Over the past few weeks I’ve become acutely aware of a big problem, or more accurately, a little problem with eight legs, creeping and crawling its way across our beautiful seaside paradise. It’s that time of year again folks Spider Season! It’s not a new phenomenon, these little guys have actually been living here longer than the two legged locals. Late summer and early fall are the prime seasons to spot spiders in Southern California. Many local spider species hatch in early spring, grow and mature throughout the warm months of summer, and reach full maturity in late August. This explains why the early months of fall are when we see the most spiders in Coronado and throughout San Diego. Love them or hate them, they are here to stay. Here are some easy ways to identify our local spiders, detect the good from the bad, and remove them safely from your home and yard.
Spiders are not technically insects, which have six legs; they are arachnids (a group that also includes scorpions and ticks) and they can be identified by their eight legs, fangs, multiple eyes and lack of antennae. Not all spiders are venomous, and only a select few can dispense fatal bites. In all, there are almost 40,000 different species of spiders living in the world today and they can be found on every continent except Antarctica. The United States alone has over 3,500 species of spiders living within it’s borders. California is home to many of them. Some of the most common spiders that can be found in Coronado are: daddy-longlegs (also referred to as cellar spiders), American house spiders, assorted garden spiders (including the orb weaver spider), wolf spiders, and the venomous black and brown widows.
Common Coronado Spiders:
(This is by no means a complete list, but just a sampling of spiders that can be found in and around homes in Coronado with photos for ease of identification.)
Sect 1: Non-Dangerous/Low Risk Spiders
Orb Weaver Spider (also called a garden spider): Very common in Coronado and can be seen in large numbers during late summer and early fall. They make beautiful, orb-shaped webs in trees and between rooftops. There are close to 3,500 species of orb weavers worldwide. They can grow over 1 inch (not including the legs). According to BugGuide.net, they are not dangerous to people or pets and will only bite if they are threatened with no way to escape (e.g. – Don’t pick them up!). They are quite beneficial and will eat many pest-type insects, such as termites.
Wolf Spider: Another spider that is very often seen inside Coronado homes. They are especially common in fall when the weather starts to cool off. Wolf spiders are solitary hunters and do not make webs, they instead search for food at night and have no permanent home. There are around 125 species of wolf spiders in the United States alone. These spiders range from 1/2 inch to 2 inches in length. They are not aggressive, but will bite if threatened. Common places to find them inside are on the floor, around doorways, garages and on houseplants.
Daddy-Longlegs Spider (also called Cellar Spiders): These spiders can be found throughout the United States and are especially common along the Pacific Coast. They have small bodies and very long legs, hence their name, and make tangled webs in undisturbed spaces such as corners, behind furniture, windows and attics. They are not dangerous to humans, despite the fact that many myths exist naming them as “the most poisonous spiders”. According to the Spider Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, daddy-longlegs have never bitten a human and caused any “detrimental reaction”.
Sect. 2: Dangerous Spiders (Avoid!)
Black Widow Spider: This is one of the most poisonous spiders in North America and they can be found in Coronado. They are solid black with distinctive red hourglass markings on their abdomens. These spiders are mostly solitary and spin large, irregular shaped webs to ensnare prey. Most often, they can be found outdoors and in garages, basements, and crawl spaces. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends staying away from black widows; wearing long sleeves, gloves, and boots when working in areas known to house them; and inspecting clothing and shoes before putting them on. If bitten, clean the area with soap and water, apply ice, elevate the extremity, and seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms of a bite can range from going unnoticed to being very severe, depending on the individual, and can include nausea, tremors, labored breathing, restlessness, abdominal cramping, and fever. To view the complete OSHA fact sheet, click here.
Brown Widow Spider: These spiders are relatively new to Southern California and were first documented in 2003. They are brown in color with an orange hourglass shape on their abdomen. The easiest way to identify them is by their egg sacs, which are spherical and have spikes (see above photo). “You should treat them the same way you treat black widows” says Chris Conlan, a vector ecologist for San Diego County. They now outnumber the native black widows and can be most often found outside on patio furniture, playgrounds, outdoor toys, and even in cars. Luckily, Conlan also adds that they are “less aggressive then black widows” and that “brown widow bites are reported to be less venomous.” For more information about Brown Widows and spider bites, please visit the County of San Diego’s Spider Page here.
If all these spider photos are making you queasy, you are not alone. Arachnophobia, or fear of spiders, is one of the most common specific phobias in the world today. Arachnophobia continuously shows up in polls and statistics as one of the top 5 phobias in the US, effecting around 30% of the population. Other studies show that 9 out of 10 women are scared of spiders, while only 1 out of 10 men are affected by them. People most affected by this phobia will experience panic attacks, scream, cry, have trouble breathing, sweat excessively and even have heart trouble at the sight of spiders, their webs or even when a picture of a spider is presented to them.
