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Everyone has heard of the black widow spider and believes it to be so deadly that it can kill you in an instant with just one bite. But while a black widow spider bite is certainly something that you should try to avoid, being on the receiving end of one doesn’t mean certain death.

Black widow spiders only bite when they feel threatened or when there is prey that they want to eat. Because of the sheer size of humans, black widow spiders realize that we are not easy prey and so, are likely to reserve their limited amount of venom for actual, easier prey. That being said, black widow spiders certainly will bite humans, but usually only if one goes in search of the spider and threatens it or its territory.

However, should you still end up getting bit it will help you to know that black widow spider bites are actually rarely fatal, despite the myths of the deadly venom of the spider. A black widow spider’s venom is potentially deadly, but it’s not as deadly as most people think and there are certainly many more spiders in the world that are more harmful than black widow spiders. While there have been reported cases of humans dying due to a black widow spider bite, this is usually only when the case when the person is elderly, a child, or has a pre-existing condition that makes them especially vulnerable to the venom of black widow spiders.

That being said, a black widow spider bite is a very serious thing and you should receive medical attention right away after getting bit. While a bite might not mean death, you will still probably become quite sick and need treatment. Also, if a black widow spider bite is left untreated, it’s much more likely to become fatal.

Accuracy Plus can handle all of your pest control needs, both inside and outside. Visit our site for more valuable information or give us a call at 888-675-0258.

Most of us have seen a daddy long legs spider at some point in our lives, and a few may have seen the harvestmen – a spider that lives in trees and wooded areas. These two creatures look almost identical to each other, and each has caused a great deal of myth about the other. But upon closer look, the daddy long legs and the harvestman almost have as many differences as they do similarities.

Both the daddy long legs and the harvestman spiders have segmented bodies, although that of the harvestman’s is much less defined and isn’t really noticeable unless you look very closely. The other similarity between the daddy long legs and the harvestman is that they both have four pairs of legs, just like other spiders. And like other spiders, daddy long legs also have four different pairs of eyes, equaling eight in total. The harvestmen on the other, usually only have two eyes, and some have no eyes at all! Harvestman spiders instead use their legs as their central nervous system, and use those to feel and touch things around them so that they can identify what those things are.

Daddy long legs are also distinctive spiders in themselves because they emit an odor when they feel they are being attacked. Harvestman spiders don’t have the glands that produce this odor. If either a daddy long legs or harvestman feels as though it’s being attacked and their predator has a grasp on one of their legs, they both have the ability to detach themselves from the leg and skitter off. However while the daddy long legs will only suffer from limited mobility, the harvestmen spider will lose an entire part of their central nervous system and so will be affected more greatly by the loss of limb.

Harvestman spiders and daddy long legs are so similar that it can be almost impossible to tell them apart just upon sight. But upon closer look it’s easy to see how these two spiders have their characteristics that make them each quite distinct.

Accuracy Plus can handle all of your pest control needs, both inside and outside. Visit our site for more valuable information or give us a call at 888-675-0258.

We’ve all been there. You’re sitting in our house or outside, and see a spider. You go to swat it out of the way, and it jumps away. Sometimes it jumps so far you can’t even see where it is after that. No, it’s not a trick. It’s a jumping spider and of the arachnids, they’re some of the most interesting.

There are about 5,000 species of jumping spiders and they make up about 7% of the entire spider population in the world. And, they’re also found all over the world. Jumping spiders are an especially hardy type of spider, and can be found in the coldest parts of Mount Everest, as well as some of the hottest tropical rainforests.

Of course, the most remarkable characteristic of jumping spiders is their ability to jump. Different species of jumping spiders have different abilities in terms of how far they can jump, but some can jump over forty times their body length. It’s all part of the jumping spiders’ complex internal structure that is incredibly powerful, dynamic, and has an extreme flexibility to it. All jumping spiders however, anchor themselves with silk before they jump. This is so that if they need to get back very quickly, they can.

Another characteristic of jumping spiders that distinguishes them from other spiders, and that many people are not aware of, is their amazing eyesight. Jumping spiders have eight eyes in total, with four being set forward on the head. These eyes have stereoscopic vision, which gives them a keen sense when hunting prey. The row of four eyes behind these prey-vision eyes are for detecting predators and help the jumping spider defend itself because these four eyes allow the spider to see predators that are coming from behind or above.

Jumping spiders do have venom that they use to kill their prey, which are usually small insects. But this venom is completely harmless to humans and larger animals. If you find jumping spiders around your home or garden, it’s a good sign because jumping spiders will get rid of many of the other bothersome pests and insects.

Whether you think jumping spiders are a nuisance, somewhat frightening, or just plain weird, there’s no denying that the jumping spider is a very interesting spider indeed!

Accuracy Plus can handle all of your pest control needs, both inside and outside. Visit our site for more valuable information or give us a call at 888-675-0258.

The chances are that at some time or another, you’ve seen a spider making a web. The way these little creatures jump around on their webs, and retrace their steps back and forth is really quite amazing. And that’s not to mention that they’re often fighting things like strong winds and rain while they do so. So just how do spiders make their webs?

