About Spiders In Arizona

About Arizona Spiders

Whether you love them or hate them, spiders are everywhere in Arizona neighborhoods, and they play an important role in our lives; not least through the management of the insect population. What else should we all know about spiders? Continue reading to learn more about these animals that thrive so well in the state of Arizona.

What Are Spiders?

Belonging to the ‘arachnid’ family, spiders are eight-legged animals and cause much distress to many scientists. Why? Because different scientists have different views on how spiders should be classified. Although there are currently around 20 different classification systems, the one most widely accepted show nearly 46,000 different species and over 110 families. According to Spider ID, there are at least 15 unique species of spiders found in Arizona. Spiders here range from friendly daddy long legs to tarantulas, and western black widow spiders. If you have come across a spider in Arizona that you need help identifying, head on over to Spider ID here where there are user contributed pictures of spiders found here in Arizona. The pictures are also tagged with timestamps and location information. This is convenient for identifying spider types specific to the area you live in as some species may be unique to certain parts of Arizona. You can learn more fun facts about spiders by visiting some of our other articles on the website.

Common Types of Spiders in Arizona

With so many species of spider, it makes sense that many thousands can be found across the US but there are a few that cause the most problems in Arizona specifically. For example, this includes the Arizona brown spider (recluse), black widow, hobo spider, tarantula, house spider, and the wolf spider. The recluse, house spider, wolf spider, and black widows can be found in residential communities all across Arizona. Tarantula spiders are more common in desert landscapes. Some of these spiders can be very dangerous for infants and the elderly, so if you notice one of these spiders on your property it may be necessary to have the interior and exterior of the home treated for spiders.

Download This Spider Identification Guide: Spider Identification Guide

What Do Spiders Eat?

Typically, spiders wait for meals to come to them by creating a web; this means they commonly come across flies, ants, mosquitoes, and even bees. However, many species are actually rather fussy; some will go for small animals like centipedes, frogs, and birds, while others are cannibalistic in nature and will eat other spiders. As mentioned previously, spiders play an important role in managing the insect population. Large webs are an obvious sign you have spiders in your home or yard, however, there are some species that hide well and you may not notice their webs. Black widows and tarantulas won’t build exotic webs overhead, most of the time these spiders build their homes out of the way where they can be difficult to notice. Like with other pests around the property, you can avoid infestations by limiting the amount of junk and clutter around the yard and in the home. Spiders like to hide and live amongst the clutter, wood stacks, boxes, and junk around the yard become shelters that spiders will occupy.

Where Do Spiders Live?

Spiders are some of the most adaptable animals on the planet which means they can live in various habitats; they only really avoid mountains, polar regions, and near the ocean. For us in Arizona, we’ll find them in trees, in outdoor spaces, and in dark, undisturbed locations; this could be in the basement, behind a bookshelf, or in a cupboard. Spiders will often time enter the home through window and door openings and spin webs in an attempt to catch prey. This is when they are most noticeable when they begin to spin and build webs indoors where the living quarters are. This can also become a dangerous time for unsuspecting homeowners and their families. Without knowledge of a spiders presence, an individual may stick their hands in a place where a spider is hiding. As a defense mechanism, it’s possible that this is when people become victim to a spider bite.

Learn More About Spiders In Arizona Fields: Spiders in Arizona Fields

Signs You’ve Been Bitten by a Spider

For the majority of spider species in Arizona, they aren’t dangerous and, even if they did attempt an attack, they aren’t strong enough to puncture the skin. With this in mind, most spider bites would cause an itchy red patch. If you do happen to be bitten by a poisonous spider, you may experience itching, pain, muscle pain, breathing difficulties, excessive sweating, high blood pressure, and even nausea. For infants and the elderly, a visit to the doctor’s office is recommended to avoid any undesirable side effects of the bite.

How to Treat a Spider Bite

If you have any concerns and believe you’ve been poisoned, we always recommend visiting a medical professional. Otherwise, apply ice to the swelling, take an antihistamine, clean the wound, and use antibiotic ointment if blisters show. For those of you looking to treat your spider bite in a more organic fashion, you can 7 green ways to treat a spider bite.

Signs You Have a Spider Problem

You may have an infestation if you’re seeing numerous spider webs around the home (both inside and outside). Elsewhere, you might see egg sacs and this should be dealt with immediately because the problem will get many times worse if these are left alone. Also, you should be checking the obvious sites around your home regularly; while many will take to crevices, others choose to burrow so keep a watchful eye and don’t ignore the signs. Keeping areas of the yard where pets rest or children gather will be important for keeping them safe. Animals are also vulnerable to spider bites, so keeping their bedding cleaned regularly will prevent spiders from having the opportunity to spin webs and create homes where your animals sleep.  During the Arizona summer months, doors and windows are often left open, this is a great opportunity for spiders to enter the home and nest. There are eco-friendly solutions for spiders that can be used to repel them if the infestation is too severe though, you may want to contact a pest control company in Phoenix to manage the removal of the infestation for you.

Why Spiders Can Be Dangerous

According to experts, only around 30 (out of 46,000) species of spider can be considered dangerous to our health; unfortunately, Arizona is home to venomous spiders including the black widow and the tarantula. With fewer than seven Americans dying of venomous spider bites each year, they’re more likely to cause problems for our pets.

Learn About The Black Widow Urban Ecology: BlackwidowUrbanEcology

Spider Prevention

To finish, we should mention a couple of spider prevention strategies; the most important we believe are being aware as a homeowner and keeping their choice of homes to a minimum. Aside from this, there are various repellent products available that contain ingredients like lavender, peppermint, cedar, and citrus. There are many essential oils spiders dislike and many DIY products will help keep your home a spider-free zone! There are other eco-friendly spider repellents out there that you can try out.

Spider Removal Services Provided In The Following Areas:

• Phoenix
• Scottsdale
• Mesa
• Tempe
• Chandler
• Ahwatukee
• Gilbert
• Glendale
• Peoria
• Surprise

See the original post: About Spiders In Arizona on our official Green Home Pest website.