Costa Mesa's Spider Prevention Handbook

spider on a big rock

When you’re walking around the house, it can be easy to ignore the spiderwebs you notice in the corners of rooms or between light fixtures… a little too easily. If you never really consider that those webs were attached to a spider at one point, then you might be allowing spiders to gain a foothold inside your home. Once that happens, a few cobwebs here and there will be the least of your worries.

Common Costa Mesa Arachnids

Once you learn the facts about some of the most common spiders in the Costa Mesa area, you’ll realize that it’s never a good sign when you notice spider activity on your property. Let’s start with the health threats. While all spiders have fangs and venom that they use to incapacitate their pest prey, only two spiders in the Costa Mesa area are capable of severely harming humans: the black widow spider and the brown recluse spider.  

The brown recluse spider is about the size of a quarter with a light-brown body, translucent legs, and a dark-brown fiddle-shape in the middle of its back. These spiders spin messy webs close to the ground in low-traffic areas of the house and yard. If you’re bitten by a brown recluse spider, you could be at risk of severe skin damage and neurological issues if you don’t seek medical attention immediately, as brown recluse venom can eat away through the layers of your skin.  

The black widow may be smaller, but it can pack just as much punch. These nickel-sized spiders feature a black, bulbous abdomen with the famous dark red hourglass marking. Black widow spiders can be a severe threat in any area outside they could use as shelter: underground faucet areas, holes in the ground, under outdoor decks, etc.   

It’s best to wear gloves when reaching into any areas like these to avoid a dangerous bite. When black widow bite victims don’t seek immediate medical attention, issues like nausea, dizziness, cramping, and shock can set in.  

Other species of spiders on your Costa Mesa property are still not a good sign because of what their presence means. Whether it’s a venomous spider or not, if you begin seeing a lot of spider activity, you probably have a pretty serious pest problem. Spiders will only inhabit a structure heavily when there are numerous insects that they can feed on regularly.

Proper Spider Prevention

Since spiders will invade a home in pursuit of pest infestations, your spider prevention efforts should start with limiting their pest prey. The best things you can do on your own to limit pest activity in your house include:

  • Clearing clutter

  • Cleaning regularly

  • Storing food and trash properly

  • Addressing moisture issues

  • Maintaining the lawn properly

While these methods can limit pest infestations, they don’t provide a great defense against spiders besides reducing their attraction to your house. For more spider-specific tips, try the following:

  • Clear away webs to frustrate spiders.

  • Store any firewood off the ground and away from the home.

  • Identify and seal potential entry points like beneath exterior doors, torn screens, in the foundation, and around windowsills.

Even though these methods can be effective, there are no guaranteed prevention methods that you can implement on your own. Typically, mother nature will find a way in, followed by plenty of spiders seeking a convenient meal source. If you want to avoid unsightly webs around your house and the potential health hazards that certain spiders can bring to your property, then it’s time to enlist professional help. Contact Smart Pest Control today for pest and spider control you can count on. We are here to help.

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