In brief on how to get rid of brown recluse spiders; start with a vacuum for removing webs, get some sticky traps, and spider repellent on hiding places such as garages, attics, and basements.
Brown recluse is venomous and you’ll mainly find them hiding in dark places on the yard and home. – and they’ll be equally challenging to control.
These brown recluses will seek shelter in hidden areas – comparable to the venomous Black Widow – and you’ll get them in locations like North America.
[amazon bestseller=”Best Spider killers” items=”2″ template=”table”]Details: How to Get Rid of Brown Recluse Spiders
Step 1: Conduct Inspection for Brown Recluse Spiders
The “fiddle-back spider” or Brown recluse have markings but will also have many shades such as light or dark brown – you can get them in Kentucky, western Georgia, and central Texas.
These nocturnal hunters will prey on mosquitoes, and flies among other insects. But they won’t harm humans – but act in self-defense and they’ll use their bites.
You may confuse the Brown recluse with wolf spiders but these ones have eight eyes and larger in body size. The recluse has fine hairs and six eyes but smaller in size.
- Despite that bites from brown recluse are rare, they are itchy and become reddish – and may become an open sore taking even a weak to heal.
On the body shape, these spiders are violin shape (and dark brown) on their cephalothorax – the section where the bug’s legs are attached.
- The spider has a uniformly-colored abdomen and legs – it has no multiple abdomen pigments.
- It has no spines but some fine hairs on its legs
The bug has 6 (not eight) eyes arranged in pairs but has some small space that separates the egg pairs. But don’t confuse these spiders with the spitting spiders in the Scytodes genus.
- Conduct an effective inspection for the spiders – check cobwebs in clutter, in wall voids, and under insulation. Check for irregular and loose webs – destroy them.
Get some vacuum hose – this will help remove spider webs and fleas.
See Also: Does Bleach Kill Spiders?
Step 2: Remove Propitious (Favourable) Conditions for Brown Recluse
Brown recluse naturally live in debris, woodpiles, logs, and rocks – outdoors spaces. They’ll live in indoor spaces – even in attics or unheated basements during winters with no water or food.
The spiders will hunt during the night for their dead or living prey. – they may employ suspended webs around outdoor vegetation, ceilings, corners, and walls.
Therefore, to get rid of these Recluse Spiders, ensure to first remove the propitious (favorable) conditions in the yard or home – such acts will remove their shelter of preying areas.
The Brown recluse will hide in locations that are warm, dark, and dry such as in rubber tires, bedding, furniture, shoes, clothing, and boxes – including in cellars, basements, and closets.
The adaptable Brown recluse is largely active (but non-aggressive) in temperatures around 45°F to 110°F – they’ll survive for about 6 months with no water or food.
- You can repel the spiders using essential oils such as tea tree, lavender, and peppermint oil – spray the oils and you may also use Hedge apples to repel the spiders.
Step 3: Inspect & Clean Brown Recluse Hiding Places
Inspect your spaces and clean – using some good vacuum cleaner, and use some suitable aerosol such as Zenprox (with longer residue effect) or CB 80.
As noted earlier, Brown recluse will take refuge in warm and dark places – and hence cleaning practices that’ll hit such places will help remove the bugs.
- So, clean all the objects that could attract Brown recluse such as food sources – don’t drop crumbs around the spaces as they’ll attract the bugs.
- Next, move any boards, lumber, firewood that’ll be around your house. Cover these objects and store them away from the ground – and cut all dense vegetation near structures.
Next, cut the tall grasses and trim the bushes – remove items on the garage floor and clean that space. But remove all the clutter that could harbor any brown recluse.
See Also: Do Spiders Have Antennae??
Step 4: Setup Multiple Brown-Recluse Traps
Next, its trap-time – set up multiple spider traps in the house – locate the traps around the bed, water heater chamber, and under your bathroom sink.
The glue traps set up for the spider will help capture the bugs – in the apartment or house. I recommend using a Catchmaster trap – as approved by Kansas University researchers.
- The glue traps will help identify the type of bugs that are insider your residence or house.
