Black Widow Spiders in the Boise, Idaho area

Thanks for joining me. This is Chuck Moran, owner of Jett Pest Control. You can reach us at 208-801-7070 or you can find us on the web at JettPest.com. That’s J E T T pest.com. Today’s podcast is about black widow spiders in the Boise area. Black widow spiders are one of the most common spiders in Idaho. You can find them in your yard or even in your home. Black Widow spiders are not always black. Sometimes they’re brown. The females are one and a half inches long, counting their legs and the males are approximately half the size of the females. Males and females have a red or yellow hourglass shape on their abdomens. The males also have white, yellow, or red lines or spots over their backs. Black widow spiders like quiet dark places. Some places you may find them include between logs in a woodpile, under a backyard deck, in holes outside or even under seats outside. When sitting always look before you sit. During cold weather black widows move inside and live in areas such as basements and garages or other storage areas. Black widow spider spin tangled messy webs that have no shape. Since they like to hide you won’t find their webs up high on a wall or tree. Webs are almost always low near the ground. Black Widows are nearly blind. Their diets consist of other insects. After mating the female will suspend an egg sack or case in her web. It may contain up to 700 eggs. In 14 to 30 days after the eggs in the egg sack hatches the baby spiders, called spiderlings, stay in the sack one to four weeks. The first spiders that hatch eat the other eggs and baby spiders. Out of all the eggs only 1 to 12 will survive. They’re mostly white and yellowish white. If they can avoid being eaten females may live for about one year and males will only live four to five months. Black widow spiders do have a dangerous bite but they’re shy and not aggressive. They usually stay hidden in their webs. Always wear work gloves when working outside. Black Widows are the most venomous spider in North America according to the Idaho Fish and Game Department. If you ever get bitten by a black widow spider you might experience cramping, dizziness, difficulty breathing, and vomiting. Seeking medical attention right away is advised. The good news is black widows are not usually aggressive. If their web is disturbed a black widow spider will usually hide in the corner of the web. If the female has an egg sack when the web is disturbed, she will protect it and might bite. Avoid playing with her webs and keep children and pets away. Things you can do to help keep black widow spiders out of your home: One clean your house regularly to get rid of any webs or eggs. Pay particular attention to areas low to the ground where black widows make webs. Make sure to pull beds away from the walls when vacuuming so no areas are missed. Number two: Declutter. Black widows love cluttered dark areas where they can hide undetected. Decluttering the house, garage, basement (if you have one) and any other areas where you have clutter, including the shed, is a great way to see their webs and get rid of them. Always wear a long sleeve shirt and gloves when decluttering an area. Trim all bushes around the house number three, it is recommended to have at least one to two feet of clearance between the house and the shrubbery to stop the buildup of moisture around the house, which attracts bugs, which attract black widows. If you think you’ve seen black widow spiders in or around your home, and need help getting rid of them, and making sure they don’t return, we can help! Give us a call at 208-801-7070. Our service plans are designed to eliminate these dangerous pests and make sure they don’t return. Thanks for listening, until next time, this is Chuck with Jett Pest Control, signing off.