Types of Spiders in Las Vegas

Most times, spiders are beneficial. They eat household pests such as cockroaches, flies and moths and are good at getting rid of pests in the garden such as hungry caterpillars. While beneficial in outside environments, it can still be disconcerting to have them in our homes. If you live in Nevada, you are certainly aware of the prevalence of spiders inside your home and may have even sought the services of a pest control company like ours. With this in mind, let’s talk about some of the spiders common to the Las Vegas area, how to identify them, and what to do if you get bit by a spider.

Spiders In The Las Vegas Area

Black Widow

While there aren’t that many dangerous spiders in Las Vegas, there is one in particular that a person should be wary of. This is the black widow spider. These spiders are a shiny black color, with a rounded abdomen that contains a red hourglass shape in the center. A related widow, the Malmignatte, has red blotches on her abdomen. Female black widow spiders are about half an inch long while the males are much smaller. Only the females bite. Fortunately, they are docile, but they will bite if/when threatened. It’s best to leave them alone and let pest control professionals in Las Vegas rid your home of black widows.

Wolf Spiders

These spiders are hunters, and sometimes they enter the home in search of prey. There are thousands of species of wolf spider, and hundreds of those are found north of Mexico. They range from 0.6 to 1.5 inches long and have good vision and a well-developed sense of touch. They range from gray to brown, with stripes or mottling over their body and legs. Females carry their egg sac with their hind legs, and when the young hatch, they ride on her back.

Homalonychid

These spiders are only found in Mexico and parts of the southwest. They are brown and a bit smaller than wolf spiders. Their legs have two claws as opposed to the wolf spider’s three, and when they are at rest they hold their legs straight out.

Huntsman Spider

These somewhat large spiders hold their legs similar to a crab. They hunt cockroaches at night and during the day hide in cracks and crevices in the home. Unlike the female wolf spider, the female huntsman carries her egg sac in her jaws.

Jumping Spiders

One of the more common spiders to Nevada, there are over 2800 species of jumping spider, 300 of which are found north of Mexico. These spiders tend to be small, compact and active during the day. They move with a jerky gait and leap upon their prey. Some jumping spiders can leap many times their own length. They are known for the pair of huge, front-facing eyes that can change color in some species. 

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Identifying Commonly Confused Spiders in Las Vegas By Their Appearance

When it comes to knowing whether or not the 8 legged critter crawling on your 8 year old is venomous or just a creepy crawly is a very real concern for those living in Clark County, Nevada. There are a few spiders in Las Vegas and the surrounding areas (Henderson, Blue Diamond, Summerlin, and Boulder City) that make it more difficult than others to know just how much of a risk they pose. The most deceptive of the group is the Black Widow vs. the False Widow. There is also much debate as to the Desert Brown Spider vs. the Brown Recluse, often being called the Desert Brown Recluse. Neither of which makes it much better as both have a necrotic bite. The last bunch in the group are the Domestic House Spider, Giant House Spider, and Wolf Spider. While these guys are less of a threat to your life, they can have an unsavory affect on your home or work space.

Black Widows vs. The False Widow

A.) Is a Mature Female Black Widow B.) Is a Mature Female False Widow

This first confusing arachnid partnership to look at in Clark County is the Black Widow vs. The False Black widow. Both of these 8 legged home invaders are rather small, with the females averaging 10-15mm. Now keep in mind it is the female bite you need to worry about when talking about Latrodectus, the family of spiders also known as True Widows. The False Widow and the True Black Widow are both tiny, with shiny black, globular bodies. The major key in identifying whether or not the spider could really cause some issues is the distinct red hourglass or opposing triangles found on the True Widow. A less clear but sometimes good indicator as to the venomous capacity of the spider is the color of its legs. The False Widow can be seen to have light brown or orangish legs, however some say this is not always the case. Another thing to keep in mind is that the False Widow is still venomous, just much less potent than the True Black Widow. According to WebMD, the black widow spider makes a venom that affects your nervous system. Some people are slightly affected by it, but others may have a severe response. Right away, you may feel severe pain, burning, swelling, and redness at the site. In contrast the False Widows bite is less of an affair, usually the only symptom is pain at the site which may radiate away from the bite. Now considering how close you would need to get to positively identify one of these tiny widows, we recommend seeking professional help in identifying and removing them.

