IDENTIFICATION:
This suborder is the worlds largest, 38,500 spiders in 94 families, and includes the vast majority of commonly encountered spiders. Many species are large, conspicuous, and colorful, such as the garden spiders. A number of species also make complex, obvious webs. Most spiders within this group are short lived, surviving for less than a year. Almost all of Ohio’s 624 spider species fall within the Araneomorphae. A few of the more common spiders found in Ohio are: Black Widow Spider, Brown Recluse Spider, Funnel Weaver Spider, Hackled-Mesh Spider, Orbweavers, Ground Sac Spider, Woodlouse Spider, Ground Spider, Sheetweb Spider, Wolf Spider, Prowling Spider, Lynx Spider, Running Crab Spider, Daddy Long-Legg Spider, Nurseryweb Spider, Jumping Spider, Spitting Spider, Six-eyed Spider, Long-Jawed Spider, Cobweb Spider, Ray Orbweaver, Typical Crab Spider, Hackled Orbweaver.

THREAT:
Only two groups of Ohio spiders, the black widows and the brown recluse spiders, are considered dangerous to humans. Fortunately for us, the spiders are relatively uncommon in Ohio. The severity of an individual’s reaction to the black widow spider bite depends on the area of the body bitten, amount of venom injected, and their sensitivity to the venom. The venom travels in the bloodstream throughout the body and acts on the nervous system, causing varying degrees of pain. Some people report very intense pain. There typically is no sloughing of tissues and no conspicuous swelling.

SOLUTION:
An important first step is to correctly identify the spider, as this determines which treatment method can best be applied. Once this has been established we have many tools in our arsenal to get rid of these spiders. Some control measures include: cob web removal, dusting cracks & crevices, outside perimeter power spray, interior treatment, granular treatments, fogging, vacuuming, inspecting window screens, and installing glue board monitors. Routine Preventive Maintenance is recommended to keep your home protected year round.