How to Get Rid of Black Widow Spiders

Spiders can be very helpful in controlling the number of harmful insects in your garden. Unfortunately, the bite of black widow spiders is often very painful and even fatal, making them a dangerous pest and no one wants them to be around the house. There are many ways you can get rid of these spiders and prevent them from coming back. Be careful and follow safety steps.

Table of Contents

Black widow spider identification

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Black widow spider identification. Black widow spiders are found throughout the United States, Canada, and other temperate regions of the earth. They are the most venomous spiders in North America. Female spiders are the easiest to spot – and also the most dangerous. They are charcoal black, have a round belly, and have a red hourglass shape under the belly. The spider’s body is about 1.3 cm long, but the entire length of the spider is about 3.8 cm including the legs.

Male spiders are about half the size of female spiders, brown or gray in color. They often have many red spots on their belly and may have red or yellow streaks across their backs. Male spiders are not venomous.
Baby spiders are white or ivory white when newly hatched, and the color will deepen as they grow older. Young spiders may have yellow or red patches on their backs like adult males. You cannot tell the difference between male and female spiders when they are young. During this stage, both male and female spiders are non-venomous to humans.

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Understand the behavior of black widow spiders. Black widow spiders are shy and reclusive, preferring to dwell in hidden and dark places, such as in boxes, among woodpile and under ledges. They are nocturnal animals, often actively hunting at night.

Black widow spiders usually weave their webs within 30 cm of the ground. The web of this spider has no definite shape and is made of silk that is stronger than most other spiders. Spider webs are used to catch prey and hang egg sacs of female spiders.
Black widows are often found in dark corners of homes or around the edge of yards or garages, where spider webs are less likely to be touched. They can also hide under the car, even if the car is still running occasionally. Check for cobwebs near the wheels, or under/around the engine.
Black widows are territorial, so webs are usually spaced about 30cm apart.

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Understand the danger. Female black widow spiders have very strong venom – 15 times stronger in fact than rattlesnake venom. The venom of this spider is neurotoxin. Symptoms include muscle pain, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and nausea. Most black widow spider bites are easy to treat. However, without prompt care, their venom can lead to convulsions and death.

These spiders are not aggressive, they only bite as a defense mechanism. Most spider bites are caused by being disturbed or injured and feeling threatened.
Young children, the elderly, and people in poor health are more likely to react badly to a black widow spider bite. These cases require immediate medical attention.

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Beware of brown recluse spiders as well . Another venomous spider that is slightly more common than the black widow is the brown recluse spider. Brown recluse spiders are more difficult to recognize because they look like many other spiders, ranging in color from dark cream to brown. They are about the same size as black widow spiders and have a dark vipin pattern on their backs.

The brown recluse spider’s venom is not as potent as the black widow’s, but their bite can also be deadly.
The methods of getting rid of these two spiders are the same, so you can deal with both brown recluse and black widow spiders at the same time.

Hunt and kill black widow spiders

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Locate cobwebs during the day as much as possible. Black widow spiders are nocturnal animals, so they will be less active during the day. Daytime is the best time for you to locate all the cobwebs and then go back and kill the spiders at nightfall. Look for cobwebs in rarely touched areas.

Indoors, look for spider webs in dark corners of closets, under beds, and among clutter in basements and attics. Outdoors, you can find spider webs under the ledges of windows and door frames, in piles of wood or wood, and in close-knit trees.
The web of a black widow spider is often messy and has no definite shape. They are somewhat funnel-shaped to give female spiders a place to hide during the day. You should never intentionally break a spider’s web without protective clothing and methods of killing spiders.
Mark the location of each web to return to later.

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Use a powder or liquid insecticide. Once you know where the webs are, there are many ways to get rid of the spiders without having to kill them directly. Use liquid or powdered insecticide to spray or sprinkle on cobwebs and surrounding area. Insecticide will kill spiders when they come into contact with the drug, while also preventing other spiders from “moving in”.

Powdered medicine is most effective when used in low-traffic areas so that no one can touch it but spiders. Suitable areas for powder application are attics, basements and low spaces. You can also spray powder into openings in the wall using a hand sprayer. Products such as Drione Dust and Delta Dust Insecticide are often recommended.
Liquid drugs are often sold as a powder, which is then mixed with water to form a residual spray. This form is most effective when used behind furniture, under beds, in storage spaces and dark corners. Products like Demon WP Insecticide and Cynoff EC are often recommended.
While very effective, these products are not guaranteed to kill all spiders, so it’s best to use them in conjunction with other methods to get rid of and prevent other spiders from coming. .

