In 2010, entomologists Paquin et al reported 43,678 species of spiders worldwide, 1413 species in Canada, and 677 species in Quebec.
The ones that we usually find in our homes are:
- domestic spiders,
- cellar spiders,
- wolf spiders,
- dolomedes and more rarely
- black widows.
They are considered useful because they feed on many insects harmful to our health and food reserves, etc.
Spiders are venomous. Although these cases are rare, their bites can cause health complications. In addition, some people develop arachnophobia, a phobia of spiders that affects their existence.
What does the spider look like? How does it reproduce to invade you? How does she weave her web? What can you do to prevent it from infesting you? In case she has already settled in your home, how to recognize the professional exterminator who will be able to get rid of these arachnids?
Animal Alert your exterminator specialist in Montreal in spiders answers these questions for you!
Physical appearance of spiders:
Spiders are not insects but arachnids. Their bodies are not segmented. It consists of the head, abdomen and 4 pairs of motor legs.
The majority of spiders have a gland that they use to produce silk. With this silk, they make their nests, cocoons to protect their eggs and webs to capture their prey.
Spiders have no wings, antennae, or chewing parts in their mouths. They have 8 simple eyes located on the head.
Spiders do not have stingers but rather small hooks called chelicerae that allow them to pierce the exoskeleton of their prey.
The ones that meet most frequently in our homes are:
- The domestic spider: it has distinct marks on the body; and its color varies from dirty white to almost black. Its first pair of legs is practically 3 times longer than its body.
- The black widow: this spider has a shiny black body. On the ventral side of his abdomen, there is a characteristic red hourglass-shaped mark.
- The cellar spider: it has very long legs. But do not confuse it with the tipule (a mosquito) or the reaper, a spider, which unlike the others, does not have a body divided into 2 distinct parts (the head and abdomen) and does not have a silk gland.
- The wolf spider: this spider has a dark brown color and can reach 3 cm in length. She carries her egg bag behind her.
- The dolomede: it resembles the wolf spider. But his eyes are arranged differently; and it is 7.5 cm long. In addition, the dolomede carries its egg sac under the anterior part of its body.
Spiders females are distinguished from males by a larger size and a larger abdomen. Males are recognizable by their pedipalps whose ends are endowed with a sperm storage organ called copulatory bulb.
Life cycle of arachnids
The life cycle of spiders varies by species. In general, 2 phases mark it:
Mating
The reproduction of spiders takes place at different times of the year, except winter. In the majority of species, the female will signal her presence to the male who, during the breeding season, is intensively looking for sexual partners. For this, it will spread pheromones, real chemical signals, on its canvases, its moving wires, or near its hiding place.
But to avoid being confused with prey and being eaten, in the majority of species, the male starts with a courtship. In some, the male will simply wait until the female is too weakened by a new molt to attack her.
Once conquered, the female mates with the male. The latter weaves a spermatic web, deposits his sperm there, which he then sucks into his copulatory bulbs before inserting them into the female’s genital cleft.
Egg laying
Some species can lay up to a thousand eggs packed in silk cocoons ; and if others like the wolf spider carry their egg sac on them until the moment of hatching, others will hide it under a rock, an object, or tie it to the stem of a plant.
In general, the eggs will hatch within 2 weeks. Those, who will not succeed, will serve as food for newborns.
The nymphs, which come out of it, already resemble the adults but in smaller and translucent. They will grow by successive moults of their exoskeleton, the number of moults varying according to the species. For example, some species reach maturity in 3 months, others in more than 15 months. Females often have 1-2 more molts than males.
In Quebec, the longevity of spiders is one to two years. Some species, the tarantula in hot countries for example, can live up to 30 years
Appeler René Gélinas Votre exterminateur local, Expérience et intégrité dans la gestion parasitaire
Tel 514 830 2819
Hantavirus, definition and mode of transmission
Hantavirus is a severe lung syndrome caused by a virus. It is secreted in the urine, feces and saliva of infected animals. Most often these are rodents. When humans come into direct or indirect contact with these secretions, the virus is transmitted to them. Ditto when they are bitten by infected rodents.
However, the virus is not transmitted from human to human, only from animal to human. This type of disease is called zoonoses because they can only be transmitted to humans through an animal. It has been found that domestic animals (apart from the domestic rat) and livestock cannot contract hantavirus so there is every reason to believe that only rodents can carry it.
Symptoms of hantavirus
Being a lung disease, one of the characteristic symptoms of hantavirus is difficulty breathing. At the beginning of the disease, the infected person begins to feel fever, chills, headache and muscle pain.
It is about two weeks after the appearance of the first symptoms that they are usually accompanied by a feeling of shortness of breath. Nevertheless, this last manifestation of the disease can be observed after two days as after six weeks; it depends on the organism of the individual.
