Should You Get Rid Of Bees Yourself?
Bee removal in Mesa, AZ or in any other part of the state is often sought because while bees are an essential part of the ecosystem and do a ton of work pollinating (including billions of dollars’ worth of crops), unless you’re a beekeeper you probably don’t want to live with them.
If you or a family member is allergic to bees, it even becomes dangerous to leave them alone. While there are a few ways you can get rid of them yourself, we would recommend getting in touch with a professional pest control company for larger hives. And if you’re allergic to bee stings or think you may be, do NOT attempt to remove or kill them yourself.
Some symptoms of being allergic include the following:
- Palpitation
- Swelling
- Tightness in throat
- Difficulty breathing
- Nausea or vomiting
If you’ve been stung and experience any of these symptoms, seek medical attention right away. While rare, you may also go into anaphylactic shock.
Now, if you see bees around your home it doesn’t automatically mean you have a beehive on your property. These could be scouts who are still looking for that new location.
If you spot a lot of bees all huddled together, this may be a swarm of bees en route to a new location and just stopping to let the queen rest. If you see a lot of them forming to look something like a deflated football and you don’t see a hive anywhere, they’re likely just passing by. It’s recommended that you leave them alone since they’re at their most docile without honey or a nest to protect and will leave in a day or two.
If you find a lot of bees coming and going through an opening in your house, then they’ve likely set up shop there. Roofs, attics, wall cavities are some places they can build a hive, which means places that aren’t easily accessible to you.
Before getting rid of them yourself or calling a pest control service, may want to find out if there’s a beekeeper in your area. If there is one and the hive you have isn’t too troublesome to remove, they may do it for free and take it home with them, safe and sound.
Before attempting to deal with bees yourself, make sure you’re wearing protective clothing and cover as much skin as possible. Gloves, scarf, hat, and even goggles would be a good idea.
Some things you can do to repel bees:
- Bees don’t like moth balls. Placing them around the hive will encourage the bees to relocate.
- Sprinkle cinnamon around their hive. The smell of it would also encourage them to relocate.
- Plant bee repelling plants – mint, citronella, and eucalyptus are some of the more popular choices.
If you’d rather kill the bees, some methods may be:
- Cut a soda bottle in half, and leave it full of very sweet soda near where a lot of bees are. They’ll be attracted to the sweet liquid and drown in it.
- Mix one part dish soap and four parts water in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray the bees you see and the hive if visible. This will agitate the bees though and they’ll try to sting you, so make sure you wear protective clothing, and do this sporadically while seeking shelter indoors between sprays.
- Spraying them with insecticide will also work – make sure you get one for specific for bees.
Because there’s a good chance they’ll end up stinging you while you attempt to deal with them, we would recommend getting in touch with a professional pest control service to take care of it for you. Since bees are also important to our ecosystem, whenever possible have them removed and not killed. Note though that removal services are typically more expensive than having pest professionals kill them.
If their hive is left attached to your house, make sure to properly dispose of it. Otherwise, you might find honey oozing through your ceiling or walls once no bees are left to maintain it.
Another thing to note is that once they’re removed, it’s also important to seal their entry point or points – you don’t want new bees in the future finding it and leaving you with the same problem again.
Depending on what kind of bee it is, there may be different methods needed to repel or kill them. It’s also possible that you’re mistaking wasps for bees – and wasps are much more aggressive so you should know what you’re dealing with first! For more information on wasps and bees, check out our blog entries for them here.
Do You Have A Wasp Nest On Your Property?
Flying bugs freak most people out – especially ones that can sting.
Bees can look a little bit cuddly, sure, but they can still sting. Wasps have a reputation for being more aggressive, and unlike bees, the same wasp can sting you multiple times. This is because once a bee stings you, their stinger gets stuck on your skin and the bee actually dies after. Wasps don’t have this problem though so people are understandably more wary of them.
Anyone would undoubtedly be dismayed to find a bug’s nest on their property. But a nest full of aggressive, flying creatures that sting too? Zero shame in noping right out of there.
