Summary: Where to Brown Recluse spiders live? Anywhere they want to. Old joke, but true. These spiders want to be left to themselves in cultered, dark corners.
In nature, brown recluse spiders are found under rocks and in crevices. Dense populations are found when a habitat is conducive to recluses. As an example of their abundance we found 50 brown recluses in a commercial storage facility in one hour.
Recluses like hiding in boxes. When they get established it typically is in the basement of a building and there is little expansion beyond the structure unless connected to other structures by underground pipes or passageways. When sorting through boxes or materials, wear long sleeves and gloves to avoid being bitten.
Any dark, undisturbed area can serve as a hiding place for the brown recluse and many such places occur within buildings. You will need a bright flashlight to do a thorough inspection to find the location and extent of infestations. Likely hiding places for brown recluse spiders include crevices, corners, and wall-floor junctures, especially behind clutter and furniture in garages, basements and living areas. A key element to controlling the brown recluse is to reduce clutter.
Brown recluse spiders also live behind walls and may inhabit the voids of hollow block foundations. Infested locations will contain the distinctive shed skins, often found between joists, sills and rafters, as well as under insulation. Brown recluse spiders also reside above suspended ceilings, behind baseboards and woodwork, and within heat ducts and registers.
Brown recluse spiders captured on glue board
|
If you want to know if you have an infestation of brown recluse spiders we suggest doing a little pest control sluthing by installing the flat, sticky cards known as glue boards. The best glue traps for capturing brown recluse spiders are flat, like thin pieces of sticky cardboard, without a raised perimeter edge. They can be purchased at grocery or hardware stores or you can buy them from us by the box. The more glue traps the better. Put out dozens throughout your home to find where spiders are most abundant. Place traps in corners and along wall-floor junctures, especially behind furniture and clutter.
In addition to being a great detection tool, glue traps will capture and kill large numbers of spiders, especially the males, which are more likely to wander into places where people are accidentally bitten. If you are going to treat with pesticides be sure to install glue traps before the treatment, as some insecticides will cause spiders to relocate and wander into traps.
Comments
MMB
20 Jul 2009, 22:26
We just moved into a 30 year-old house in the country (Missouri) that has
lots of brown recluses. We have had an exterminator come out to look it
over and he confirmed they were indeed recluses. We have an appointment
for him to come out this week to spray Demand CS. I'm concerned with
having our house sprayed because we have an 18month old and are pregnant
with our second. Is this product safe in this case?
Ask the Exterminator
21 Jul 2009, 11:41
There are no products sold in the U.S. that are in the "highly" toxic
category anymore. An application of Demand will not contaminate the air.
However, for your peace of mind, simply look up the MSDS (Material Safety
Data Sheet) for the products that are going to be used. They are all
available online. Just type in the product name, plus "MSDS" and you'll
have your information.
Tom
22 Jul 2009, 14:38
For the past 4 years I have been bitten during my sleep by what I think is
a spider. I have had an exterminator come out to check for bed bugs and
there are none, nor are the bites characteristic of them. I only seem to
get bitten in the spring and summer. I see occasional spider web strands in
the corner of my bedroom and on the ceiling above my bed and regularly
remove them. I think they're lowering themselves down onto my bed during my
sleep. The bites on my skin are slightly red at first, then raise up like
zits with a white pussy top. There are usually 3 or 4 in a straight line. I
have seen spider casings on the floor that look like brown reculuse
spiders. Do you think the evidence I presented lead to the conclusion that
these are BR spiders. I didn't know they would come out and hunt for human
blood. Perhaps its something else? Any ideas?
Ask the Exterminator
22 Jul 2009, 14:41
Spiders don't feed on humans. You only get spider bites when you invade
their space. Your bites are from something other than the spiders you see
and you may not be getting the bites in bed.
Amber
24 Jul 2009, 08:33
i caught a spider and i think it is a brown recluse where can i take it to
see if it is
Ask the Exterminator
24 Jul 2009, 10:00
Go to http://www.asktheexterminator.com/spiders/Brown_Recluse_Spiders.shtml
for a full description.
