In this country arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, ranks as one of the highest fears in the country. The only other fears that beat it out or fear of public speaking in fear of dying. Why is this? Many people fear spiders because of their looks. Many people fear spiders because of stories they’ve been told. Spiderwebs have frighten many people. But the brown recluse is one of the more dangerous spiders. Do brown recluse spiders jump? Brown recluse spiders do not jump. The jumping spider is another spider that looks much like the brown recluse but it’s not poisonous.

Brown recluse spiders are active hunters. Jumping spiders are also hunters. Jumping spiders are much more stocky in appearance because they have to be more muscular to be able to jump on their prey. The brown recluse spider is, as its name implies, a recluse seeking to hide. Brown recluse spiders do not seek out humans and try to get away from us at every opportunity.

IDENTIFYING BROWN RECLUSE SPIDERS

Identifying spiders is a tricky business. Often spiders have much the same structures between species. In these cases it takes an entomologist to be able to tell the difference. Often other spiders are mistaken for the brown recluse. The violin shape found on the back of the cephalothorax is often held as the identifying factor of the spider. But many other spiders have similar markings.  Contact your Tulsa exterminator for more details.  

Entomologist usually try to find more than one attribute to identify a spider. The telltale sign of a brown recluse is the number of eyes. Most spiders have eight eyes in two groupings of four. The brown recluse has three groups of two eyes.  Other factors are the amount of hair found on the spider. The brown recluse has almost no hair. If you find a spider in an orb web, this is most likely not a brown recluse spider. Brown recluses do not spin webs to catch their prey.  

THE BITE OF THE BROWN RECLUSE

Most fearful factor of this spider is the bite. It is true the brown recluse spiders are venomous and can be dangerous to humans. But only about 10% of bites ends in necrosis. Necrosis is when the flesh begins to die, causing a large lesion of rotting flesh on the body. Most bites from the brown recluse become red and possibly irritated and go away in a few days. 

The reason for the diversity of bites is that, like other spiders, the brown recluse can choose how much venom to apply. They can even choose not to use venom at all. The venom in a brown recluse spider is purposed to help him hunt. It can be used for self-defense, but only if all other escape routes are unavailable. It takes a lot of energy to create the venom, so the spiders use the venom sparingly.  Your Oklahoma pest control company can help.  

LIFECYCLE

When the female lays her eggs, she will lay them in her nest. This nest is made from webs in an irregular pattern probably found in a darker area. In about a month, 40 or more spiderlings will emerge from her eggs. They will molt one time before leaving the egg casing. Once they have molted, the brown recluse spider will develop slowly depending on the temperature in availability of food. It could take up to a full year before a spider becomes a full adult. Most adult spiders live 2 to 3 years but some can live up to five years.

Brown recluse is uniquely capable of surviving long periods without food or water. Females will stay predominately near the nest, while males and young spiders will venture out in search of food. They are naturally found outdoors, but these spiders have adapted themselves to living with humans. Are living spaces provide many places to hide and hunt from. This makes them uniquely adapted to living with us.

THE HUNT

Brown recluse spiders are hunters by nature. They did not spin webs to catch their prey like a net, they stalk their prey much like a lion or tiger. Active primarily at night, these hunters are very effective. Often the spider will bite its prey, and then leave it to die. It will come back later to pick up his food. They do not store their food, instead they will either eat it right away, or leave it and come back later. This inherently leaves the risk of something else finding their food, but they are willing to take the risk.  Call your Tulsa pest control company for a free estimate.  

Like most animals, they have a circulatory system to move nutrition around their body. But this spider has an open circulatory system. This means that the blood can flow through veins, but also can openly move through cavities in the body not necessarily in capillaries.  Brown recluse spiders are not picky when it comes to their food. They will hunt but they will also scavenge for other dead insects. They will eat most insects, and other spiders if necessary.

ELIMINATING SPIDERS FROM YOUR HOME

If you have found yourself with spiders in your home, it is important to find a reputable Oklahoma exterminator.  Here at TermMax Pest Control, we have expert technicians to meet all of your pest control needs, including spiders and many other pests.  Contact us today for a free estimate.  We service the entire Tulsa area including Broken Arrow, Owasso, Coweta, Claremore, Turley, Jenks, Bixby, Pratville, Skiatook, Sandsprings, Sapula and more.  We are here to help!

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