WASPS ON YOUR PROPERTY:
Obviously if you see wasps on your property that’s a good indication you may have a nest nearby. So you don’t mistake bees for wasps – they have much less hair on their bodies and look shinier. They also have rounder legs, versus the flatter legs bees have. The yellow jacket wasp is common in Arizona and is frequently mistaken for the honey bee. These wasps have yellow and black markings, but they have a brighter yellow as well as the other differences mentioned earlier.
When you spot these wasps on your property, try to determine their flight path to see where their nest is – of course, from a safe distance.
If you hear a lot of buzzing, that may be another sign that you have wasps on your property, albeit not where you can readily see them (for example, if they’ve established a nest in your attic).
If you’ve seen wasps or you hear them, do a perimeter check on your property to spot a wasp nest.
IDENTIFYING A WASP NEST:
The nest you are likely to see on the external surfaces of your home or place of business would a paper wasp nest. These nests are made out of regurgitated wood pulp and saliva, and as such look papery. They’re typically gray or straw-colored.
Wasp nests may start out as small as a golf ball, and during the summer as the wasp population increases, grow to be as big as a football or even bigger. These are smooth on the outside, but on the inside may contain hexagon-shaped cells where wasp eggs are deposited.
They’re usually found in attics, porch ceilings, the undersides of a deck, or in tree branches.
Other species of wasps build nests in the ground, and other solitary wasps prefer to lodge in natural or man-made recesses where they’re protected from most of the elements.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
These wasps will eventually go away on their own. Or rather, they’ll mostly die off during winter months. It’s only the queen that survives and she’ll be off to find a new home come spring.
Unlike a beehive, leaving an abandoned wasp nest right where it is won’t leave you with any significant property damage. Nor will it attract other wasps – and may even deter them from the site. Unlike other pests, wasps don’t re-use nests.
That said, you can still get new wasp nests on your property. Because they are more aggressive and can sting you repeatedly, we would recommend getting in touch with a professional to have them removed.
For more information on wasps, check out our other blog entries here.
Crickets in Arizona: the Loud Menace
Crickets are a sign of good luck in many cultures, but to many people here they’re one of the more abundant nuisance pests in Arizona – you probably know what their chirping sounds like. You may have even enjoyed it for a pleasant night or two. But for most people, the incessant chirping can be hard to fall asleep to.
Some crickets also try to get inside homes to seek warmth from cold, chilly nights. They congregate at the foundations of houses to try and sneak through cracks and crevices and into the warmer sanctuary your home provides.
To begin properly dealing with crickets, you’ll have to arm yourself with the necessary knowledge.
IDENTIFICATION:
The order Orthoptera is known for insects with large jumping legs, like crickets and grasshoppers. They can range in size from 0.12 inches to 2 inches. They have rounded heads, cylindrical bodies, long antennae, and large jumping hind legs. Most of the crickets found in the U.S. are typically black or brown, but some of them are green.
The most common types of crickets found in the Phoenix valley area are the field cricket, house cricket, and the tropical house cricket.
Field Cricket – they are dark brown or black in color, and have prominent spurs on their legs. They have large and brightly pigmented hind wings, though not all of them are capable of flight.
House Cricket – they are a light brown or tan in color, and have less prominent spurs on their legs. They have long wings that cover their abdomen.
Tropical House Cricket – they are a yellowish-brown in color, and have less prominent spurs on their legs. They have shorter wings that only cover about half their abdomen. Very rarely, they may have longer wings similar to House Crickets.
NEST:
Crickets are nocturnal, and during the day hide in shaded areas like tall grass, cracks and crevices in structures, stacked firewood, under rock piles or other debris.
DIET:
Fruits, vegetables, meat – crickets are omnivores, and eat food that may be quite similar to what we eat. They are scavengers and eat what they find in our homes, garages, or yards. Out in the wild, their diet consists of rotting leaves, rotting fruit, vegetables, and other insects.
HOW DANGEROUS ARE THEY?
