Over this past year here in Iowa we’ve been graced with a very mild winter and a very hot summer. While this has made things easier on us here in the Midwest in general, it has also made it easier on all the creepy crawlies that make their home in or near your household. Just ask this man who lives in nearby Omaha, Nebraska about his recent encounter with brown recluse spiders. In the article he talks about how the hot summer weather has brought about spiders migrating into his home and his attempts to live peacefully with them.
The body of the brown recluse spider features a black line that looks like a violin, which has earned it the nicknames: fiddleback spider, brown fiddler and violin spider. The spider is more venomous than a rattlesnake, and it’s bite can cause severe skin lesions, severe systemic symptoms and death.
Causes of Brown Recluse Spider Bites
This spider has definitely earned it’s name. Found primarily in dark small places they have little to no interest in humans. Any bites from this type of spider are unintentionally caused when the spider is accidentally touched. The most common occurrence of bites occurs when:
- Putting on clothes/shoes/gloves that the spider has made made it’s home in.
- When blindly picking up objects from a dark, secluded, rarely visited area.
- Accidentally rolling over on a spider while in bed.
Where Can You Find Brown Recluse Spiders?
As you can see on the map, Des Moines is near the northern tip in Iowa of the territory you will generally find brown recluse spiders. However the warmer than average weather we’ve had stretching all the way back to last fall has accomplished a couple of things. It has started to expand their territory and it has most likely increased their reproduction which is why we’ve been seeing more of them. To limit possible exposure there are a few things you can do such as:
- Wear gloves and a long sleeved shirt when working in potentially hazardous areas.
- Minimize any piles of leaves or other debris within a 50 foot radius of your home.
- Take care of any visible cobwebs inside or outside your home, either by vacuuming them indoors, or using a hose to spray them away outdoors.
- Minimize the spider’s food source. ie: Other bugs
- Inspect any stored clothing packed in boxes prior to usage.
What To Do If You Think You Have A Spider Infestation
If you think you have an infestation, and you don’t think you can manage it yourself, give us a call here at Springer Professional Home Services. We’ll be more than happy to come out in the Central and Eastern Iowa area and take care of it for you.