It starts with the spinneret glands, which are the reason spiders are thought to ‘spin’ webs. In these glands the silk is produced that will be used to construct the web. Spiders can make two different kinds of silk; one is silky and one is not. The spider needs the sticky silk to catch any prey that might fly into the web, and the non-sticky silk to walk and jump on so that they don’t become stuck to their own webs.

When a spider first starts to construct its web, it will produce one single strand of sticky silk. The spider then needs to wait patiently for this piece of silk to be picked up by the wind so that it can then stick to something such as a window, a tree, or a wall. A spider will be patient, and will wait for as long as needed for this to happen. Once it does, the spider will then go back and forth across that thread of silk, reinforcing it as much as possible to provide support for the rest of the web.

The spider will then create the rest of the support threads necessary, which are generally the straight lines that resemble a simplistic star. Because these are the support threads, the spider will reinforce these as many times as needed before moving onto the rest of the web. When they are ready to do that, the spider will then begin making the circles that radiate from the center of the web and move outwards to give the web that classic spider web shape.

The way a spider builds its web is certainly fascinating, but what may be even more fascinating is what happens once the web is built. Once the spider is satisfied that they have built an effective web, it will then test it for stability. If they find that the web is not stable enough, the spider will usually choose to start a whole new web over again, rather than fix any parts on the web they’ve already built. 

Accuracy Plus can handle all of your pest control needs, both inside and outside. Visit our site for more valuable information or give us a call at 888-675-0258.

Finding the odd spider around the home isn’t pleasant for everyone, and can be a downright nightmare for others. Truthfully, most spiders aren’t harmful and can actually do a lot of good, doing things like killing other insects, especially the nasty mosquito. Finding one here and here around your home is really nothing to concern yourself with, although you should try to catch spiders and release them outside rather than kill them. This is especially true if you have a garden, where spiders can be especially beneficial. Here are a few other tricks to keep spiders out of your home.

The first thing you need to do is make sure that there are no homes for spiders to reside in around your home. With a vacuum, clean out all cobwebs that you see, even if there are no spiders in it. Many people think that these are vacated webs, and sometimes that’s true. But even still, there could be eggs in the web that will hatch into new spiders. And besides, who wants a home full of spider webs anyway?

Keep in mind that spider webs aren’t only present inside of your home, but outside of it too. Be sure to hose off the sides of your home, effectively destroying any cobwebs and spiders that may be perched there.

Also, discourage spiders from entering your home by keeping their food sources out of your home. Things like flies, insects, and moths are a spider’s favorite menu so if they’re in your home, there’s a good chance that spiders will be too.

In addition to keeping things away from your home that spiders like to eat, you should also try to keep potential nesting places away from spiders. Many different species of spiders like to live in places like piles of wood, debris, and other large areas of bush. Removing these breeding grounds can be a great preventative measure in keeping spiders out of your home.

While many people have a fear of spiders, there’s nothing harmful about most of them. Seeing the odd spider may be here and there may mean that you’ll soon see a lot fewer of the other insects you might expect to find in your home. But, if you find that there are too many in your home, these tips may help you get rid of your problem.

For a free Los Angles pest control inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to our website.

Have you ever wondered what spiders you’re likely to come across in California? Or are just trying to identify one that you’ve found in your home? Here’s a list of the most common spiders found in California.

Tarantula: While tarantulas are pretty common in California, they can’t kill you like many people think. They do have venom, but it’s poisonous only to small animals. Tarantulas are sometimes found in pool filters and in gardens. Male tarantulas come out most often in the fall, when they go on the search for females.

Sow-Bug Killer: As their name suggest, this spider kills sows bugs, or pill bugs, and can be found in trees and under bark, where these bugs live.

Daddy Long Legs: Most people have encountered a Daddy Long Legs in their life, and can recognize them immediately. Their webs aren’t the distinctive spider webs that you would normally think of but rather, draping long tangles of web. Daddy Long Legs, while very common, are perfectly harmless.

Black Widow: Black Widow spiders are present in California and are the only spiders whose venom humans should fear, as it can be very dangerous and even life-threatening. Black Widows are known for the hourglass shape their body has, which in a true Black Widow will be orange or red. However, the body isn’t always a perfect hourglass shape.

American House Spider: These spiders as the name would suggest, are very common in America and like to camp out in people’s homes. The scientific name for them is the Achearanea tepediorum.

Cross orbweaver: These spiders are more commonly known as garden spiders, and they can become quite large and intimidating in the late fall. They’re usually seen hanging from their orb-webs, which they constantly work on, throughout the year but are more prominent in the September – November months.

Silver garden spiders: These spiders have a very silvery look to them and also build orb webs. They are distinctive with their eight legs that are paired together, giving the look that they actually only have four legs.

Money spiders: These spiders build large, flat webs from which they hang. These spiders are especially prominent in the Bay Area in the spring.

Salticidae: These spiders are distinctive because they do not make webs and because their most familiar characteristic is that they jump. They are usually black with white specks.

