There are many species of spiders in the Albany area that often find their way into homes, including the venomous brown recluse and black widow spiders. In addition, Albany is also home to several nonvenomous varieties like wolf spiders, jumping spiders, and common house spiders. Here is some helpful information about common Albany spiders, the problems that they can introduce to your home, and what their presence inside your home may mean.

While most spiders found living in the Albany area that invade homes are considered nuisance pests and pose no real health threats to people, there are a couple of dangerous species that homeowners need to be aware of and protect themselves from. Both the brown recluse spider and black widow spider are venomous and while they aren’t native to New York, they are often transported to the area unintentionally. Both these species are non-aggressive and tend to hide in dark, hard-to-reach areas. When these spiders do bite, however, it is usually because they have been startled. The venom from a black widow spider bite affects a person’s nervous system and can cause fever, muscle cramping, difficulty breathing, and vomiting. Brown recluse spider venom can cause the skin around the bite to become necrotic, meaning that the cells and tissue around the bite begin to die; the wound can easily become infected and may take time to heal. In the case of both spider species, symptoms can range from very mild to severe depending on where the victim was bitten and the amount of venom that was injected. While being bitten by a venomous spider is serious, it very rarely becomes a life-threatening condition.

Wolf spiders, jumping spiders, and house spiders are a few species of non-venomous spiders that also commonly invade Albany homes. These spiders typically live and feed outside, but will often enter homes and garages while foraging for food, water, and shelter; sometimes they will also seek shelter inside homes during the late fall in order to have a warm place to live in over the colder winter months. While these spiders aren’t particularly dangerous, they still shouldn’t be welcomed into your home. House spiders, in particular, make problems for homeowners by creating unsightly webs throughout homes as they search for prey. Another problem with having nuisance spiders as houseguests is that they reproduce fairly quickly; just a few spiders in your home can quickly turn into a large infestation.

There is one important thing to understand when dealing with spiders; no matter what type of spider is invading your Albany property or home, having an infestation is an indication that you may have large numbers of other pests living in or near your home as well. Spiders prey on other spiders and various insects including flies, ants, roaches, and millipedes. If you have large numbers of these insects around your property or in your home, there will usually be large numbers of spiders around as well.

The Albany pest control experts at Thomas Pest Services have created highly-effective and affordable residential pest control plans that work to eliminate and control problems with both venomous and nonvenomous spiders as well as the household invading pests that they like to feed upon that are attracting them to your property. Don’t let a small spider problem turn into a full-blown infestation! Contact the professionals at Thomas Pest Services to learn more about our spider control today!