Spiders: information and resources

There are over 40,000 species of spiders worldwide, with approximately 3,700 of those species occurring in North America. While they do not spread disease and will eat other harmful pests, spiders are considered a nuisance pest in homes and businesses.

Spiders often evoke more psychological damage than physical. People’s dislike for spiders can range from general annoyance, to an irrational psychological fear, called arachnophobia.

Spider webs can also create problems in residential and commercial settings. Spider webs are often considered unsightly and give visitors an impression that a space is not clean or inviting.

Call Ehrlich Pest Control today at 1-800-837-5520 or contact us online to discuss our range of spider control solutions.

Spider species

Ehrlich’s spider control service

Easily recognizable by their eight legs, some people happily tolerate the presence of spiders while others cannot bear the thought of them.

Professional spider control is important for people with a real fear of spiders but also to control a large or repeat infestation.

Our treatments provide effective control of an existing problem and guarantee complete removal of an infestation.

Our local technicians have expert knowledge about spider species. We can offer advice on how to spot the early signs of an infestation, to enable quick and effective targeted treatment for your home or business.

Call us at 1-800-837-5520 to discuss our professional services.

Spider life cycle

Spiders have simple development because they undergo very little in terms of metamorphosis.

Essentially, newly hatched spiderlings look like miniature adults.

As arthropods, spiders have an exoskeleton. Because exoskeletons don’t stretch, spiders must molt (shed their exoskeleton) to increase in size. Throughout its lifetime, a spider will undergo several molts.

The lifespan of a spider is about 1-2 years on average. An exception to this includes larger spider species, such as the tarantula, who can live up to 20 years.

Spider lifecycles begin when spiders lay their eggs, wrapping them in specialized protective cases made of silk. Within these egg sacs, spiders will develop until they are ready to hatch, which could take anywhere from a week to several months. A single egg sac may contain 50-100 eggs or more.

Once the eggs hatch, the spiderlings will remain inside of the silken sac and undergo their first molt.

When mature spiderlings are ready to emerge from their egg sac, they use their chelicerae (mouthparts) to tear the sac open. Once they emerge, spiderlings will initially stay in close proximity to one another.

Eventually, the spiderlings will disperse to new areas, using a technique called ballooning. Ballooning occurs when spiderlings release a single strand of webbing that eventually catches an air current and lifts and blows the tiny spiders virtually anywhere.

With millions of small spiders riding air currents in the early part of the season, inevitably some spiders will end up being blown onto and into buildings. Building located near a good spider habitats, will be more likely to have problems associated with spiders.