Desert Brown Spider vs The Brown Recluse Spider

Now the name Brown Recluse Spider, should, and probably does bring to mind an 8 legged brown monster hiding in wait to bite you with its powerful necrotic venom. So identifying these terrifying arachnids is an understandable piece of knowledge to have when living in Clark County, a place known for its dangerous spiders and scorpions. The easiest way to identify which arachnid has blessed you with its presence in this case is color. The Brown Recluse is a much darker shade than the Desert Brown Spider, which is a much lighter shade. A violin shape is sometimes used to identify the Brown Recluse, however some researchers say that the Desert Brown Spider can also display such patterns in their coloring. Now the good news is that the Brown Recluse is not often found in the Nevada desert,

Complete distribution range of wild and domestic Loxosceles reclusa.

 however that doesn't mean there is not a close cousin in the area. The Brown Desert Spider is also of the Loxosceles genus, thus giving the Desert Brown Spider the moniker “Desert Brown Recluse”. This means, unfortunately if you find what you think may be either one of these guys, you need to give them a wide berth and make sure to call professionals. Here at Fortified Pest Management we are well versed in dealing with these infestations regardless of species and would be more than happy to provide a free in home or place of business inspection.

The Wolf Spider, The Giant, and Domestic House Spider

These three unpleasant house guests are probably the nicest out of our list, as they either very rarely bite humans (The Domestic House Spider), or their venom is to weak to affect humans on a regular basis (The Giant House, and Wolf Spiders), now this does not mean that it is impossible to have an adverse reaction to one of these bites, just very rare in humans. It is important to note that Wolf Spider bites can in fact be very bad for your dog though, so in the hopes of keeping our 4 legged friends safe from the 8 legged ones, here is the best trick for identifying a Wolf Spider. You may not like it, but it is the eyes. If you can stomach getting close enough, look to see if you can find 8 eyes, 4 in a row on the bottom, 2 large eyes above the row, with 2 medium eyes out to the side on the top of its head.

Wolf Spider eye layout

Now that we get to the house spiders we can breathe a sigh of relief. These are the arachnids that your tree hugging friends tell you to be nice to. The Domestic House Spider is rather small, only ¼ to ⅜ inches in size. They are very fast and unless given no other options will always choose to flee, instead of fighting or getting aggressive. They also play a large role in keeping your home or workplace free of small pests, as well as keeping plants and crops free from other insect infestations. They have also been known to take care of their own. 

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On that note we get to the Giant House Spider, which looks very similar, however as the name suggests its much larger, reaching up to 4 inch leg spans. They can provide very similar benefits as the Domestic House Spider, plus a very special one for those living within the Clark County borders, they kill Hobo Spiders. We will be covering these bizarre spiders in the future, just know it is better to have Giant House Spiders than Hobo Spiders running around your kids play room.

That being said, whether you have an issue with less threatening arachnid house guests like the House Spiders or the Wolf Spider, or you are fending off hordes of Desert Recluses and Black Windows, Fortified Pest Management is here to help. Remember, Fortified Pest Management is fully Licensed, Bonded and Insured. We are family owned, Pet Friendly and ALWAYS come with a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Being Bit  By a Las Vegas Spider

Have you ever woken up from a good night's sleep and found two small bumps close together and thought to yourself “Wow, I must have been a midnight snack for an 8 legged intruder.”? However this “Two punctures” means spider bite is a myth. This myth is slightly base in truth, it is a fact that spiders do have two venom injecting fangs, and many spiders DO bite with both at the same time. The issue comes with the fact that any spider smaller than a tarantula would leave entry points of the two fangs so close together there would be little if any separation detectable to the human eye. (Seeing as most of the truly dangerous spiders are smaller than a tarantula, this is not a comforting fact.) According to experts at the Burke Museum- When you have a "bite" with two separated marks, it is either caused by a bloodsucking insect that has bitten twice (a common occurrence), or is a double skin eruption arising from one disease condition or arthropod bite, also a common occurrence. This begs the question “How can I identify if I've been bitten by a spider?”