Crickets are considered a nuisance pest, more so because of the noise they can produce. The house cricket may be the most problematic for homeowners, as they can produce offspring indoors and need not go outside. If left unattended, generations of these crickets may spend their entire lives never leaving the confines of your own home.
In large numbers, these crickets may damage drywall and fabrics around your home. They’re also known to leave large amounts of feces.
Crickets may attempt to bite humans in defense (if for example, you are holding them tightly in your hand), but they’re typically not able to puncture skin.
HOW DO YOU GET RID OF THEM?
- Using an insecticide spray either by direct hit or by spraying areas where they are typically found is effective. As these chemicals are toxic, avoid spraying near where your family and pets typically rest.
- A more natural way to get rid of them would be to set a bait using molasses. Place molasses in a shallow bowl and fill it halfway with water. Once crickets hop in, they should drown.
Prevent crickets from entering your home by sealing cracks and crevices, and install screens on any outdoor vents. You may also want to install screens on windows, and invest in weatherstripping to close gaps on windows and doors.
Not only does this prevent crickets from entering your home, but it also prevents other pests that prey on crickets from entering. Crickets are loved by many small snakes, rats, mice, beetles, wasps, spiders, lizards, and many more.
For more information on crickets, check out our Pest Encyclopedia.
How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes
There are numerous ways on how to get rid of mosquitoes to prevent you and your family from getting bitten by mosquitos and these are provided below.
Firstly, look at where they live and breed and arrange for it to be removed. Although it will not protect you against the mosquitos it will prevent them from breeding further and thus reduce any future populations of them.
You need to look at other areas around your property where stagnant water may be such as clogged rain gutters, puddles, open rubbish bins, potted plants, toys; children play equipment and anything else that may be able to collect a small amount of water.
Another thing you could do if you can not stop the mosquitos from breeding to keep them away from the area where you are.
This can be done by using citronella candles or other similar devices. You will even find that you are able to purchase an electronic mosquito repeller that emits a sound that they can hear and deters them from the area.
It is also advisable to use yellow lights rather than white ones in your garden, although they do not repel the mosquitos, they certainly do not attract them as normal white lights do.
If you are able to place a fan near where you are sitting outside as mosquitos dislike air that is moving. However, when inside the way to keep mosquitos out is by making sure you keep screen doors/windows closed (doors which close automatically are the best kind to have) and sure that they are correctly attached and sealed.
Protecting Yourself From Mosquito Bites
One way to prevent mosquito bites is to kill those that you do have. You can do this by using various types of pesticides.
Foggers are the ideal choice for killing mosquitos in the air where they are flying. While residual insecticides are the best alternative to put on bushes and shrubs where they will rest when inactive.
Some of these solutions may seem more permanent than others, you will probably find you have problems with mosquitos that have migrated back from areas that have been untreated near to your home, and the best way to avoid these problems is to set up a mosquito plan in your neighborhood (however, you may find them difficult to organize and maintain).
Another way of controlling mosquitos is by using an electronic bug zapper, but when using this method you have to worry about the effect such a piece of equipment will have on those harmless insects and other wildlife in the area.
You may find that many insects that are vital to the environment around your home will be killed when you are trying to exterminate mosquitos.
You should be aware that larger wildlife can also be inadvertently harmed by any pesticides that you have been using to deal with mosquitos.
The final option for helping to keep you and your family safe from mosquitos is to schedule a home assessment with your local pest control company to safely eliminate mosquitoes.
Cricket Droppings Versus Termite Droppings
One of the easiest ways you can tell if you have pests in your home is by the signs they leave behind – and one helpful sign in particular would be its droppings.
Depending on what kind it is, these droppings may be harmful and spread diseases, but for other pests, these droppings may be fairly harmless so long as you take care of the mess right away.
To properly deal with any pest infestation, you would have to know what exactly it is you’re dealing with and being able to tell what it is from its droppings is very helpful.
Crickets are known to leave a lot of droppings, especially in homes infested by house crickets. These droppings may look quite similar to those of termite droppings, so read on to find out how to differentiate between the two.
