touches the ground.
Understanding common places that black widows hide is critical to avoid getting bitten unexpectedly. A Las Vegas female black widow’s venom can be up to 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake. However, despite their reputation, widows are very timid and typically run away and avoid confrontation when they feel threatened. However, a female spider will bite if she gets pinched, squashed, or is guarding her eggs. A bite typically feels like a pinprick, and pain begins immediately.
As previously mentioned, their venom is quite toxic, so anyone who experiences a black widow bite should seek medical treatment immediately. While some bites can be avoided by being cautious around areas where humans don’t visit regularly or around areas with cobwebs, if you encounter a black widow, brush them out of the way with a broom. To proactively avoid an encounter, ensure you keep an eye out for black widow spiders when moving storage around or cleaning up clutter. You can also wear gloves when reaching into spaces like high shelves, dark corners, and shaking out towels, clothes, and old linens that you haven’t used in a while.
Spider Prevention Tips In Las Vegas
Some basic steps can be taken to prevent black widow spiders. Because black widows feed on other insects, common pest control should limit a food source for black widows. To prevent spiders in your Las Vegas home or property, we recommend:
- Sealing up cracks, holes, and gaps in your home’s exterior foundation with a caulking gun.
- Black widows are nocturnal, so check your home thoroughly by utilizing a flashlight to check areas with poor lighting.
- Ensure all doors and windows have tight seals and inspect your home for cracks and holes.
- Keep your home clean, web-free, dusted, and vacuumed.
- Make sure all door and window screens are in good condition.
- Fix damaged weather stripping around the home.
- Ensure all exterior doors have sweeps installed.
- Keep moisture levels down by utilizing a dehumidifier
- Keep exterior lights turned off at night.
- Keep your lawn clean and mowed, ensure woodpiles, rock piles, and trash piles are far away from your home or property.
- Keep vines and plants away from your home.
Contact The Professionals At Evolve Pest Control
Evolve Pest Control understands that black widow spiders are stressful and challenging to deal with on your own. Our certified pest control technicians are experienced in eliminating the spiders and insects that live throughout the Las Vegas region and know how to protect properties and people from them. We offer professional black widow spider control services you can trust to eliminate spiders and the insects they feed on from your Las Vegas property and keep them from returning. If you are looking for quality pest control solutions in Las Vegas for your home or business, contact us at Evolve Pest Control today!
