The Brown Recluse Spider

The Brown Recluse Spider, as its name indicates, has the ability of hiding at your homes in the darkest and smallest places it can find. This species of spider normally attacks its prey injecting venom along with their bite. The venom of this spider is powerful, it is used to kill other insects.

In the mature brown recluse spider as well as some other species of recluse spiders, the dark violin marking is well defined, with the neck of the violin pointing toward the abdomen. The abdomen is uniformly colored, although the coloration can range from light tan to dark brown, and is covered with numerous fine hairs that provide a velvety appearance. Both sexes are venomous. The immature stages closely resemble the adults except for size and a slightly lighter color. Whereas most spiders have eight eyes, recluse spiders have six eyes that are arranged in pairs in a semicircle on the forepart of the cephalothorax.

Brown recluse spiders generally occupy dark, undisturbed sites, and they can occur indoors or outdoors. In favorable habitats, their populations are usually dense. They thrive in human-altered environments. Indoors, they may be found in attics, basements, crawl spaces, cellars, closets, and ductwork or registers. They may seek shelter in storage boxes, shoes, clothing, folded linens, and behind furniture. They also may be found in outbuildings such as barns, storage sheds, and garages. Outdoors, brown recluse spiders may be found underneath logs, loose stones in rock piles, and stacks of lumber.

• PREVENTING SPIDER BITES
  1. Shake out clothing and shoes before getting dressed.
  2. Inspect bedding and towels before use.
  3. Wear gloves when handling firewood, lumber, and rocks (be sure to inspect the gloves for spiders before putting them on).
  4. Remove bedskirts and storage boxes from underneath beds. Move the bed away from the wall.
  5. Exercise care when handling cardboard boxes (recluse spiders often are found in the space under folded cardboard flaps).

If you have any questions regarding the BROWN RECLUSE spider or any other pests, please give SWAT PEST MANAGEMENT a call today at 1-800-894-8024. We look forward to serving you!