Even if you don’t have an acute case of arachnophobia, you probably don’t want spiders creeping around your house day and night and startling you when you least expect it. The catalyst for this article was a rather large (it grows more massive each time I remember the incident, of course) black wolf spider that surprised me by running across my bathroom mirror as I unsuspectingly brushed my teeth one night last month. It was not a pleasant experience and my muffled scream lasted longer than the poor intruder. It’s not often that you have the chance to look eye to eyes with a prehistoric fanged monster before bed. It does not make for sweet dreams, I can attest.
An Orb Weavers web.
There are many ways to deal with spiders and keep our homes free of the fear-inducing creatures, as well as to get rid of them once they invade. I’d like to share a few options I’ve learned while researching this topic and speaking with other locals on the subject.
Keep your home free of unneeded clutter and debris and clean regularly. The least amount of dust and cobwebs the better! Spiders and other insects love dark, cluttered areas where they can hide. This is the cheapest and most organic way to prevent spiders according to “naturallivingideas.com”.
Also, make sure that you have no broken windows, cracks in walls, or other spaces where spiders can enter your home. You can fill small openings with caulk, repair torn screens and cover vents and chimney openings with fine mesh insect screens.
Spray a mixture of peppermint oil and water (for one regular sized spray bottle add 10-15 drops of pure essential peppermint oil) around your home, focusing on doorways, windows, and in any other gaps where spiders can enter. Spiders hate the smell of peppermint and this process should deter them from even entering the premises. If you see a spider inside, you can also spray this mixture directly on the spider. Plus, your home will smell delicious! For more information about using essential oils to repel spiders click here.
Besides peppermint, spiders also hate anything citrus. If you prefer the scent of citrus over mint, rub citrus peels around baseboards, doorways, and windowsills to keep spiders outside. Also, simply using citrus scented furniture polish and dusting cloths regularly can deter spiders.
Once spiders are in your home, you can remove them safely and easily by vacuum cleaner. Long attachments on vacuums are perfect for getting rid of spiders, egg sacks and cobwebs around your home and allow you to access hard-to-reach areas such as behind furniture and high ceilings. This method also allows you to effectively eliminate the spider without getting near it – something I can greatly appreciate!
If you have a persistent spider problem that isn’t remedied by any method above, you can also use chemical insecticides (bought commercially at a hardware store, grocery store or other large chain store). These sprays can be harmful to humans and pets and must be used with extreme caution to avoid accidental poisoning.
Last but not least, you can call in the “big guns” — professional exterminators to visit your home and apply a strong, chemical pesticide to eradicate the pests. This process might force you and your family to vacate your property for a few days until the poison has dissipated. For a safer and less time consuming method, Lloyd Pest Control Company, which serves Coronado and other parts of Southern California, recommends another spider treatment option. “Lloyd Pest Control power sprays the perimeter of the home to create a general pest barrier. We will also treat the eaves and window sills with compressed air sprayer applications. And then, we knock down the webs so spiders won’t return.” There are a wide variety of pest control companies that serve the Coronado Community with a wide selection of treatment options and prices. If interested, I recommend utilizing an online search engine or the local yellow pages and speaking with the companies directly to learn more information about their practices.
Some of the other assorted remedies that I found interesting but seem more farfetched and unproven are:
Adopt a cat! A furry friend can help you keep spiders in check. Along with catching mice and other small, furry rodents, cats love to catch spiders and other insects that catch their eye sneaking across the floor.
Place chestnuts or Osage oranges (also called hedgeapples) around windowsills and baseboards to deter spiders.
Use cedar to keep spiders away: place cedar blocks and hangers in your closet, cedar shavings in cupboards and drawers, and cedar mulch around the outside of your home to stop the spiders from even coming inside in the first place.
Turn off outside lights at night which will reduce the number of insects hanging around, effectively reducing the number of spiders who prey on these insects.
Finally, with Halloween on the way, don’t be surprised to see a large assortment of pseudo spiders and their webs around town. Maybe we can just keep our eyes closed until November!
Please feel free to share your Coronado spider stories in the comments and any effective ways you have found to deter them from your home and other living spaces!
I found these following websites very helpful and invite you to visit them for more spider related information:
http://www.naturallivingideas.com/9-natural-ways-to-keep-spiders-out-of-your-home/
http://www.lloydpest.com/spiders/
http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/deh/pests/spiders.html
http://nature.berkeley.edu/~callobius/cbcstuff/common_spiders/big_spi_quilt.html (Beware! Lots of large, detailed spider photos on this website. This is not for the squeamish – proceed with caution.)
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Anne Covington Morse
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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