Black Widow Spider - Spiders in Oklahoma

Three Spiders in Oklahoma That Might Bite You

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What to Do if These Eight-Legged Creatures Bite You

Oklahoma is home to a wide range of spiders, some of which can pose a danger to humans. However, the negative reputation of some of Oklahoma’s spiders is unearned. Read on to learn more about some of Oklahoma’s most common and well-known spiders.

Brown recluse.

People fear the brown recluse for a reason – its bite injects venom that can be toxic to humans, particularly the very young and the very old. You can most easily identify brown recluses by their brown color and the distinctive fiddle-shaped markings on the back.

Brown recluses hide in quiet areas such as cabinets, shoes, and under furniture during the day, but may come out in search of food at night. If a brown recluse bites you, you may experience an immediate painful reaction, but the long-lasting effects of brown recluse venom are the real danger. Their venom can kill skin tissue to an extent that may require skin grafts and six to eight weeks to heal. Seek medical attention.

Black widow.

The country’s most well-known venomous spider is also native to Oklahoma. Their large, shiny, black abdomens easily distinguish black widows, as well as the distinctive red hourglass on the underside. You can find them most often in crevices provided by manmade structures.

Black widows inject their victims with a neurotoxin that can affect the nervous system, but usually produces flu-like symptoms. However, the very young and the very old can be at a greater risk for further injury by black widows. Seek medical attention in the case of a black widow bite.

Wolf spiders.

Wolf spiders are often confused with brown recluse spiders. Though fearsome in name and appearance, these large, furry brown striped spiders do not typically harm humans; though their bites may be painful, wolf spiders are not venomous. Wolf spiders are helpful creatures, as they eat other insects – as well as other spiders – in your home.

Do you have questions or concerns about spiders you’ve found in your home? Are you interested in pest control in OKC or spider control in OKC? Contact The Bug Guy for a quote.

Sources:

http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2294/EPP-7301webcolor.pdf

http://www.dasnr.okstate.edu/Members/sean-hubbard-40okstate.edu/spider-identification-101

https://www.nomorebugs.com/poisonous-spiders-in-oklahoma/

Oklahoma

Black Widow Web- OKC Pest Control

Is there a good spider?

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Is there a spider that is good for my garden? Which ones are poisonous pests that I need to get rid of? We will look at some common spiders you will see around your home in Oklahoma.

Is there a good spider?

Chances are, you’ve run into a few spiders (and their webs) around your home. You will commonly find most spiders in cool darker places, such as attics, crawl spaces, closets, and under furniture. In this article, for simplicity, we will classify spiders as good and pests.

  • Good Spiders – The yellow garden spider  will build its web in your garden, as it attracts other bugs, and this spider will act as a natural pest control. These are non aggressive spiders, however if they do bite, it is comparable to a bee sting. Generally speaking, other garden spiders tend to set up shop in gardens for the same reason: to catch the bugs that can damage plants.
  • Pests – There are two spider species to be cautious of in the state of Oklahoma: The black widow, and the Brown Recluse. The Black Widow can be identified by its two red markings that form an “hour glass” shape. If you are bitten by a Black Widow, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. A Brown Recluse is a shy spider that hides out in areas with low activity. They are light or dark brown and recognized by their dark, fiddle-shaped marking that stretches from the back of their head to their rear. If bitten by a Brown Recluse, it is also important to seek immediate medical attention.

As always if you have any questions or concerns about spiders at your home, contact The Bug Guy, the best professional pest control service in OKC!

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Pest Control OKC: Keeping a summer home pest free

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Pest Control OKC: How to protect a summer home from infestation

You work hard, you save up, and your finally able to afford a summer home somewhere nice. But then you get there to enjoy a vacation you find it overrun with pests! What can you do to make sure that isn’t a reality? Pest Control OKC has a few tips.

  • Clean all cabinets and counter tops thoroughly before you depart. Clean all appliances to remove food residue and crumbs. Dust off shelves and store food such as cereal, flour and dog food in releasable containers.
  • Sweep and vacuum floors in the kitchen, under furniture, and around dining areas.
  • Check any pipes around the house for leaks, cracks and gaps and seal them before you leave to keep water from attracting pests and forming mold.
  • Inspect boxes, grocery bags and other packaging thoroughly. Insects may hitch a ride into your summer home from potted plants and infest your home after you leave.
  • Keep basements, attics, and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry. A good way to tell if you need more ventilation is the presence of mold and mildew.
  • Seal cracks, crevices, and other gaps in doors and windows before you leave. Doors and windows should be kept closed at all times unless well screened.
  • Keep garbage areas clean. Garbage should be taken out regularly and removed completely before you leave for the season. Garbage provides 2 things. Clutter and food sources. Insects like to be able to hide, from you and other predators. So cluttered places like a full garbage bin are attractive. And of course, if they can find a supply of food while hiding in their cozy garbage patch even better. Don’t give them the chance!

