A Day in the Life of a Spider in Lexington, KY

As winter begins to come full circle, many start to worry about the various insects and pests that may enter one’s home for protection from the cold weather. One of these insects that may enter your home are spiders. The majority of Kentucky’s spiders are harmless to humans even when they enter our home. However, no one wants spiders crawling around their home!

Spiders are a part of the scientific class Arachnida along with other pests such as scorpions and ticks. The members of this class are known as “arachnids” and all have 8 legs, 2 body parts, and no wings or antennae. Spiders are distinguished from the other members of their scientific class by having a narrower connection between their abdomen and their cephalothorax.

There are various different spiders that live in Kentucky. Each spider has a unique set of characteristics such as color and dietary preferences. Some specific types of spiders that occupy Kentucky are as follows:

• Purseweb Spiders- feed on insects and smaller spiders, can bite but not considered dangerous
  
• Brown Recluses- usually build webs in dark, secluded areas that are close to the ground or against a wall, very common indoors, hide during the day and hunt for prey at night, potentially dangerous bite
  
• Cellar Spiders- make webs in shady corners of basements, attics, etc., feed on smaller insects that are common indoors, not known to bite
  
• Black Widows- cobweb spiders, very common in Kentucky, bite is very dangerous
  
• Orb-Weavers- most only live for one year, eats small insects and spiders, give a painful bite but not dangerous to humans
  
• Wolf Spiders- hunt smaller insects and spiders on the ground, sometimes found in houses, can bite, but not dangerous
  
• Crab Spiders- most live for less than a year, large enough to bite, but not dangerous
  
• Jumping Spiders- common on fence posts, sides of buildings, and sheds, often found in homes, can bite, but not considered dangerous
  

There are a few techniques in trying to prevent spiders from coming into your home at this time of the year. One way is to seal any cracks around your home to block the spiders from migrating in to avoid the cold weather. Spiders that have already found their way in the home can be removed as well. The most efficient technique is a vacuum or broom to kill the spiders and remove the webs and egg sacs.

When spiders continue to pose an issue to your home and family members, it is important to call IPM Pest & Termite. We have been serving Lexington’s pest control needs for over 20 years. We are QualityPro Certified and can offer you dependable and reliable service with both same-day and maintenance programs. Our quarterly maintenance program can help you enjoy the holidays more without having to worry about insects such as spiders entering your home during this season. If you are experiencing any pest control problems or want to prevent any issues in the future, contact us!