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Is it finally time to get those Christmas decorations out of storage? At All-American, we think so! After Thanksgiving seems like an appropriate time to begin preparing for the upcoming holiday, but believe it or not, this is also a time when we get a lot of phone calls about pests people are finding in their storage boxes. Big boxes of Christmas decorations can contain much more than just holiday spirit- sometimes people find rodents, insects and spiders within these boxes, which can really ruin your Christmas fun. One of the pests we’ve been getting a lot of calls about lately is the brown recluse spider. This arachnid is known for delivering a painful and potentially dangerous bite, so steering clear of the brown recluse spider is always a good idea.
To prevent coming into contact with the brown recluse spider, the Tennessee pest control professionals at All-American have a few tips for you.
When going through storage boxes, make sure to inspect every item in the box carefully before bringing it out. The brown recluse spider likes to hide in dark and untouched areas and boxes full of holiday decorations make a very good hiding place.
Examine your storage areas for the messy webs that brown recluse spiders are known to create. These webs don’t look like your typical cellar spider’s web; they are not symmetrical and they look like they were done in a hurry. However, these webs don’t have to be perfect; a brown recluse spider web is used for the spider to retreat in- they do not catch prey in their webs because they are active hunters.
When looking for brown recluse spiders, you can most often find them in dark and secluded areas during the daytime; at night, these spiders come out to hunt for their prey (insects). They can be identified by the brown ‘fiddle’ shape on the rear of their bodies. These spiders are not typically aggressive; they shy away from you if you come into contact with them. Some people are bitten by brown recluse spiders when they accidentally roll over on them in bed or when the spiders are trapped within the clothing they have just put on. Always shake out clothing and shoes before you put them on to avoid coming into contact with a brown recluse spider.
This year, be extra careful when unpacking your Christmas decorations- your holiday could really be ruined by coming into contact with a brown recluse! You may also want to consider purchasing some heavy duty plastic bins to store your holiday decorations for next year; make sure your new bins have tightly fitting lids so that you can store your decorations safely without the worry of spiders and other pests getting into your boxes during the rest of the year.
If you have found brown recluse spiders within your TN home or you are seeing other pests around your house that just shouldn’t be there, please contact the Tennessee pest control professionals at All-American today. We have one-time service options to help you get rid of a current infestation or year-round programs to help prevent pests throughout the year. For pest control you can trust in Middle Tennessee, contact All-American Pest Control today!