Pest Control Austin: The Brown Widow

The brown widow spider is a non-native urban spider that professional Pest control Austin TX companies are beginning to see more and more of. Some think the brown widow could be exploding in numbers and pushing out the black widow population. This may not be a bad thing. Time will tell what effects the brown widow will have on the black widow population but it is obvious that the brown widow has experienced an explosive range expansion and is becoming more common in the southern U.S. In other words they are in central Texas and Austin TX pest control now includes the brown widow.

If you don’t work for an Austin pest control company the brown widow spider can be difficult to identify because of the variation in coloring from one spider to the next. The color can go from a pale tan to almost white to almost black. The almost black coloring of the brown widow will almost look like a black widow only not as shiny. The brown widow has abdominal stripes: typically, a longitudinal line extending about halfway from the back end with two isolated dots that are wider than long toward the front. The sides of the abdomen usually have light-colored lines that look like a small hand with one finger extended upward holding a large, dark rectangular dot. With the lighter version spiders these markings can be faint and washed out. Don’t worry; most professional pest control Austin companies will be able to tell the difference. Either way you may just want to call an Austin pest control company to address the pest issue.

The male brown widow is very small, much smaller than the female. Generally they are so small you may not even notice them. As a pest control Austin TX provider, we receive many phone calls from alarmed homeowners who happen to stumble upon these little guys.

Any Austin TX pest control company will know that the good way to identify the brown widow is to look at the egg sac. The egg sac is an unmistakable ball with little spikes all over it. It is a sort of silk ball that almost looks like a little ball of pollen or like those underwater mines from WWII movies. I’m pretty sure that’s the technical term most pest control Austin TX companies would use. If you see this egg sac you should be weary, the only other spider that has an egg sac similar to this is a green lynx spider, which you won’t see around the home.

This spider will generally make its presence known among homeowners. Even if you’re not sure you can always call a professional pest control Austin company and ask. The brown widow will set up shop in somewhat exposed sites under structures like patio chairs and patio furniture. They are also found in air conditioning units or under barbecues. You can also look in little voids in fencing or under railing of a fence. Clay potted plant pots are also a favorite hiding spot up around the lip of the pot. They can produce an egg sac every four or five days if well fed. So it is common to run into large clusters of several to even a dozen. Hopefully with this information they will be relatively easily spotted by homeowners who know what to look for. Then you can call a pest control Austin company and be able to communicate what issue you are having.

These spiders can also infest storage and warehouse businesses with merchandise stored inside. Under crates and packaging is a perfect spot for the brown widow to set up shop. Luckily you don’t find the brown widow inside of living spaces. As a professional pest control Austin TX company we work a lot with various shipping and product storage sites around town. This is the type of pest that is starting to be more and more common. But for the homeowner they tend to stay outside unless you bring in an item that has been outside, like a plant.

The bite of the brown widow is much milder than the black widow, but will still talk you into calling an Austin pest control company. The black widow spider results in 80 percent of the bites having moderate or severe envenomation. This means that the bite victims experience severe pain that radiates into their back, stomach and legs, sweating of isolated limbs, rigid stomach muscles and may rock incessantly to try and stop the pain. These are far more severe effects than what comes of a brown widow bite. The most common symptoms of a brown widow bite are pain and the time of the bite and a burning sensation at the place where bitten. Although there are a few reports of more severe brown widow bites, the typical brown widow bite is relatively mind. Either way, you won’t want to mess with these guys too much and if you see them around you should call your local Pest control Austin provider or more specifically The Bug Master, we are the bugmaster after all.