If you need pest control, call the bug guy, pest control okc, today.

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Pest Control OKC: More Plants to help keep pests away

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Pest Control OKC: Some more plants to keep pests out of your garden

Last week, pest control OKC talked about some plants you can add to your home or garden to help keep away pests while adding some color and nature to your home. But those are just a few of the examples of what you can add to your garden. There’s still quite a few more options to help keep your home pest free!

Mint: Mint is best grown in separate pots. It looks nice and smells great but it also grows aggressively. Planting mint in your garden could mean you end up with a really nice smelling weed ravaging your garden. Mint leaves mostly repel mosquitoes but can work on other insects. And, much like basil, mint is a great plant for the kitchen. Use it to flavor iced tea and added to many recipes. The mulch of a mint plant is also great for vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and turnips.

Rosemary: Rosemary is a much less invasive option to repel mosquitoes and a slew of other insects. It can be grown in pots but it does just fine in gardens or landscaped beds. The plant itself or it’s clippings both repel insects and it can even be boiled and turned into a repellent, making it one of the most flexible plants you can pick. And of course, Rosemary oil is great for cooking!

Alliums: Not one specific plant, but the family of plants known as Alliums are all effective natural insecticides. Repelling everything from slugs to aphids to cabbage worms. Putting an Allium near plants like tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, and carrots can ward off many of they’re natural pests. Alliums also include small herbs like chives, leeks and shallots!

If your home has some uninvited guests, call The Bug Guy, Pest Control OKC, today at 405-973-5522!

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Pest Control OKC: Keep pests out of the garden shed

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Pest Control OKC: Keep your shed pest free

It’s starting to warm up, and that means it’s approaching time to bust out the garden tools and start taking care of the lawn. But there’s always that trepidation that comes with opening that garden shed for the first time in months. What’s going to come crawling out of there? Rats? Wasps? Ants? Is your lawnmower going to be covered in ants? Is your leafblower now home to a black widow? The Bug Guy, pest control OKC, has a few tips to keep the pests away this year.

Keeping your shed clean and organized is the most effective way to keep most pests away. Pests hate a well kept environment with few places to hide and fewer food scraps to eat. Regular vacuuming, sweeping, and cleaning will go a long way to keeping your shed pest free. The scent of mint, lavender, and tansy can also drive away bugs while also letting your shed smell great! Removing standing water to deter mosquitoes from nesting in your shed. Spiders are a problem that will handle itself once you clear away the other bugs. Spiders prey on other insects, so if your shed has no insects it won’t have any spiders! Stain or paint exposed wood to protect it. Never store compost, potting soil, or sawdust in your shed and always keep other garbage away from your shed. You can deter ants from invading your shed by drawing a chalk line around your shed. You can keep bees and wasps away by sealing and holes in your shed and keeping dead or old wood, including firewood, away from the shed. And always, always clean your tools before storing them back in the shed. You don’t want all your hard work to be for nothing because you didn’t want to wipe down your lawnmower do you?

Call The Bug Guy, Pest Control OKC, for all your pest control needs.

Johnson Jumping Spider- Pest Control OKC

Pest Control OKC Shares Information On Johnson Jumping Spiders

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Pest Control OKC: Watching For Jumping Spiders

You may have already known that Oklahoma is home to many different species of creepy crawling insects, but did you know it is also home to many different arachnids? It’s true and today, our pest control OKC team is sharing information on Johnson Jumping Spiders.

Unlike other spiders, a Johnson Jumping Spider will not build a web in order to catch food. Instead, the spider ventures out during the daytime to find prey. They mostly feed on smaller invertebrates such as; caterpillars, moths, and flies. They have also been known to eat other spiders. Our pest control OKC team thinks that one of the most unique things about this tiny spider is the ability to jump over five times the length of its own body. This makes it a bit difficult for prey to outrun the little hunter.

