Spiders are a common household pest for homeowners in Phoenix, AZ. While they prefer to live outdoors, many will find their way indoors when small openings exist. Once they are inside, food is often plentiful, so they have no reason to leave. While in the home, spiders spin webs and incite fear. Many people are scared of spiders because many species can bite, and of those, some are poisonous enough to cause severe illness and even death.

Common Spiders in Arizona

There are more than 45,000 known species of spiders. While you can find everything from a common house spider to a tarantula in Arizona, there are a few species that are most common with infestations.

Wolf Spider
Brown Recluse Spider
Black Widow Spider
Common House Spider

The wolf spider is not a web-spinner. Instead, they are skilled hunters that are known to hide and pounce on prey. Their bite is not venomous, but they can grow to be close to two inches in length, so the bite can be painful.

The brown recluse spider is small, between ½ and ¾ inches in length, and as their name suggests, prefer to stay hidden. However, if they do encounter humans, these spiders are extremely dangerous. A brown recluse spider bite can cause significant pain, and if left untreated can sometimes lead to death.

The black widow spider is another venomous and intimidating spider. While the males are pretty harmless to humans, the female black widow spider can cause severe illness and possible death in humans with only one bite.

The common house spider is similar in appearance to the brown recluse spider, but they are not venomous. Like most spiders, they can bite if they feel threatened. Their bite is not dangerous to humans but can be a little painful and, in some cases, cause an allergic reaction.

How can I tell if I have spiders in my house?

While significant webbing or repeated spider bite incidents suggest an infestation, it is not uncommon to see an occasional spider in your home. If you frequently wake up with new spider bites or have repeated spider bite incidents, the spider population in your home is likely to become crowded, and you are accidentally encroaching on a spider’s space. Most species of spiders that infest homes in the Phoenix area are not aggressive, and most actively avoid human contact. Spider bites are also mistaken for bed bug or flea bites. Call SOS for an inspection if you aren’t sure where the bites are coming from.

How can I prevent spiders from getting into my home?

The best way to get rid of spiders is to prevent them from entering in the first place. Most spiders feed on small insects. With a proper full home pest control plan in place, you can eliminate their food source.

By blocking possible entry points, you can reduce the likelihood of spider activity in your home. Spiders generally prefer to live outdoors and most only find their way indoors by accident. Homeowners can deter this by sealing up any gaps that would allow entry from the outdoors into your home.

Check boxes that are brought into your house for spiders. By examining what comes into your home, you could also prevent cockroaches that commonly infest homes as stowaways.

How can SOS Exterminating get rid of spiders in my home?

If you have spiders in your home or if you want to prevent spiders from getting into your home, SOS Exterminating has the solution! Learn more about our spider control plans and full home solutions by clicking here. Call us or fill out the contact form on this page for a free spider inspection or to schedule spider control today!