CRICKET DROPPINGS
These are small and black in color. They’re a little bit elongated, and are hard. The ends look more cut rather than tapered. They’re found in more spread out piles while termite droppings are mostly a more concentrated heap – this is because termites push their droppings out of small holes from the wood they’ve infested.
Cricket droppings are not considered a health hazard like other pest droppings such as those of rats, though it is still recommended you exercise caution when cleaning them up – it’s never a bad idea to wear gloves and a mask when cleaning excrement.
Crickets themselves are generally not considered dangerous, but having them in your house attracts a lot of other pests – spiders, wasps, beetles, small snakes, rats, and mice are just some of their natural predators.
TERMITE DROPPINGS
Subterranean termites usually don’t leave any visible droppings (as these droppings are left in their tunnels, and even used during its construction), but drywood termites do. As mentioned earlier, these look quite similar to cricket droppings, but there are a few differences.
These pellets are a lighter color, and since they are ejected from termite infested wood, they fall in more uniform piles on the ground.
SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER:
- Drywood termites are one of the most destructive pests any homeowner can find in their home, so if you find these droppings on your property take action right away.
- Whenever you’re dealing with a large quantity of feces – especially in enclosed areas – wear safety gear such as masks and gloves.
PEST PREVENTION:
Once you’ve dealt with the pest infestation, prevent these pests from invading your home in the future by sealing possible entry points:
- Inspect your house and seal all cracks and crevices.
- Install mesh screens on any outdoor vents
- Consider installing screens on windows
- Consider investing in weatherstripping to close gaps on windows and doors
Remember, having termites in your home means costly repairs so get rid of them right away.
Crickets attract a lot of other pests, so if you don’t want all those other bugs finding their way into your home, get rid of them right away.
For more information on crickets, check out our Pest Encyclopedia, and you can check out our other blog entries on termites here.
Common Water Bugs in Arizona
The name water bug applies to a wide range of bugs that live in water. Cockroaches, while not true water bugs, are often referred to as such. Some cockroach species like the Oriental cockroach look very similar to the Giant Water Bug (Lethocerus americanus). Cockroaches can also “hold their breath” for a long time underwater – about 40 minutes – helping to give the impression that these creatures also dwell in water. While cockroaches may prefer to live near a source of water, they are not true water bugs.
Giant Water Bug
It is a flat, oval shaped insect about 2 inches in size. It has 6 legs that also appear to be flattened, with its frontal legs modified to end in claws for grabbing prey. They are dark brown in color.
They feed on other insects, small crustaceans, small fish, snails, and tadpoles. It eats by latching on to its prey with its claws and using a somewhat retractable proboscis to inject it with digestive toxins.
The giant water bug may also be known as “toe biter”, so-called because if you step on them in muddy water they may deliver a painful bite to your toe. However, they tend to avoid confrontation and will prefer to flee or play dead when agitated. They will bite if forcibly handled.
They nest in the bottom of muddy waters or surrounding vegetation. Unlike many other aquatic insects, Giant Water Bugs are able to tolerate slightly polluted water.
It has functional wings and is able to fly, and it is able to breath under water by trapping air under its wings.
Creeping Water Bug
Also known as saucer bugs, they look quite similar to giant water bugs but they’re much smaller at only 0.2 to 0.8 in in size. They vary in color, but are typically dark.
When fully submerged, it’s able to breathe from air stored under its wings.
Backswimmers
These insects are known for their ability to swim on their backs. They have long, oar-like legs and an oval-shaped head. They have an elongated body, but they’re small in size at about 0.06 in. Its color varies, but is meant to blend in the water – lighter on their underside, which faces up, and darker on their backs, which faces the bottom of the water.
It is able to breath under water from air bubbles trapped under its wings.
Other bugs that may look like water bugs:
These true water bugs are generally found outdoors and pose no threat to people in their homes. While these bugs may fly off from their watery habitats and end up in parking lots or other such places, they are likely only in search of a mate and got attracted to outdoor lights (like if you find them on your porch in the evenings).
