All spiders have two body regions, eight legs, an exoskeleton, six to eight eyes, fangs, and venom, no matter the species. Their fangs and venom are used once they have captured prey, but only two species in North America are medically dangerous to humans. These two species are the black widow and the brown recluse, both native to the Dallas area.
While these two species are dangerous to people, they are not aggressive. This means that they won’t attack unless they feel threatened. But feeling threatened could be as simple as a person accidentally putting their hand too close.
Spiders play an important part in any ecosystem by helping to reduce nuisance pests, and they can even do this on your property and inside your house. However, this doesn’t mean you should have to put up with these pests in your home.
As a Dallas, Texas resident, you should know how to distinguish between dangerous species and nuisance species. And although not all spiders are dangerous, they are all still pests that no one wants inside their home, so you should know how experts can help remove them off your property.
How To Identify Dangerous Spiders
Identifying the two dangerous spider species found in the area is important to keeping you, your family, and your pets safe. The black widow is relatively easy to identify compared to the brown recluse, the most commonly misidentified species.
Adult female black widows are the only ones that are dangerous to people, and they can be identified by their shiny black body and the distinct hourglass marking on their abdomen. This hourglass marking is either red or orange. Female black widows are about 1 ½ inch in size, with males being about half that. Male black widows are light brown to greyish with reddish spots on their backs. This species prefers to build their nests in dimly lit and secluded locations close to the ground.
Brown recluse spiders have a dark violin pattern on their cephalothorax, but this isn’t a reliable way to identify the species. Instead, it would be best if you looked for the following:
- ½ of an inch in size
- Six eyes, two pairs on either side and one pair in the middle
- Fine hairs on their legs and not spines
- Uniformly colored abdomen
The best way to identify if a spider is a brown recluse or not is by process of elimination. If the spider you are dealing with has eight eyes, banded legs, two colors on its abdomen, is larger than ½ of an inch, and has built a web out in the open, it is not a brown recluse.
When it comes to the brown recluse and black widows, you should always seek medical attention if you have been bitten by one. Even if you are not showing any symptoms like chills, fever, sweating, headache, stiff muscles, or nausea, it is best to seek treatment, and the same goes for children and pets.
How Professionals Can Help With Spiders
The best way to deal with spiders on your property, whether they are dangerous or not, is to contact professionals. If you live in the Dallas, Texas, area, you should call Lonestar Safe Pest for more advice or spider control assistance. Our team of expert technicians can keep the pests away from your property that are attracting spiders, keeping you and your family safe.
Call us at Lonestar Safe Pest today for more information about our residential pest control offerings and how to get started with services on your Dallas property.