For a free Los Angles pest control inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to our website.

Spiders get a bad rap mostly because they are scary looking.  Movies and urban legends have only increased the public fear of these mostly harmless creatures.  In fact, spiders are fascinating and mostly helpful because they eat other much more annoying and harmful insects.  You probably don’t want to call a pest control company to get rid of harmless spiders in your yard, unless there seems to be some kind of infestation.

However, there are some spiders which are actually quite harmful.  In fact, the black widow spider and the brown recluse spider are both highly poisonous and can cause serious nerve damage and even death in small animals if they bite.  The black widow spider is about a half inch long and is totally black except for a bright red hourglass patter on her abdomen.  (Only the female black widow spider is actually dangerous.)  The Brown Recluse spider is also about a half inch long, is brown, and has a violin shaped mark on its middle section.

If you suspect that you or you or someone else in your family has been bitten by a poisonous spider, call for emergency help immediately.  If at all possible, take the spider remains with you so that the doctor can examine it and determine what kind of action is needed.

For the most part, spiders are shy and even these poisonous types will hide in places where people tend not to be.  You may not even run across them except on rare occasions when cleaning out the garage.  Unless they’re bothering you it might be worth your while to leave them be, but if you have young children or curious pets you have every reason to be concerned.

You can attempt to get rid of them by removing their webs and keeping your house clean even in the seldom used areas.  Regular, thorough sweeping, vacuuming and dusting will remove any residual nests.  Make sure your outdoor areas are also kept clean and clutter free.  If you have shrubbery, keep it trimmed as well.  Of course, you can always call a professional pest control service to help you get rid of spiders if you are too squeamish.  For a free Los Angles pest control inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to www.accuracypluscalifornia.com

Spiders are unwelcome in many homes, and although they have a scary reputation they are actually one of the most useful and friendly critters on the planet.  Just because you’d prefer to keep them out of your house doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate them.  Here are 20 fascinating facts about spiders that you may not know:

1. Spiders are not insects.  They are arachnids.  Insects have three body sections and six legs; spiders have two body sections and eight legs.
2.  There are more than 30,000 known species of spiders.
3. Despite the fact that most spiders have 6-8 pairs of eyes, their eyesight is very poor.  They use the fine hairs on their bodies to sense movement and signal when they should run or attack.
4. The male spider is usually smaller than the female.
5. The word “spider” comes from the Old English word “spinnan” which means “to spin.”
6. Spiders digest their food before they eat it!  They inject digestive enzymes into their prey which turns the captured critter into liquid and allows the spider to suck up the mush through a special “straw.”
7. Despite its scary appearance, the tarantula is no more poisonous than a bee sting.
8. The spider’s web is made out of protein.  When it’s time to spin a new web, the spider will eat the old web.
9. The golden spider spins silk that is as strong as a steel wire of the same size.
10. Little Miss Muffet from the Mother Goose nursery rhyme was a real person.  She was the daughter of Dr. Mouffet who believed you could be healed by eating spiders.
11. Each year, spiders eat so many insects that the combined weight of their pray exceeds the weight of the entire global population of humans.
12. The largest known spider is the Goliath tarantula which makes its home in South America.  Its body can span a dinner plate.
13. Most spiders live for less than six months, but the female tarantula can live up to 25 years!
14. A spider’s silk is liquid until it hits the air and then it coagulates into thread.
15. The black widow’s venom is 15x more powerful than the venom of the diamondback rattlesnake.  However, because only a tiny amount is injected when she bites, very few people die from the black widow spider’s bite.

For a free Los Angles pest control inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to www.accuracypluscalifornia.com.

Myths About Spiders

Does the sight of a spider send shivers up your spine? You aren’t alone. There are many people that have a fear of spiders. Today we’ll look at some of the common myths about spiders. Will you like them any better after you know the facts? Probably not, but it’s good to know the enemy.

Let’s take a look at those popular myths:

Spiders are insects – False. Actually spiders are part of the Arachnida classification. The fear or phobia about spiders is called Arachnophobia.

Spiders are all the same – False. There are many different types of spiders. Spiders are also just one part of the arachnid family of classification. Other arachnids include scorpions, ticks, mites and many others. Of course, within the spider family there are a variety of types of spiders. Some are quite common and are of no danger to humans, others can bite humans, while others are extremely poisonous.

All spiders have eight legs – False (kind of). All spiders have a four pairs of legs – eight in total. Insects have three pairs of legs. It’s very common to see a spider or insect that has lost a leg, but still remains quite functional because it has another leg from the weight bearing pair to balance its body.

Spiders always make webs – False. Only about half of the known spider varieties use a web to catch prey. Other spiders look for prey by waiting for the prey to come to them. So, just because you don’t see webs, doesn’t mean you don’t have spiders.

Whether you are afraid of spiders or just find them a nuisance, you can rid your house of these creatures. During our inspection we’ll look for all kinds of insects (and Arachnids) and uncover their entry point into your home. Your first line of defense is keeping the bugs out. We help make that possible.

For a free inspection spider, or for any pest control needs in the LA area, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.