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Return to spider webs at night. The surest way to kill black widow spiders is to return at night to where they lay their webs – armed with their chosen “weapon” – and destroy them yourself. You don’t have to wait until midnight, once the sun goes down the spiders will be active and pretty easy to find. Make sure to bring a powerful flashlight and wear protective gear, such as thick gloves and boots, as spiders are quick when they feel threatened, and the less skin you show, the better. Here are the best methods of killing spiders:

Kill spiders with insecticide. Using a non-persistent insecticide is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get rid of black widow spiders. You need to spray directly on spiders, they will immediately stun and die. These sprays are safe to use and leave no harmful residue.
Crush the spider to death. A more practical method of killing heat is to crush them to death. This move is not very elegant, but certainly effective. Just remember to use a stick or shoe to avoid direct contact with the spider, in case you slip. When attacked, the black widow spider can run towards you instead of running away.
Suck spiders. You can use a vacuum cleaner to quickly suck up the spiders without getting too close. This method is obviously best suited for dealing with cobwebs indoors and is very effective when catching spiders in hard-to-reach places, as the suction pulls them out. After you have sucked the spider into the machine, take out the trash bag immediately, put it in a tightly tied garbage bag and throw it in the trash outside the house.

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Remove spider eggs. In addition to killing spiders, you also need to get rid of small cylindrical spider egg sacs that can hold up to hundreds of baby spiders. The egg sacs are gray and white because they are also made of the same webs.

The surest way to deal with spider nits is to spray a lot of insecticide or vacuum with a vacuum cleaner. If you try to crush or squeeze the egg sacs, swarms of tiny spiders will probably emerge, and you probably won’t be able to catch them all in time. If this happens, chances are that the spider infestation in your home will continue.

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Know what to do when bitten by a spider. If you’re not careful, or just unlucky enough to be bitten by a black widow spider, don’t panic. The bite may not be painful at first, but symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, muscle aches, dry mouth, increased body temperature, shortness of breath, and eyelid swelling may soon appear. How to give first aid when bitten by a black widow spider:

Wash the skin around the bite and apply an ice pack. If the bite is on an arm or leg, try to raise it to heart level. This will reduce the speed at which the venom spreads.
Quickly seek medical attention. Black widow spider bites are relatively harmless, but only with proper treatment. Victims usually respond to intravenous methods of calcium gluconate or calcium salts. More severe cases may require the use of a specially formulated antivenom.
If possible, try to carry the spider that bit you (alive or dead) in a plastic bag or glass jar when you go to the emergency room. Spider experts will identify the spider species and help medical staff decide on the optimal treatment.
You can call the poison center for more information.

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Call a professional pest control service. If black widow spiders are present in your home or yard in large numbers, perhaps the wisest course of action is to call in a professional service who can effectively get rid of the spiders completely. This is even more important if there are young children, the elderly or pets in the home, as these groups are likely to be severely affected by a bite.

If the spider population is too large, or the spiders hide in hard-to-reach places, an exterminator will have specialized facilities to deal with. They are also allowed to use chemicals and insecticides stronger than those used in homes.
If you decide to get serviced, try calling multiple places first to make sure they can handle black widow spiders. They can also quote you a price based on the status of the infection and the area to be treated.

Preventing Black Widow Spiders

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Clean your home regularly and thoroughly. Black widow spiders don’t like to be disturbed, and that’s why they choose dark and untouched corners to hide. You can make your home less attractive to spiders by regularly cleaning it thoroughly, making sure to clean every nook and cranny with a broom and vacuum cleaner. Don’t let places that are rarely used get moldy, as black widow spiders like moisture.

Black widow spiders are commonly found under window ledges and around door frames. A good way to deal with this is to use a sprinkler to wash the outside of the house. Water will wash away these hideous crawling creatures, especially in hard-to-reach places like overhead windows.

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Clear out clutter indoors and out. Messy piles are a safe haven for spiders, which is why people are most often bitten when dealing with places they haven’t touched in a long time, such as clearing piles of boxes in storage or Clean the wall cabinets. Try to limit the places where spiders hide by arranging items so that they are tidy. Inside, you need to make sure to get rid of all old shoes, old clothes or old newspapers – anything that spiders can hide in. In the outdoors, you need:

Move firewood or rubble away from the floor. Black widow spiders like to live in woodpile piles where it is dark and sheltered. However, when firewood is piled close to the house, it is easy for spiders to find their way into the house if they feel the need. Prevent this possibility by storing firewood (or any other material) as far away from home as possible. In addition, you should also remember to wear thick gloves when carrying firewood to avoid being bitten.
Prune vines, shrubs, and other plants on either side of the house. Spiders often make their homes in close-knit groves of trees, and vines or bushes growing on or near walls outside a home are ideal. Unfortunately, the vines also make it easier for spiders to access windows and roof spaces, which are also places where spiders can enter the house. Trim any ivy or bushes near the floor, and avoid letting the grass in the garden grow too tall.

