Living in Las Vegas is a constant balancing act between loving the area and getting annoyed with the tourists. Unfortunately, the tourists aren’t the only year-round nuisances around our Las Vegas homes and businesses. There are plenty of spiders to go around as well. If you see a spider on your property, should you be worried?
While there are over a dozen species of spiders in the Las Vegas area, only two of them can actually harm you. It’s true that all spiders have fangs and venom, but only two species in our area can transfer it to humans: the black widow and the brown recluse.
The black widow spider is the smaller of the two, barely the size of a dime, including the legs. You’ll recognize them by a black, bulbous abdomen that features a dark red hourglass marking. They prefer to hang around the low-traffic outdoor areas on your property, including below your deck or within woodpiles. They’ll build low, cluttered webs along the ground in areas they think will give them the best chance of catching insects for their next meal.
The brown recluse, on the other hand, is a bit larger. Measuring up to the size of a quarter, including their long, nearly translucent legs, these light brown pests are often mistaken for other spiders. However, the dark brown violin-shaped marking on its back will be the giveaway. The wolf spider resembles it, but it lacks the marking on its back and is much hairier. Wolf spiders can also grow to six inches long.
Fortunately, black widows and brown recluse spiders prefer to stay away from humans. After all, the more human activity in the area, the less chance they have of catching their next meal. While running into either of these spiders is rare, a bite warrants medical attention. Black widow bites will swell quickly and can lead to nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath. While most bites aren’t fatal, thanks to antivenom, failure to seek medical help can result in long-term neurological issues.
In the case of a brown recluse bite, severe skin damage can occur if the victim does not get medical attention. The venom from a brown recluse can dissolve through the layers of skin, even making it down to the bone in certain cases. If you notice your skin burning after a spider bite rather than just itching, seek medical attention to avoid skin damage and dangerous infections.
Black widow and brown recluse bites are often the result of reaching your hand into their hiding spots. Whenever you’re reaching into dark, cluttered spaces like piles of wood in the yard or into boxes in low-traffic basement and attic areas, wear gloves to avoid the risk of a bite.
What’s attracting these dangerous spiders (and all the other nuisance spiders) onto your property? If they think your home will provide a fertile hunting ground, they’re much more likely to invade the yard and low-traffic areas within the home. They’re very small, so it’s hard to keep spiders out completely.
However, if you can limit the number of insects that inhabit your home, then spiders are far less likely to invade. The best insect-prevention steps that you can perform on your own include:
Nothing you can do on your own is guaranteed to limit pest activity on your property. Plus, if you do incur a brown recluse or black widow infestation on your property, you do not want to put your health at risk by trying to get rid of them by yourself. The safest way to get dangerous spiders off your property is with professional assistance from Red Rock Pest Control. Give us a call today to find out how we can get dangerous home invaders off your property for good.