When it comes to reproducing, this is when the web building begins. The female spider will weave a funnel-shaped web for the sole purpose of laying eggs. They will often do this under rocks or hidden between two objects to protect their offspring.

To help you identify what a Johnson Jumping Spider looks like in person, below are a few simple descriptions based upon observation of our pest control OKC team.

Johnson Jumping Spiders are:

  • About 0.28 inches to 0.51 inches long
  • The males are black with a completely red abdomen
  • The females are black with a red abdomen, but also have a black line down the middle of the abdomen
  • They have tiny hairs on their legs and abdomen

The real trouble caused by these spider bites happens if the person is allergic to venom or allows a bacterial infection to enter the wound. If someone is allergic to the venom other more serious symptoms may occur such as; chills, headaches, vomiting, and painful muscles and joints. This may require medical attention! Bacterial infections can cause even more pain and swelling. If you are bitten it is important to cleanse the area.

Reports, that our pest control OKC team have found, indicate that the Johnson Jumping Spider bite is not normally deadly. Instead, most of the bites that occur from a Johnson Jumping Spider just cause a bit of pain. In most cases, the spider bite will produce pain similar to a wasp sting and cause a swelling at the bite site which can last for several days.

Whether allergic or not, our pest control OKC team would warn to steer clear of these tiny jumpers!

If you’re in need of some assistance to keep your yard free from insects or spiders, please don’t hesitate to give our pest control OKC team a call. You may reach The Bug Guy at 405-973-5522.

Hobo Spider- OKC Pest Control

OKC Pest Control: Hobo Spiders Are Crawling Out Of Obscurity

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OKC Pest Control: Keeping An Eye Out For Hobo Spiders

At one time hobo spiders were actually more well known as the venom was once said to be life-threatening. Today, the perspective may be a different as further research dispelled the deadly medical threat of a hobo spider’s bite. That doesn’t mean; however, that they aren’t still around and that their bites won’t do some damage. Luckily, our OKC pest control team still has an effective treatment solution to keep you safe.

While the hobo spider is originally documented as being native to Europe, it’s no wonder that thanks to years of immigration and travel that several places in the United States have become home to this spider species.

Hobo spider bites are often mistaken for other types, especially due to the Brown Recluse Spider stealing the spotlight over the years. To help you identify hobo spiders here’s our OKC pest control team’s description of these little critters:

  • They are brown in color.
  • They have no distinct rings on their legs, but they are covered in short hairs.
  • Their abdomens usually have several chevron shaped markings.
  • Males have two large palps- commonly described as “fangs, venom sacs, or boxing gloves” (they are actually just male genitalia).
  • Females have palps without the “swollen” ends.
  • Females have a much larger abdomen.

The hobo spider has poor eye site and less sticky webs in comparison to other spiders. Simply stated: to live; they must attack. This most likely explains why hobo spiders are known to be so aggressive by nature and will bite humans. As to be expected, the female spiders are even more defensive if they are tending to their egg sacs. Most bites probably occur when the spider becomes trapped in clothing, bed sheets, or someone accidentally breaks their web.

Our OKC pest control team is just here to let you know that the hobo spider is no longer an unknown entity, especially with the onset of warmer weather. In fact, our OKC pest control team has found funnel shaped webs attached to objects in many yards, by foundations, between planters, and other ground-level objects.

This is one spider species that is crawling out of obscurity. To keep your yard pest-free, our OKC pest control team would be happy to help! You can reach The Bug Guy at 405-973-5522.

Brown Recluse- OKC Pest Control

OKC Pest Control Team Looking Out For Brown Recluse Spiders

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Warmer Weather Brings A Need For OKC Pest Control

The warmer it gets outside the more Oklahomans find the desire to get out and become more active. Our OKC pest control team knows that people aren’t the only beings to enjoy springtime. In fact, Brown Recluse spiders are no exception.

The warm, spring weather is a great time for them to emerge as they are capable of surviving with no food or water for up to 12 months and probably have spent the winter hiding. During the daytime, the Brown Recluse spider is known to hide in dark areas. They like to move around mostly at night searching for prey.

If one is seen during the daytime, our OKC pest control team would suspect that pesticide applications, hunger, overcrowding or a desire to find a mate has probably brought them out. Sometimes, the spiders can become trapped in certain places within a person’s home, as well.

