how to get rid of brown recluse

How To Get Rid of Brown Recluse Spiders

You see a spider in your house, and you're pretty sure it's a brown recluse. You may be wondering whether it was an isolated sighting or a sign of an infestation. A brown recluse spider is one of two species of spiders in the United States that can be potentially deadly, so there's reason to be concerned. In order to understand how to get rid of brown recluse spiders, you'll first need to learn a little bit about them.

Closeup image of a Brown Recluse, Loxosceles reclusa, a venomous spider camouflaged on dry winter grass

Brown Recluse Spiders are Extremely Poisonous

Although rarely fatal to humans, a brown recluse can deliver a painful bite, causing damage to the surrounding tissue. A brown recluse bite can range from mild symptoms such as swelling and itching to more severe symptoms, including muscle pain, fever, and convulsions. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable, as are those who suffer from immune disorders.

Not only is brown recluse venom harmful to humans, but pets—especially small dogs—can die as a result of the highly-venomous brown recluse bite. But don't burn your house down just yet. Read on to learn how to correctly identify a brown recluse spider and how to get rid of these menacing pests.

How to Identify a Brown Recluse Spider

Color: A brown recluse spider is, well, brown. It can be light or dark brown and even slightly yellowish in color. There are no additional stripes on its legs, so if a spider has striped legs, it's not a brown recluse.
Markings: Although a brown recluse technically has a violin-shaped marking on its thorax, it can be very faint and not always distinctly shaped like a violin. Not only that, but other species of spiders can have similar markings. For this reason, looking at the markings on its body can be inconclusive.
Size: The brown recluse body—not including its legs—will be one-half inch or less in length. If you're looking at a spider much larger than that, then it's not a brown recluse.
Location: Brown recluse spiders are found all across the U.S. Although they are considered more prevalent in the Southwest, it's not uncommon to come across a brown recluse spider in Florida and even Georgia. In fact, brown recluse spider infestations have been reported recently in several Florida counties.

Signs of Brown Recluse Infestation

You've heard the adage that if you see one cockroach, there are probably at least a hundred more, but is that also the case with a brown recluse spider? Although the word recluse alludes to the spider's solitary lifestyle, brown recluse spiders are prolific breeders. A typical female brown recluse lays up to five egg sacs, and each egg sac can contain as many as 50 eggs. So yes, if you see one, it could mean that you have hundreds of them.

Obviously, to continue to exist, brown recluse spiders have to live close enough to one another to find mates. The fact that they are recluses just means that they will spread out throughout your home and yard instead of huddling together in a group. Divide and conquer is their motto.

Like other household pests, brown recluse spiders are nocturnal, so they often remain undetected by hiding in cracks and crevices. And they can fit through tiny spaces, so it's easy for them to get into your house.

The following are some possible brown recluse infestation signs:

an actual sighting
webs in corners
the presence of an egg sac
flying insects in your home (a spider's primary food source)
unexplained blisters on your body that are accompanied by muscle pain
signs of kidney failure or paralysis in your dog

If one or more of the above signs are present, it's possible that you are dealing with a brown recluse "infestation." Even though infestation isn't the proper word to use in reference to spiders, let's talk about some ways to get rid of brown recluses.

How to Get Rid of Brown Recluse Spiders Naturally

Natural prevention starts outdoors. Having spiders outside your home is usually considered a natural form of pest control because they eat undesirable insects. However, brown recluse spiders are a different story. These nasty critters are no joke because they are one of the few spiders whose bites can pierce through the skin, harming both humans and pets. Let's face it: Having brown recluse spiders in and around your home is a serious problem.

Here are a few ways to naturally reduce the spider population outside your home:

Eucalyptus: Placing eucalyptus sprigs around the exterior of your home can help repel spiders.
Minimize lighting: Outdoor lights can attract the insects that spiders prey on.
Fill cracks and crevices: Filling in gaps around door and window frames may help keep spiders outdoors.

How to Get Rid of Brown Recluse Spiders in The House

It's obviously futile to try to rid the outdoors completely of brown recluse spiders, but here's how to get rid of spiders in your house–or at least decrease their numbers.

Clean: Although having spiders isn't a sign of a dirty home, spiders like to go where the food is. Keeping your home meticulously clean can discourage insects that spiders are looking to feast on. Vacuuming every surface and destroying all webs can undoubtedly help as well.

Spray: Spraying spiders directly with an aerosol pesticide will kill them, and the residue might discourage them from covering the same ground for a few days. That said, spiders have long legs, which protect their bodies to some extent from pesticides on the floor. Spraying the cracks spiders go in and out of is more likely to cause the chemicals to come in contact with their bodies.

Sticky paper: Set up sticky-paper traps around your home where you think spiders may be lurking. Although this won't be effective at eliminating every possible spider, you may catch one or two. As a side benefit, seeing what else gets stuck might help you detect the presence of other pests such as cockroaches and silverfish.

How Pest Control Companies Eliminate and Control Brown Recluse Spiders

Perhaps you've already implemented the above suggestions, and you're still coming across the occasional brown recluse. Or maybe you haven't seen one in a while, but you aren't confident that they're gone. Like so many others, you're probably still wondering: "How do I get rid of brown recluse spiders in my home?"

Pest control companies use the latest science and technology to kill existing spiders and prevent them from coming back. Since spiders are not social, they do not infest your home in the sense that other pests do. That's why it's essential to treat the perimeter of your home and employ preventative measures to keep them from venturing in and out. A good pest control company will discuss the various treatment options in detail with you.

Even though we've tried to address the issue of brown recluse infestation solutions objectively, we urge you to err on the side of caution here. For your family and pets' safety, you really should hire a pest control company for brown recluse infestation treatment. Doing this is the best way to eliminate brown recluse spiders from your home and control them, meaning keep them from coming back.

A professional pest control service will know how to get rid of brown recluse spiders around your home's exterior and how to eliminate brown recluse spiders in your house.

By leaving your spider problem to the professionals, you'll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing there aren't any brown recluse spiders lurking in the dark corners of your home.

Brown recluse spider lurks waiting for prey

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Professional Spider Treatment Effective Against Brown Recluse Spiders?

Yes, pest-control companies know the best methods to kill and repel brown recluse spiders.

How Much Does Professional Spider Treatment Cost?

Spider treatment varies for each species. We recommend contacting us for a free treatment estimate.

How Long Does it Take to Get Rid of Spiders After Extermination?

Some spider treatments are slow-acting but have an excellent residual effect. With professional treatment, you will see results within one to two days.

Now that you're armed with the necessary information about brown recluse spiders, here's what to do if you find a brown recluse in your home: Contact a professional pest control company immediately, and ask about their spider removal services.

If you are located in the Atlanta, Georgia area or anywhere near West Palm Beach, Tampa, or Clearwater, Florida, please call Nextgen Pest Solutions today at (866) 591-3637 for more information. You can also fill out our form for a free estimate or chat with us live by clicking on this page's chat bubble.