If you see what looks like one scuttling away on the floor inside your house, it’s likely a cockroach. Some of the cockroaches often mistaken for water bugs would be the Oriental cockroach, the American cockroach, and the German cockroach.
Of course, for any pest infestation, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a professional.
For more information on cockroaches, check out our Cockroach Archive.
Bat Bugs Versus Bed Bugs
Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the… bat bugs bite? A lot of us are probably familiar with bed bugs. They spread very easily from one person, pet, or furniture to another. Bed bugs are fast on the rise, especially since people traveling from one place to another has never been easier or faster.
A lot of people see a bug on their bed and immediately assume it’s a bed bug – and this can be a bad idea. For one, whatever it really is could be more dangerous than you realize. You could also try eliminating it using methods suitable for bed bugs – and if those fail (since in this scenario they’re not actually bed bugs) it could be a frustrating experience and you may end up suffering sleep loss, wondering if you’re really safe in your bed.
One of these commonly mistaken bugs are bat bugs. They belong to the same family as bed bugs (Cimicidae) and are quite similar, even almost identical. It is thought that their ancestor bugs lived with people and bats back when people were living in caves. When people started leaving these caves to dwell in shelters of their own construction, some of these bugs left with them while others stayed behind. Over time, they evolved into separate kinds of bugs that prey primarily on people and bats – bed bugs and bat bugs.
IDENTIFICATION
Bed bugs – they are about 5mm in size, and have oval bodies that are flat. After feeding, they appear inflated. They are mahogany in color and become red-brown after feeding.
Bat bugs – they are also about 5mm in size, with oval bodies that are flat. After feeding, they appear inflated. They are beige in color and become dark brown after feeding.
A key difference in how they look is that bat bugs are hairier, and that their hair strands are longer. However, you wouldn’t be able to see this unless under magnification.
NEST
Bed bugs – they prefer to stay near their host, so you’ll find them in mattresses, box-springs, headboards, or in the general vicinity. However, they are also able to travel an impressive 20 feet to go from their hiding place to their feeding area.
Bat bugs – you may also find bat bugs in the same places as bed bugs, however since their preferred hosts are bats, you’ll find them wherever bats may be roosting in your house. That typically means attics, unused chimneys, or wall voids.
DIET
Bed bugs – prefer human blood, but will feed on other mammals absent a human host.
Bat bugs – prefer bat blood, but will feed on humans (or other mammals) absent a bat host. However, it is thought that they are only able to reproduce after feeding on bat’s blood.
HOW DANGEROUS ARE THEY?
Bed bug bites are not considered dangerous but you will likely experience some degree of discomfort with inflammation and itchiness. Note that while they’re feeding, you’re likely not able to feel anything as they inject anesthetic into the bite wound. In rare cases, some people present no discomfort from bed bug bites at all.
Bat bug bites are similar to that of a bed bug’s and they are not known to transmit any diseases. However, if you have bat bugs then you likely have bats roosting in the area. Bats can carry bacteria and viruses which can be very harmful to people and their pets.
HOW DO YOU GET RID OF THEM?
Bed bug elimination is often a tedious process and involves disrupting their reproductive cycle. Learn more about bed bugs and what you can do about them on our Bed Bug Archives.
Bat bug elimination means you’ll have to get rid of any bats roosting in the area and disinfecting the area afterward. Be sure to seal possible entry points by sealing cracks and crevices and installing screens so they don’t come back.
OTHER SMALL BUGS THAT MAY BE MISTAKEN FOR BED BUGS
While bed bugs and bat bugs look very similar, a number of other small bugs may also be mistaken for bed bugs, including the following:
- Carpet beetles
- Cockroach nymphs
Ticks
For any assistance with a pest infestation, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a pest control company.
White Spiders in Arizona
We all know to be afraid at the sight of a black spider, especially when it has a distinctive red hourglass shape – that means a black widow, and venomous. We’re also wary of the brown recluse – another one of the most dangerous spiders in the country – both of which can be found in Arizona.
