With the warmer weather turning chilly, it’s time to venture into attics to gather winter clothes and holiday decorations. Other things can be lurking in your attic besides seasonal clothes and autumnal embellishments – spiders.
There are many different spiders throughout the United States if not, the world. They have a purpose, but making a home in your attic should not be one of them. Explore the most common types of spiders found in Pennsylvania homes, how to keep them out of your property, and what you should do if you find an infestation.
The Types Spiders You May Find in Your Attic
Common House Spider
No matter how frequently you attempt to remove cobwebs from your eaves and beams, the common house spider will quickly make a new home in a short amount of time.
The female is 5 to 6 millimeters long with a yellowish-brown carapace and a dirty-white and a brown abdomen with gray chevrons. The legs are yellow, with darker rings at the end of each segment and a triangular black spot on the top of the abdomen. In comparison, the male is 3.8 to 4.7 millimeters in length with orange legs.
Although a nuisance in appearance and abandoned webs, they don’t threaten humans and pets.
Longbodied Cellar Spider
This spider’s long-leg and tiny body is another common pest you may find in your home in any season and is also not a threat to humans or pets. Their name aptly describes its appearance.
For the cellar spider, it takes around one year to reach maturity. They can live for approximately two or more additional years.
Jumping Spider
Cute to some and horrifying to others, the jumping spiders can pounce on their victims from a great distance. Not good news for people with arachnophobia as this giant spider is common in Pennsylvanian homes.
The positive news these are shy spiders that retreat from humans. If you do handle them, they generally do not bite. If bitten, you may experience minor pain, itching, swelling, and redness that lasts a few days.
These black, hairy spiders measure 8 to 19 millimeters for females and 6 to 13 millimeters for males. You will notice a pattern of white, yellow, or orange spots on the top of the abdomen for mature updates and orange on the younger spiders.
Wolf Spider
Each genders’ carapace appears dark brown with bits of gray hairs in no pattern with legs in a solid color.
Wolf spiders will bite if they feel threatened. Physical reactions include initial pain and redness with the potential for some localized swelling that subsides within 24 hours.
Barn Funnel Spider
The barn funnel spider is another spider that avoids humans. They can be found hiding in warm dark areas and appear reddish-brown with a covering of pale-yellow hairs with spiny legs.
They reportedly live approximately seven years and are found active in every season. These speedy spiders are shy and only attack when threatened. The bites cause minor pain, swelling, redness, and itching.
Prevent a Spider Problem
Attics are secure places to hide with very little chance of disturbance from a property’s inhabitance. Spiders and bugs will show up in your attic if it has access through gaps and cracks between windows, doors, and floorboards. Seal any opening with a quality sealant or call a professional pest control expert like Seitz Bros. to prevent an infestation.
Before you bring anything indoors like wood or vegetation, thoroughly check to ensure you don’t bring any eight-legged intruders to your property.
Keep all food in a tightly sealed container, including pet food. Spiders are no different from any other pests searching for an available food source.
Contact a Professional to Take Care of Your Spider Problem
Spiders possess a vital role in our world to keep insects from overtaking our world. You’ll rarely come across the venomous spiders in Pennsylvania; therefore, you’re safe unless you suffer from allergies or acrophobia.
It’s good to know if the spiders you found in your home are a threat or if you suspect you have an infestation. Call Seitz Bros. for a free quote on service. A licensed and highly trained professional can recommend effective prevention methods that will help keep them away.