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Make sure doors and windows are tight. Although black widow spiders are relatively large in size, they can still squeeze through very small openings. Try to seal any openings and fill any gaps you find to prevent spiders from entering your home.

Before sealing external openings, be sure to sprinkle residual insecticide into the gaps. This will help prevent spiders from entering your home if the crack is reopened.
Use a glue gun to seal any gaps you find around the house. Pay special attention to the areas around electrical wires and cables, faucets and electrical outlets.
Maintain window and door screens, repair holes or tears. Make sure the mesh on the vents is tight.
Attach protective strips under all doors and windows as well as on doors.

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Consider changing light bulbs at home entryways. Bright lights on the entrance to the house will attract all kinds of insects to provide an abundant food source for black widow spiders. You should consider replacing bright bulbs with yellow or sodium vapor lamps, as these are less attractive to insects, thus also limiting the spider’s food source.

Another method to reduce the food source of black widow spiders is to set up sticky traps to catch small insects and flies around the house, or use insecticides to kill other insects. The less food there is, the less likely it is that black widow spiders will inhabit your home.
However, you should leave other spiders alone (with the exception of brown recluse spiders). Other arachnids are food competitors to the black widow spider, which prefers only places where they are the only predators.

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Use natural methods of repelling spiders. Some people don’t like using chemicals around the house, especially when there are small children or pets in the house. Fortunately, there are several natural methods you can use to keep black widow spiders from getting close:

Encourage wrens to live in your garden. The wrens are natural predators of insects and spiders, including black widow spiders. You can encourage this bird to live in your garden by installing bird nesting boxes and filling them with foods like breadcrumbs, peanut butter, and sliced apples.
Sprinkle horse chestnuts. Many people believe that sprinkling horse chestnuts around the house, on windowsills and tight corners is an effective way to keep spiders away. Saponin, a chemical contained in horse chestnut, repels spiders and prevents them from approaching. This has not been scientifically proven, but many people claim to be very effective.

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Use home fragrances to repel spiders. Another way to keep spiders out of your home is to use certain scents that black widows and other spiders don’t like. As above, this method is not scientifically proven, but it might be worth a try!

Use lemon essential oil or lemon juice. Black widow spiders are said to hate the smell of lemons. You can use a store-bought lemon-scented cleaner or make a natural mixture of a few drops of lemon essential oil mixed with water. Spray these solutions around the house, especially in dark corners and around window sills.
Peppermint or spearmint oil. Another scent that repels spiders is mint – spicy mint or spearmint. Place mint sprigs around the house or put a few drops of menthol in a diffuser.
Plant eucalyptus around the house. Plant a bush of eucalyptus in your garden and break small branches scattered around the house. The scent of eucalyptus helps to repel black widow spiders.

Advice

Do not tease the black widow spider.
Never “check” the spider egg wrapper. Some spider eggs may have hatched, and a swarm of tiny spiders will crawl out!
Many other spiders you may encounter in your yard are non-venomous, so you should let them do the pest control work.
You can meet many other spiders, some of which are jet black, such as the wolf spider.
Spiders have a natural function in the garden as insect control.
You probably don’t need to deal with a few black widow spiders in places you don’t frequent or near fire ant nests, etc.
Do not enter an area with black widow spiders without protective gear, such as gloves.

Warning

As mentioned above, black widow spider venom is highly toxic and needs to be treated with care.
Brown Widow Spiders: There are several species of spiders that are very similar to black widow spiders. It is a brown widow spider, very similar in appearance to a black widow spider. They also have an hourglass shape under the belly, but are usually not red but orange or another color. This spider has a base color of brown, but can be lighter or darker. They also have the same color/pattern on the back as the tattoo. Brown widow spider bites are also poisonous, but their venom is less secreted, and the bites have only local action, so are also much less dangerous than black widow spiders. Their egg sacs are similar to those of black widow spiders, except that they have protruding spines around them. Brown widow spiders seem to be much more common, and usually webs at more places and at higher altitudes than black widow spiders. The brown widow’s web can be at eye level of an adult. They are also found under trash can handles, under lawn chairs, and even on fences. You need to be as careful with this spider as you are with the black widow. They do not attack when the egg sac is threatened, but only pretend to be dead. They produce more egg sacs than black widow spiders. If you see an egg sac like a cloth ball with thorns, it means that there is a brown widow spider. You can hunt them down using the steps described above.

Things you need

Flashlight
Insecticide spray (pump or air bottle)
Patience and planning

Steps