But there’s also something quite unsettling about seeing a white spider too. Pale, and for some people, even somewhat alien-looking spiders since we’re used to seeing more of the brown variety.
There is no one white spider, and what white spiders you see would be from a number of different species of spiders.
In this blog entry, we’ll be talking about some of the white spiders you’ll find in the state of Arizona.
Crab Spiders
Crab spiders, or specifically Misumenops deserti (since the common name crab spider is shared by a number of species of spiders), have an off-white or pale yellow color with light-brown markings on their abdomen. Adult males mature to be a more tan color, with more pronounced dark-brown markings on their abdomen and legs.
These spiders don’t spin webs, and instead wait for prey on foliage. Once a prey comes along, it uses its first and second pair of legs – which are rotated forward – to capture and hold it. While they deliver venom to paralyze their foe, their bites are rarely dangerous to humans (not to be confused by bites from Giant crab spiders, which can be quite painful).
While these spiders don’t spin webs, they do spin silk for their eggs sacs and for transportation, spinning a thread of silk and letting it glide into the breeze. Once it latches on to something like a neighboring plant, the spider then uses it as a bridge to cross.
Similar to crabs, these spiders crawl sideways.
Other spiders in the Thomisidae family of spiders are also referred to as crab spiders (like the Goldenrod Crab Spider that we’ll be discussing next), while other species of spiders can have varying names of crab spider, such as wall crab spiders, or six-eyed crab spiders, etc.
Goldenrod Crab Spider
The Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia, is the largest and best known flower spider in North America – called as such because they like to wait for prey on foliage, particularly on flowers. These spiders in particular are often found on goldenrod plants, though they may also hunt on other flowers like daises and sunflowers.
They are white or yellow, depending on the flower where they’re on. White variants of these spiders may have two distinct red marks on the sides of their abdomen, while yellow variants of these spiders will have two distinct light-brown or slightly orange marks on the sides of their abdomen. However, they employ active camouflage and are able to alter their color to blend in their surroundings (this change will take a few days).
Some flower crab spiders may even imitate flowers, waiting for unsuspecting prey to fall victim to its trickery.
Other White Spiders in Arizona
Some of the other white spiders you may spot in Arizona may be the Marbled Cellar Spider and Coneweb Spider, but many of these spiders may also have much darker colors and patterns.
Yellow Sac spiders may also be confused by some people as being a white spider, since they are typically pale in color. Check out our dedicated blog entry for them here.
The Most Painful Insect Sting in Arizona
If you’ve ever wondered what the most painful insect sting is, we’ve got you covered. Not only is this insect’s sting the most painful in Arizona – it’s the most painful insect sting in the whole country, and is one of the most painful insect stings in the whole world! So let’s get right to it.
The Tarantula Hawk Wasp
It’s not a tarantula nor a hawk, but rather a solitary wasp that preys on tarantulas. And are we really surprised that it’s a wasp that reigns supreme here? Many wasps are known to be aggressive, and have some of the freakiest or nastiest ways of bringing forth their offspring (of course, that’s from a human perspective. But truly in nature, all is fair in love and war).
Wait, so how nasty or freaky, you may wonder? Well, a Tarantula Hawk Wasp stings a tarantula and paralyzes it. Then it drags this paralyzed tarantula that’s several times its weight back to its burrow where the wasp lays a single egg on its abdomen. It then seals the burrow and leaves to return to its otherwise normal and even quaint life of nectar-feeding.
Back in the burrow, once the egg hatches, it starts to feed on the immobile tarantula right away, making sure to eat the non-essential organs first to keep it alive as long as possible. Savage.
Oh, and one more thing. The Tarantula Hawk Wasp may dig its own burrow, or use the tarantula’s own burrow. Where the tarantula, still alive, will slowly be eaten by her offspring. Absolute savage.
So what do they look like?
They are one of the largest parasitoid wasps at around 2 inches or 5 cm long. They have long legs with hooked claws, and metallic blue-black bodies, with rust-colored wings.
Where can I find them?
They’re found in every continent except Europe and Antarctica. In the US, they can be found in the deserts of the southwest or wherever tarantulas are found.
