How Can You Avoid Spider Bites in Your Home?

Our fully inclusive guide on how to avoid being bitten by spiders in the home.

Spiders. We associate them with Halloween and old haunted mansions, don’t we? The eight legged little critters are more often than not, disliked and avoided by humans at every opportunity.

This is mainly because of the way that they look, isn’t it? Let’s be honest, eight legs are more than sufficient. However, did you know that the vast majority of spiders do bite?

Furthermore, did you realise that, in fact, all spiders are actually venomous? That’s right. Every single one of the little critters spread venom through their bite, as this is how they paralyse, capture, and ultimately eat their prey – hence why they’re so handy for eliminating flies in the home.

The good news, however, is that in the vast majority of spiders, this venom is not strong enough to have an impact on humans. Although irritating, they aren’t necessarily dangerous except for a few.

So that begs the question, how can you avoid spider bites in the home?

Read on for our fully inclusive guide on how to avoid being bitten by spiders in the home.

Which Spiders are Dangerous to Humans?

First and foremost, we think it’s important that we make the most dangerous spiders that post a threat to humans identifiable.

These spiders produce venom strong enough to be harmful to humans, and are commonly found across certain parts of America. In some cases, their bite can even be fatal.

Let’s take a look at the main three of these, shall we?

The Black Widow

First up, we have the black widow spider – which it’s likely you’ll have heard of before. These are most commonly found in Southern and Western areas in the USA, however, can also be found in North America.

The Brown Recluse

Next up, we come to the brown recluse spider. These arachnids are most commonly found in Southern states of America, and in the Mid – West.

Hobo Spiders

Third and finally in our list of common dangerous spiders, we come to the hobo spider. These are usually found throughout the Pacific North – West in the USA.

All three of these venomous spiders are most likely to be found outdoors – which may seem strange as we’re covering how to avoid spider bites within the home. However, many home owners spend time outdoors, particularly in the Summer months. Whether you’re gardening, landscaping or even doing outdoor maintenance, you are ultimately at risk of coming into contact with, and disturbing these spiders.

Generally speaking, the good news is that these spiders will not attack unless disturbed, or they feel threatened. The bad news, is that this can be done accidentally.

How Will I Know if I’ve Been Bitten by a Spider?

A lot of people are actually surprised to hear that most spiders will bite you. How can you really identify a spider bite apart from other kinds of insect bite?

The truth of the matter is that the symptoms of a spider bite can actually vary very widely. In some cases, the bite can be minor and hardly affect the victim. However in other scenarios, the bite of a spider can be severe, and can occasionally be fatal (see the particular species of spiders above).

Below, we are going to be providing you with a list of potential symptoms of a spider bite.

•         Pain coming from the sides of the bite itself.
•         A rash or some itching.
•         Muscles cramping up, or experiencing muscle pain.
•         Your sweat levels increasing.
•         The bite ranging from a red to a purple colouring, or even blistering.
•         Experiencing a headache.
•         Having difficulty breathing.
•         Experiencing nausea, and in some cases, actually vomiting.
•         Having the chills, or getting a fever.
•         Feelings of restlessness, or even anxiety.
•         The heightening of your blood pressure.

We know, the symptoms really do range quite dramatically, don’t they?

Our advice would be that if you or someone you know experiences any of these symptoms and have reason to suspect that it has been caused by the bite of a spider, then you should immediately be seeking medical advice.

If you can, do some research and try to identify the spider that bit you. This could help you in learning how is best to treat the particular bite at hand, and how serious it could potentially be.

We would also suggest that you thoroughly wash the affected area with hot, soapy water. You should then attempt to ensure the bitten area is elevated, and you should apply it with an ice pack – or frozen peas if that’s all you have! – in order to reduce the swelling.

How Can I Avoid Being Bitten by a Spider, and Prevent them from Invading my Home?

We quite often state that we feel prevention is, without doubt, the best form of avoiding being bitten or harassed by any kind of insect.

In our research, and advice from experts, we have been able to devise the following list of ways in which you can avoid being subject to spider bites, and even prevent them from coming into your home.

Read on to find out how to avoid a spider invasion in your home, as well as preventing the chance of you being bitten.

• Inside of your house, be sure to tidy regularly in order to reduce clutter and piles. This are the typical places in which spiders in the home will attempt to seek shelter, so don’t make it so easy for them!
• Be sure that you take the time to dust your home regularly. Be sure to pay particular attention to corners of the room, as well junctures in the ceiling / walls, as well as under beds and other kinds of furniture where spiders could spin their webs.
• Where you can, attempt to use plastic storage rather than cardboard boxes. It’s well known that spiders are far more attracted to cardboard than plastic, so don’t attract them unnecessarily by using it.
• When you do have to stack materials in your home, try to minimise the spacing between each source of material. These small areas are a prime candidate for the space a spider will choose to spin its’ web – not to mention other kinds of pests and insects.
• When it comes to being careful with your outdoor space, we would recommend removing and reducing any debris, rubble, and any other kind of rubbish from around your property. You should also be sure trim any tall grass, and keep other kinds of foliage under control.
•  If you have any towels, clothing, or other pieces of indoor equipment which you have been storing in the shed or garage then it’s likely spiders will have been using them as shelter. We would recommend either thoroughly shaking out, or even washing these things prior to bringing them into the home.
• If you have any other furniture or equipment which is stored outside, then we would advise either covering them, or keeping them wrapped in plastic bags if they’re small enough to keep the spiders out.
• If you happen to work in areas where it’s typical for spiders to set up camp – so in scenarios where you are likely to handle stacked and undisturbed piles of furniture or material – we would recommend wearing protective clothing. These would include items such as long trousers, long sleeved t – shirts, hats, boots, gloves etc. You might even want to be extra cautious and wear protective glasses.
• As a practical precaution, we would also advise that you ensure you are keeping well up to date with your tetanus shot, by having one every ten years. Tetanus spores can actually infect spider bites when they occur, so preventing this from happening in the first place is no bad idea.

Taking these extra precautions can eliminate spiders – and other kinds of pests for that matter – from becoming a nuisance in the first place.

As you can see, it’s not all that difficult to control and eliminate spiders from coming into your home. It’s all about staying on top of the things that might attract them, and / or make it easier for them to enter your home, as well as making certain to protect yourself in every possible way – particularly if you’re likely to find yourself working or simply being in a position where coming into contact with a spider is likely.

These methods combines with other pest prevention techniques are amongst the most affective in keeping the spiders at bay. In some cases, you might choose to purchase sanitisers, chemicals, traps, and other preventative – and deterrent – methods of keeping them away. The best way to avoid being bitten by a spider in the home, is by avoiding having them come into your home altogether. It makes a lot of sense really, doesn’t it?

If you do have any of the symptoms we listed earlier on and fear you have been bitten by a spider, especially one of our top three dangerous species, contact your doctor.

Thanks for reading!