Identifying features of the Brown Recluse spider include a brown-to-gray abdomen, lighter coloring on the legs, and an orange-to-yellow cephalothorax (the anterior part of the body). You may also hear others refer to this spider by names such as Violin Spider or Fiddleback Spider. These names refer to the description of the violin-shaped pattern on top of the spider, with the base of the “violin” sitting on the eyes, and the neck of the “violin” pointing back toward the abdomen.

Many victims of Brown Recluses spiders often roll onto the spider during normal sleep movements causing the spider to bite. A common Brown Recluse spider bite can completely destroy the surrounding tissue. The wound can then develop a crusty-like appearance and texture surrounded by patches of redness and irritation. The awful part about these bites is that although the crust falls off, the deep, crater-like shape may not heal for several months!

Our OKC pest control team encourages you to keep an eye out for Brown Recluse spiders, but to really protect yourself and your family members from accidental spider bites, it’s best to receive a treatment in and around your home.

Our OKC pest control team can help! To get in touch with our OKC pest control company, give The Bug Guy a call at 405-973-5522.

Black Widow Spider- OKC Pesto Control

OKC Pest Control Recounts A Story Of A Black Widow Bite

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OKC Pest Control Sharing A Tale Of A Painful Experience

A story told in New York Times by Jackson Landers will most likely make you hope to never be bitten by a black widow spider. In his tale, he identifies what what it was like as the venom from a spider bite spread throughout his body. Our pest control OKC team found the details to be quite undesirable. You be the judge.

The Jackson Landers Story:

Jackson Landers’ day started off like any ordinary trip to a fishing hole near his house. When the bite happened, in his shoe, he thought it felt “like a bee sting” or a thorn wedged in his shoe. Of course, he quickly realized upon inspection that the evidence of “two tiny little pin pricks” meant he had in fact been bitten and not stung. Confirmation certainly came when he saw the squashed spider.

Unconcerned, Landers went on about his fishing adventure, catching three fish before feeling the symptoms grow worse. He specifically noted that there was a “warmth” in his abdomen followed by “pressure, which became a painful cramping.” As the venom continued to spread he started to feel waves of muscles spasms in his lower chest. Of course, he knew he had to go to the hospital.

After being checked into an emergency room, Landers reported that the spasms gripped his rib cage “like a vise” and that his “biceps cramped” as he shivered uncontrollably. He described that he could actually feel the venom making its way to his heart.

Thankfully, six hours after being bitten, Landers ended up receiving an experimental anti-venom called Analatro which, for him, ended the pain almost immediately. It was said that had he not received the treatment he would have experienced a slew of other issues including word-slurring, hallucinations, and uncontrollable sweating.

Our Comments:

Now, even though this story had a happy ending, does any of that sound like a situation you ever want to be part of?

If you want to be sure that your property, home, and clothing are safe from spiders, don’t hesitate to give our OKC pest control company a call. The Bug Guy can be reached at 405-973-5522! Our OKC pest control team would love to help you get rid of those icky spiders, before they can get to you!

Black Widow Web- OKC Pest Control

OKC Pest Control Helps You Identify Black Widow Webs

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OKC Pest Control: Signs Of A Black Widow

While the reign of insects and spiders seems to be more common in the spring and summer months, you may be surprised to find black widows hiding in places that are undisturbed for long periods of time. The best way to identify a black widow spider’s presence is via the existence of their web. Our OKC pest control team will provide to you, today, some characteristics of a black widow’s web so that you can be on the look-out.

What do the spider webs look like? 

Our OKC pest control team will let you in on a secret! Unlike many beautifully arranged spider webs, the black widow’s web is usually an irregular, messy shape. The long threads appear uneven and tangled, but this is actually by design.

The spider instinctively makes the web so that the uppermost portion is supporting, the center is tangled, and the lower portion has vertical trap threads. The design makes it possible for the black widow to suspend a cocoon with hundreds of eggs in it on one side, while also being able to capture flies, grasshoppers, beetles, and other insects to feast on.

Where can their webs generally be found?

You can usually find black widow webs near the ground level. While they like to remain outdoors whenever possible they have, on occasion, ventured to areas of the home closest to the outside. Our OKC pest control team has found them to, generally, be hidden in a seemingly protected place such as garages, basements, under lawn furniture, between crevices, in wood piles, or other dark places.

If you see signs of these messy webs around, don’t hesitate to give The Bug Guy a call at 405-973-5522. Our OKC pest control team would love to help you eradicate any signs of black widow spiders before they actually do become a bigger problem for you!