Hantavirus can also lead to kidney disease or infection. And although they are rare and very few people are prone to them, there is currently no treatment to combat these ailments. It is therefore better to be careful not to contract them.
A spider infestation is a nightmare
Each species of spider has its own mores. For example, the domestic spider is most often found inside our homes. The black widow prefers dark environments such as garages, outdoor toilets, crawl spaces.
As for the wolf spider, it usually lives on the ground, in forests, beaches and gardens. During the fall, they venture into our homes to spend the winter. The cellar spider is fond of wetlands. The dolomede lives near cottages and along streams.
The majority of species weave webs to capture their prey. But species like the wolf spider or the dolomede prefer to hunt them.
To build its web, the spider tends in the horizontal direction of silk threads. These suspended wires are then connected vertically. Gradually, the silk takes the form of a centrifugal spiral and rays are seen. The spider then weaves in the opposite direction. From the outside in. She places a kind of alarm wire to allow him to feel the presence of an intruder, in this case his prey. The operation took barely 1 hour.
Apart from the species Bagheera kiplingi that is found in South America and feeds mainly on acacia shoots, all known species of spiders are predatory and feed mainly on insects. According to a documentary directed by Vincent Amouroux in 2012, spiders capture 400 million insects per hectare. They are able to consume 10 to 20% of their weight on a daily basis.
Because they capture and devour insects, spiders are considered useful as long as they do not multiply unreasonably in our homes. For example, the wolf spider feeds on crop pests: caterpillars, bedbugs, and aphids. It is therefore useful for gardeners and farmers.
Spiders do not transmit any disease. Most of them are nocturnal, shy and flee confrontations.
They bite if they are handled or get stuck for example between your skin and a sheet. Said bite releases venom into your body. Even though bites (especially those of the black widow) very rarely cause serious complications or death, it can happen. In this case, it is better to keep calm, put ice directly on the bite in order to reduce swelling and pain, and quickly consult a doctor.
Some people develop allergic reactions when they inhale the hair, scales or small particles of spiders.
12 Exterminator Tips to Prevent Spider Invasion
With a few precautions, it is quite possible to prevent spiders from invading you:
- Keep your home clean. It will attract less insects, favorite prey of spiders,
- Remove the few cobwebs you will find at home,
- Frequently sweep the back of the dryer and washer,
- Make me clean regularly, carefully clean the skirting boards and corners of the rooms,
- Change the location of your furniture from time to time; this will prevent spiders from weaving their webs in the same place,
- Do not leave objects (clothes, shoes, etc.) lying on the floor. Spiders could hide there during the day,
- Install yellow light bulbs. They attract less insects and therefore their predators,
- Keep all your toilets clean. As for the outer ones, before you sit there, check that spiders have not hidden under the edge of the seat,
- Caulk the doors, and equip all openings with a mosquito net,
- Use repellents such as an ultrasonic electrical device, eucalyptus plant, chestnut branches, horse chestnut essential oil, mixture of white vinegar and drops of Niaouli essential oil,
- Use a soft brush to repel spiders that may be near windows or doors outside,
- If you see a spider in your home, you can capture it using a glass jar and a piece of cardboard, and then release it outside. But you can also crush it with the help of a fly swatter, a newspaper or a rolled magazine.
If despite all these precautions, spiders invade you, contact a professional exterminator.
The solutions of the professional exterminator against spider nests
The exterminator has different means of extermination:
- Extermination by the use of registered pesticides: here, the exterminator can spray insecticides spray in window and door frames, dark areas of the house, etc. It can also pour a portion of diatomaceous earth into places frequented by spiders.
- Extermination by the installation of spider traps: he can set glue traps in closets, in the basement, etc. Once the spiders are captured, the exterminator will get rid of them.
But beware, not all exterminators effectively destroy spiders and their nests. The effective exterminator, the true professional, is recognized by:
- His permit from the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development with the mention CD5: Extermination. For you, this means that it will destroy spiders and their nests in compliance with Environment Canada’s regulations regarding people and pets,
- Its certified professional technicians in extermination,
- His methodical work:
- It moves quickly to the scene of the infestation to identify the type of parasites, the intensity of the attack and its source,
- It offers an appropriate treatment for the aggression of spiders,
- It trains, informs and sensitizes the occupants of homes to the precautions to be taken to no longer suffer a massive attack of spiders of all kinds.
- His discretion in his interventions. He knows that in the eyes of your neighbors, the presence of spider nests (in your house) is a sign of dirt.
- Its written guarantee against any damage that may result from the means used for extermination, and on the effectiveness of its treatment against the aggression of which you are a victim.
That’s the gist of what you need to know. And you, have you been the victim of a spider infestation ? How did you identify their presence in your home? How did you end up with them? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
