Get Rid of Okanagan Spiders From Your Kelowna Home

Spiders are one of the most difficult pests to eradicate. They can enter your home or business from even the smallest opening, and no matter how many you swat, there always seem to be more. For the most part, spiders don’t pose a serious health threat and can even help eliminate other pests in your lawn or garden. You'll most often come across common house spiders, which have bites that don't cause health issues.

However, there are a few types of spiders in the Okanagan whose venom is dangerous to humans. While you can safely remove a spider or two on your own using a vacuum, if you think you have a full force spider infestation, your safest options is to contact the experts at The Bugman to get rid of spiders in your Kelowna home.

Identifying Dangerous Spiders

The dangerous spiders common to the Okanagan include the black widow and hobo spider. The venom from these spiders’ bites can pose health problems, especially for children and those with weak immune systems.

Black Widow Spiders

The black widow is easily identified by its black colouring and red hourglass-shaped marking. Black widows typically live in dark, undisturbed areas with warmer temperatures. They typically remain outdoors but will live in basements, storage areas or cluttered homes.

Black widows generally only bite when threatened or after laying eggs, but their venom is neurotoxic. This means it directly affects the victim’s nervous system, causing pain and symptoms such as:

• Fever
• Increased blood pressure
• Localized sweating
• Inability to urinate
• Rigid abdominal muscles
• Nausea

Their bite is not typically fatal when treated correctly. If you or a loved one has been bitten by a black widow spider in Kelowna, be sure to call a medical professional immediately.

Hobo Spiders

The hobo spider is brown with white and dark brown markings on the abdomen and a comb-like row of bristles on its back legs. These spiders can be found in almost any habitat containing holes, cracks or crevices. They are poor climbers so they are most often found at ground level, and they enjoy dark, moist areas such as basements and crawl spaces.

A hobo spider bite typically produces a necrotic legion, similar to the brown recluse spider. The typical cycle of a hobo spider bite is as follows:

• Within the first 3 minutes the bite will develop a small hard bump surrounded by a reddened area of skin
• Within 15-35 minutes the red area blisters
• Within 24 hours the blister typically breaks open and oozes serum

The blisters on your skin eventually scab over, but a hobo spider bite can take several months to heal and often leaves a scar.

Contact Us for Spider Control in Kelowna

The most common sign of a spider infestation is finding webs in your home. Black widow spiders have messy, irregularly-shaped webs that you will most likely find under furniture or in corners of rooms. To prevent any spider infestation, you need to intensify your home’s sanitation and remove all potential hiding places such as wood piles and other debris.

If you’re finding webs in every corner, give The Bugman a call. Our technicians are experienced with safe and effective spider control in Kelowna.

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