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First and foremost we recommend determining if the bite poses a threat to the life of the bitten individual. In a non-venomous bite you might notice some swelling or possibly a red welt. This will be directly surrounding some skin damage, and can be mildly uncomfortable with light heat or itching (Wolf Spider bites commonly display these symptoms in humans). The issue is when this discomfort lasts longer than about an hour or you start to see increased discomfort or find that the swelling or welts are spreading. This is a good indication that the bite is venomous and could possibly be linked to a venomous arachnid such as a Brown Recluse or Black Widow (possibly a wolf spider if the affected is a small child or pet). 

If bitten and you experience severe pain radiating from the origin of the bite, this can be an isolated symptom or accompanied by grievous muscle pain or cramping, seek medical attention immediately. These are the beginning indicators of a possible venomization or poisoning. In addition to the immediate onset of pain and cramping in the minutes after an encounter with venomous spider bite the affected victim will notice the heat from the bite start to radiate throughout the entire body resulting in increased sweating and clammy appearance. As the respiratory system starts to become weakened by the venom the victim will begin to struggle to breath. If this occurs before medical help has been reached it's important to keep the affected individual calm as to preserve the dwindling oxygen in their system. As the body becomes overwhelmed with the venom’s effects a severe headache will form causing the victim to become disoriented and confused. With all these indicators of a venomous bite affecting the victim at once the body will begin to shut down, resulting in nausea, vomiting, high fever and high blood pressure. If treated or rendered medical aid in a reasonable time venomous spiders such as the Black Widow and Brown Recluse pose little to no threat to adult humans, however in small children, elderly and pets, or even adults who do not receive medical aid are at a serious risk for permanent damage to the body or brain, and even death in some cases.

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Now for some good news, with the production of highly effective antivenoms and emergency medical treatments only 7 people (on average) a year die from spider bites in North America. The reality of ever suffering a life threatening spider bite is low but the fact that sharks, gators and bears combined kill half the people that spiders do. When you realize that we interact with hundreds of times more spiders than we ever do bears, sharks or gators it makes you think about what you can do to protect yourself. The first step is to remain aware of your surroundings. At the first site of spiders in and around your home identification is imperative. Contact Fortified Pest Management for aid in identifying the threat to your home. Once a threat has been determined we will work tirelessly to remove the threat in a child and pet friendly manner. 

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Now for a spider bite PSA- DO NOT attempt to suck out the venom from a spider bite. Even if you know for a fact the bite is from a Black Widow or Brown Recluse DO NOT attempt to remove the venom by suction, DO NOT use a razor blade or knife to open the spider's venom injection site. These actions will only increase the risk of infection and are not effective at reducing the severity of a spider's bite. Seek medical attention immediately, after you are safe and on the road to recovery make sure to call or reach out to Fortified Pest Management for a free estimate to solve your venomous spider infestation.

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Now even if your spider infestation is determined to not be one of the big (little) scary guys like the Black Widow and Brown Recluse removal or extermination is still highly recommended as non-venomous/life threatening spiders such as the wolf spider can still pose a large risk for those who are allergic to their mild venom, small children or elderly adults, and even pets. The venom can be fatal for small dogs and cats in less than an hour, and sometimes even longer. For adult pets, wolf spider bites can cause significant problems. If not treated quickly, a wolf spider bite might even kill your pet.

By choosing Fortified Pest Management you are ensuring that not only will proper integrated pest management be applied to your home, it will be done using 100% American made products that are eco-conscious and recyclable. Fortified Pest Management is here to help. Remember, Fortified Pest Management is fully Licensed, Bonded and Insured. We are family owned, Pet Friendly and ALWAYS come with a 100% Money Back Guarantee. Whether you need a residential or professional estimate we are here to help. From Pigeons to Roof Rats, Spiders to Termites, Scorpions to Bed Bugs we will help you sleep better at night.   

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