Lindsay
26 Jul 2009, 17:02
I live on the second (top) floor of older apartment buildings in North
Alabama. Before I moved in I was looking at the empty place and saw a dead
full grown brown recluse in the middle of the bathroom floor, and two dead
random spiders in the bathtub. I noticed the windows in both of the
bedrooms are covered in spiders and spider webs as well as a hornets nest.
I have researched these spiders before and saw a lot their white sacs I am
almost positive. I went ahead and moved all of my furniture in, then went
on a spider hunt about midnight. I ended up killing about 5 medium sized BR
that were in the crevices of the windows (which are not secure or tight
against the frame) and killed about 9 very small baby BR that were near the
baseboard in my bedroom. Also I noticed some sacs in the window frame that
was open to the inside of my apartment. There were dead small and medium
sized BR in the light fixtures throughout the apartment. Should I move my
things out or are they already in there, or do I just get the exterminator
and hope I am not too infested?
Ask the Exterminator
26 Jul 2009, 19:55
If your "things" have been sitting untouched for a long time and you found
recluse spiders nearby, it's a pretty good bet the spiders will be hiding
in your "things" already. If you are going to start looking around for the
spiders be sure to wear long, heavy duty gloves to avoid being bitten.
Lindsay
26 Jul 2009, 21:43
Should I use a fog or bomb my apartment to try and get them out of my
furniture and boxes, or just move it out and look for them after I move the
things out?
Ask the Exterminator
26 Jul 2009, 22:33
Fogs and bombs are for flying insects, not spiders. Start opening things
and shaking them out to see if you can dislodge the spiders.
Taylor
27 Jul 2009, 03:36
A month or so ago, I found this abnormally sized bump on my chest from what
I think was a spiderbite and it was black in the center. After a few days
it burst, and it took a very long time to heal; its a scar now. I've never
reaceted to a spider bite like that, could it have been a brown recluse? I
live in the state of Pennsylvania, so I'm thinking not, but I'm not totally
sure.
Ask the Exterminator
27 Jul 2009, 08:56
Different types of recluse spiders can be found throughout our states.
However, any type of spider bite could cause a reaction in certain
individuals.
garrett
08 Aug 2009, 18:36
i went conoeing in the ouiski chita its a river in louisiana and my friend
fell out so i grabed on a log in the water that fell from the nearby woods
so he could get back in a spider jumped on me i tried to slap it but i
missed and it crawled in my pants so i got paranoid about brown recluses
cause i live in louisiana and i googled what they looked like and i was for
sure that it wasnt a brown recluse i didnt have any red bumps ... i
rearanged my whole room and didnt find any can you please give me lots of
addvice on how to stay safe from these spiders im freaked out and i need
your help
maggie
10 Aug 2009, 01:10
Do Brown Recluses nest or are inside air ducts, vents, registers, and if
so, how can you remove them, if they are so far away inside these ducks?
J
12 Aug 2009, 00:03
I believe bite severity depends on the individual. I have an
infestation, and one night I woke up late with a mosquito-bite sort of bump
near my belly button that itched and also had what many would consider
severe pain. I went back to sleep. The next day I had no bump or sign of
a bite, but I did have a brown recluse in a glue trap about ten feet
away.
Lori
17 Aug 2009, 19:06
I recently spent the day at the beach. The next day, my feet were covered
with small red bites. I wasn't aware of being bitten while at the beach
but find it odd that the bites are limited to my feet, stopping at the
ankles. What could be responsible for this. They are quite itchy and
annoying.
J
17 Aug 2009, 19:23
Sand flees? Not brow recluses.
Andrew
09 Nov 2009, 21:54
I live in Texas by the Oklahoma border and I just bought a house out here.
Ive seen about 5 or 6 differnt types of spiders so far, big ones. I found a
Tarantula the 1st day here lol. How can I get completely rid of all of
them? Its a lot to ask but there has to be a way. I was thinking maybe
just make a BIG pile of junk in the back of my land and let them live there
and just never touch it.
