BLACK WIDOW SPIDER
Black Widow Spiders are considered the most dangerous spiders to humans in San Diego County. They are one of the few spiders capable of biting humans that inject a neurotoxin, and the effect of the bite can be serious and potentially fatal. Only females bite humans, but both males and females construct webs to capture other prey, primarily flying insects. .
Males enter a female’s web for mating, and if the female is not receptive the male may be eaten. .
The life span of black widow females averages around 180 days. The female may produce up to 9 egg sacs with about 350 eggs per sac on average. She will be most aggressive and defensive of her webbing while she is guarding these eggs, as well as being more hungry following egg production. .
The new spiderlings emerge from the sac and remain near it for a day or two, but then they undergo “ballooning” to disperse, creating long silk strands that are carried away by the wind. .
Black widows are generally reclusive spiders that create their webs in areas of inactivity. The web is made of extremely strong silk that is very sticky, and it has a very haphazard appearance without the symmetry of some other spiders. Females are recognized by their shiny black body, long thin legs, large oval abdomen, and red “hourglass” pattern on the underside of the abdomen.
The male Black Widow Spiders body color is mottled brown and white. Bugs Bee Dead offers a comprehensive spider service including de-webbing with a sweep, and an eco friendly treatment to control your Black Widow Spider problems.
BROWN WIDOW SPIDER
The Brown Widow Spider comes from South Africa. Recently they have been found in great numbers in San Diego County. The Brown Widow spider is smaller than the Black Widow. The Brown Widow has a hourglass shaped marking on its underside, usually it is a vivid orange or a yellowish color.
The brown widow spider has a neurotoxic venom that is just as toxic as the Black Widow's. Brown Widow Spider bites are usually minor compared to Black Widow bites because they cannot deliver the same amount of venom as the Black Widow.
Brown Widows can be located by finding their egg sacs, which are easily identifiable. They are round and have pointed projections all over, and they are sometimes described as "spiky" in appearance. Eggs hatch in approximately 20 days. Female brown widows lay about 80 eggs per sac and can make 20 egg sacs over a lifetime.
WOLF SPIDER
Wolf Spiders are very common in San Diego County. Wolf spiders are hunters, and use their silk only for lining a nest and for covering their eggs.
The females create the tough egg sac and then carry it attached to the tip of the abdomen. Once the eggs hatch the mother then cuts a slit in the sac to allow her young to emerge,
Baby Wolf Spiders climb onto their mothers back to be carried around for up to 2 weeks.
Wolf spiders are very mobile, very fast, and very aggressive when threatened. They are capable of biting humans but the venom is not considered dangerous, but their aggressive behavior makes wolf spiders some of the most feared by people.
Wolf spiders are often confused with Brown Recluse Spiders (WE DO NOT HAVE BROWN RECLUSE SPIDERS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY). If invading spiders become a problem they can be prevented with an application by Bugs Bee Dead around the building exterior and in likely pathways along walls on the inside.
BROWN RECLUSE / VIOLIN SPIDER
WE DO NOT HAVE BROWN RECLUSE SPIDERS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY
The Brown Recluse are native to the United States, from of western Florida to Texas and north to Iowa. It has been found sporadically as a transient in other states. However not in San Diego County due to the climate
The Brown Recluse, has a reputation that far exceeds reality. It is a hunting spider that uses it web only for lining its retreat and for covering its eggs. It is very capable of biting humans, and the venom is a cyto-toxic venom which causes tissue death at the site of the bite, possibly leading to a large, infected, and lingering wound. However, experts believe that most skin infections blamed on this spider’s bite are actually bacterial infections, particularly in states with very high reported bites but very low confirmed presence of the spider. The Brown Recluse lives commonly in structures, hiding with clothing, behind furnishings, or in attics and wall voids. Young spiders take about one year to mature and the adults live about one year more. They prefer to remain in areas of low activity and are not aggressive, biting only when provoked or becoming trapped and threatened with harm.
These are light to dark brown spiders with very long legs and short hairs covering the legs and body segments. On the top of the cephalothorax there usually will be a darker pattern that strongly resembles a violin, giving this genus its common names of “violin” or “fiddleback”. However, many other spiders also have this vague pattern, and positive identification cannot be made based only on this character. The eyes of the brown recluse are very distinctive. There are 6 eyes arranged as 3 pairs in an arc across the front of the cephalothorax. No other spiders have this eye arrangement, and it can be seen easily with low magnification.