The sticky traps are excellent bug or pest controller gadgets – these will kill or immobilize the spiders that are wandering in your spaces.
Most of the traps are “passive” and hence it won’t require complicated setting-up or attending – just check them occasionally and dump them if they’re full of spiders.
But, a major drawback with glue traps is that they trap or even kill both harmful and helpful insects. For example, arthropods and Centipedes may be trapped.
Step 5: Dust and Spray the Brown recluse
Dust and also spray the spiders’ hiding spaces using some residual insecticide like Onslaught and Suspend Poly Zone (perimeter sprays).
Simply spray under furniture and inside baseboards – places that the brown recluse run. The residual insecticides like Zenprox or Suspend Poly-zone – combined with dusting and cleaning.
Ensure the dust or spray (for Brown recluse) gets to the places that are difficult to reach. The Talstar® bifenthrin insecticide is a pyrethroid that will repel the brown recluse.
The spayed or dusted surfaces will influence how long the insecticide will remain active. For example, masonite and wooden surfaces allow the insecticide to keep its power for about 7 days.
- However, spraying or dusting the insecticide (even with handheld dusters) on vinyl surfaces will maintain the residue active and powerful for about 60 days.
Residual sprays:
- These insecticide sprays are liquid and you should use them on room perimeters, storage areas, closets edges, eaves, and exterior foundation.
- Sprays offering a residual-killing activity that is long should be chosen. Avoid sprays made from oils and botanical extracts that have not been proven to work on the brown recluse.
Residual dust:
- Dust (such as D-Fence Dust) created to work as residual insecticides must be applied on your crawl spaces that are inaccessible, attics, and also wall voids.
- The insecticide dust will easily penetrate those places that won’t be easy to hit with spider sprays – and thus give longer brown recluse control.
- Treating the attics (area-wide) won’t work well because you might contaminate the storage places or even drift to your house through ventilation or light-fixtures.
Aerosol or ULV sprays:
- The aerosol or ULV (ultra-low volume) sprays that have resmethrin or pyrethrins will effectively control the brown recluse.
- The ULV treatment will be effective for controlling spiders in the shingle roofing, attics, and under the wood. They’ll irritate the recluse as they contact and move on surfaces.
Step 6: Sanitation Non-Chemical Treatment
Sanitation will effectively help clear the Brown Recluse – as it’ll remove them from different structures like homes and buildings – including various hiding places.
I approve of the subsequent practices to get rid of the brown recluse.
- Cut short the different tall grasses around the various structures. Check the garages and basements – improving storages – don’t store objects on the floor.
- Check the building foundation and cut the heavy vegetation plus remove the piles of debris, boards, stones, firewood, and lumber.
Remove the spiders with egg sacs and webs of the brown recluse – use a vacuum after spotting the spiders during the inspection step – and remove the vacuum bag.
Use caulk to seal gaps and cracks in the cables, wires, pipes, vents, surrounding eaves, and building exterior. Inspect stored items and boxes – and use some vacuum hoses.
Step 7: Use Diatomaceous Earth (Food-Grade)
Diatomaceous Earth has proven effective and safer for controlling the brown recluse – they have an abrasive effect that’ll break the exoskeleton of the spiders.
Sprinkle the powder onto the gaps and spaces on the bedroom closets, inner bedroom spaces, under cabinets in the kitchen, and wall cracks – but avoid damp situations.
- Remove food sources loved by brown recluse including water, food, and shelter – just like with the moths, ants, flies, and roaches.
Further, lessen the amount of indoor humidity as this will repel the spiders – you may use a dehumidifier – manage the humidity in the storage spaces, bathrooms, and closets.
Conclusion
Lastly, on how to get rid of brown recluse spiders remove all the external openings and gaps.
This will block the brown recluse from getting into the house. Also, cover the gaps around the doors and windows
Sources:
- Brown Recluse Spiders: Facts, Bites & Symptoms
- Brown Recluse Spider Bite Treatment
- Brown Recluse (Violin Spider)
- Brown Recluse spider – Appearance?