So how painful are their stings?
The sting from a Tarantula Hawk Wasp is categorized as Level 4 in the Schmidt Sting Pain Index (created by entomologist Dr. Justin Schmidt). To quote, “the pain is so immediate and intense that it shuts down all illusions of life as normal.” Sounds poignant but also pretty vicious, and certainly not something most people would want to experience.
That said, while a sting from this wasp can be extremely excruciating, it leaves no tissue damage.
While females can easily sting humans, they don’t go out of their way to do so. They’ll only sting you if they feel threatened. Males don’t sting at all.
Are there other insects or animals that prey on them?
Because of their highly painful stings, very few creatures would dare to challenge a Tarantula Hawk Wasp. Their coloration is aposematic, which warns predators that this potential meal is not worth the trouble. Two of those very few creatures are the roadrunner and bullfrog.
Check out our other blog entries on wasps (and bees) here.
If you find Tarantula Hawk Wasps on your property, get in touch with a pest control company for assistance!
The Giant Crab Spider
The Giant Crab Spider, Olios giganteus, may be called as such because they are able to quickly move sideways. They also have a propensity for extending their legs at right angles relative to the rest of their bodies, giving them a crab-like appearance.
While crab spiders are actually comprised of many species of spiders, the Giant Crab Spider is one of the largest spiders you’ll encounter in the state of Arizona.
They are also known as Golden Huntsman Spiders, or just Huntsman Spiders because of their speed and way of hunting. They can wander around in search of food, and while they are ambush predators, they’re also able to run quickly to close in on prey. Some species are also referred to as Wood spiders, because of their preference for woody areas.
IDENTIFICATION:
They are medium to light brown or light orange, and have a leg span of over 2 inches. Some species have even longer leg spans of 3 to 6 inches. They have 8 legs as all spiders do, however something unique about them is that their legs are laterigrade – this enables them to be oriented in a horizontal plane rather than a vertical plane, and allows them to move sideways very quickly though unlike a lot of crab spiders they may also move in a vertical direction. Their bodies appear to be smoothly furry, but they do have prominent spines on their legs.
On the center of their abdomen is a dark thin line which ends in a point.
NEST:
They don’t spin webs as nests, instead hiding in infrequently disturbed places such as woodpiles or under piles of rock. They’re able to flatten their bodies to an extent where they can fit in small cracks or fissures. They also typically settle into one place only when they lay eggs (and stay to guard them). Otherwise, they wander around (mostly) at night to look for food.
BEHAVIOR AND DIET:
Giant Crab Spiders don’t have spider webs to nest and hunt in, and instead go around looking for food, often wandering inside homes in search of prey. They like to prey on small insects like crickets that don’t give them too much trouble, even using venom to immobilize prey despite it being typically much smaller than the Giant Crab Spider.
HOW DANGEROUS ARE THEY?
They aren’t typically aggressive towards humans, only striking in defense. It will be more aggressive in defending itself when it’s also protecting its egg sacs and young.
Their bites aren’t generally considered dangerous to humans, but it does cause pain. Some more extreme symptoms include the following:
- Local swelling
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Heart palpitations
If you’re experiencing these symptoms, or present any other allergic reaction (or think you may be allergic), seek medical attention immediately.
WHEN ARE THEY MOST ACTIVE?
They are most active during the hot summer months.
HOW DO YOU GET RID OF THEM?
If you find a Giant Crab Spider in your house, do not handle them with your bare hands. Wear gloves, and place a glass jar over the spider. Insert paper under the glass, flip the glass over, and carefully carry the spider outside where you can release it. You can also use a vacuum for this purpose.
If you’d like to make sure that that spider is permanently eliminated, a strong spray of insecticide will do the trick. Of course, you can also use a blunt tool to squish it (if you intend to step on it, it would be a good idea to wear heavy boots).
Otherwise, get in touch with a professional pest control company to take care of the problem for you.
To learn more about spiders, check out our other blog entries in our Spider Archives !
