Portland is one of New England’s most iconic waterfront communities. It’s a place with unmatched access to nature, a thriving local business scene, and fresh seafood as the standard, not the exception. Needless to say, there’s a lot that people love about living in Portland. One thing that they don’t like is how many spiders they see throughout the year. By and large, spiders are attracted to the presence of other pests, which is their main food source. Spiders can also be attracted to moisture, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, as well as secluded places to live, which many backyards and storage areas easily provide them with.
Rather than live with spiders as a regular part of life, Big Blue Bug Solutions can help you find relief from them and the pests that attract them. We offer homeowners and businesses comprehensive spider control in Portland that is built on more than 80 years of experience. We are a local, family-owned business that is committed to your satisfaction and doing everything we can to ensure it. The following guide is designed to help you better understand these creepy crawling invaders, and if you have more questions or are ready to engage in our services, please call us today.
Spider Behavior: How They Hunt, Feed, And Mate
Spiders are some of the most discreet pests in the Portland area, which is why people only encounter them on very rare occasions. There are certain spiders that are hunting spiders, while others are more sedentary and wait in their web until a pest that they’ll eat scampers on by. For example, the female black widow spider is well known for the webs that she weaves. She waits in this web for her prey to scurry past her, which is when she injects a venomous bite that renders the prey immobilized. The male black widow is a hunter and will actually bring the female food to eat as well. While mating, the female black widow will sometimes eat the male, which is why it’s such a risky process. The average black widow egg sac contains more than 200 eggs, and she often produces two sacs at a time.
The cellar spider is also local to the Portland area. This spider gets its name from the place that they frequent the most. The cellar spider prefers the cool and moist conditions that many basements and storage areas provide them. People may also know this spider by their nickname, the daddy longlegs, which speaks directly to its lanky appearance. They eat smaller spiders and insects, and can even attack prey that is larger than themselves. The cellar spider often uses its web as a distraction, so that when pests run into it, the cellar spider appears, bites them, and affixes them to the web.
Lastly, Portland locals are likely to see common house spiders in their properties. This refers to a group of spiders; however, it is also the name of a particular species of spider. The common house spider is often a grayish-black color and has four sets of long spindly legs. They are not generally aggressive or known to bite. For complete spider control, call Big Blue Bug Solutions today.
Symptoms Of Spider Bites: What To Expect And How To Treat
Not every type of spider will bite people, but some do and it’s important to know what to look for. The black widow spider is one of the most common types of biting spiders and one that people ought to pay special attention to. While the black widow spider is generally very reclusive, if she feels threatened or provoked, then she may deliver a venomous bite. Some people experience abdominal cramps, muscle spasms, and significant swelling. Symptoms from bites from other spider species include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Chills
- Fever
- Difficulty breathing
- Rashes or significant itching
- Red blisters at the bite site
- Pain
- Full body sweats
Each person is going to react differently to the variety of spider bites that they might encounter. Regardless, the safest way to start treating it is by washing the bite location thoroughly with mild soap and water. From there, you’ll want to apply an anti-inflammatory cream to the bite three times a day for several days. To reduce any swelling, you can also try ice or a cold compress for 15 minutes at a time. It is, however, very important to monitor yourself for any of the more severe reactions that might arise and seek professional medical attention if they do.
While you can’t always avoid spider bites, the best way to do so at home is with professional help from Big Blue Bug Solutions. We are a local, family-owned business that is licensed and insured. Your safety has been our biggest commitment for more than 80 years, so we take spiders and their potential bites very seriously.
In order to keep spiders out of your home on a regular basis and avoid health concerns like these, we recommend enrolling in our comprehensive residential pest control program. Through this program, we are able to offer three proactive whole-home treatments a year that address spiders and the pests that attract them. If any spiders appear between visits, simply call us and we’ll return to your home until the spiders don’t. For more information on spider control, call us today.
Preventing Spider Infestations: Practical Tips And Tricks
Spiders find their way to local homes and businesses very easily, but there are a few helpful tips that you can try out. Here are a few practical hints to put to work:
- Keep the yard tidy. One of the best ways to start preventing spiders is by taking a look around the yard because so many parts of this space can be alluring to them. Always store firewood at least 25 feet away from the home and make sure that it’s properly covered with a tarp. Additionally, don’t let lawns grow unmanageably tall; mow routinely and clear away any other clutter, which might include twigs, other trimmings, and leaf piles.
- Rectify leaks. Moisture is alluring to both spiders and the pests that they eat, so take it seriously. To reduce moisture issues, use dehumidifiers around the home where they’re needed, make sure that downspouts are running smoothly, and shut off faucets and showers after using them.
- Aim for tidiness. If homeowners see spiderwebs, they can eliminate them, which will ultimately be annoying to spiders. It’s also important to keep a clean home that’s free from crumbs and food build-up because these are things that lure pests like flies, ants, and cockroaches. This can be limited by routine sweeping, vacuuming, and being diligent about trash elimination.
- Seal off entry points. To further try to keep spiders out of your home, perform a detailed inspection of the home’s foundation. Look for the smallest cracks and crevices and fill them up with silicone-based caulk. Utilizing door sweeps may also prove helpful, as might applying weatherstripping to doors and replacing worn window screens.
- Ask for help. A pest control company can provide routine services that address spiders and the factors behind their attraction. Homeowners will benefit from strategic treatments and ongoing maintenance to keep them at bay.
For more top tips on spider prevention in Portland, call Big Blue Bug Solutions today.
Professional Pest Control: A Great Spider Control Solution
When it comes to having reliable protection from spiders throughout the year, there is no tip or tool more impactful than professional services. At Big Blue Bug Solutions, we are a fully licensed and insured company that has more than 80 years of experience providing these exact services. As a family-owned business, we take great pride in the work that we do and are constantly striving to make our customers happy. Not only do we offer free property inspections but we also offer complimentary re-services in case any of the pests we’ve treated during visits reappear.
For homeowners, we recommend our ongoing residential pest control program as the most effective way to deal with spiders. It includes three proactive services during the year, where we address both the interior and exterior of your home. Our residential plan targets pests such as ants, earwigs, cockroaches, flies, and silverfish, all of which make a tasty meal for spiders. Of course, this plan covers spiders as well! We perform detailed property inspections every time we visit your home so that we can understand what’s responsible for attracting spiders and locate the entry points that they’re using to do so.
All of our services are informed by the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach so you can rest assured that they are safe for everyone in your household. This holistic approach to pest control looks at the ways that pests interact with your property and the biological reasons as well. IPM is a system that helps us be as environmentally conscious as possible while also working to develop long-term sustainable change. These guidelines involve making habitat and structural modifications, reducing food and water sources, and implementing exclusionary methods when they are needed. When we do use products, we do so judiciously. And because part of this program entails routine monitoring, we are able to stay ahead of future spider issues and amend treatments whenever your changes shift. For more information on residential spider control, call us today.
