Catch of the Week: Grass Spiders Infestation
August 10, 2020
As summer continues, grass spiders are on the rise in Iowa and throughout North America. Our experts at Preferred Pest Control understand the fear that is often associated with spiders and are here to ease your mind about them. We want to share our insights with Des Moines home and business owners in case these pests enter your home or building. You will not only be able to properly identify grass spiders, but will also know exactly what attracts them and how to handle an infestation. Becoming familiar with grass spiders and their behaviors will help you rest easy in your home, as you will learn that these pests are in fact harmless and avoidable.
What Do Grass Spiders Look Like?
Grass spiders are commonly misidentified as wolf spiders which live in burrows rather than spin webs. This fact can be used as a trustworthy identification tool. If you believe to have wolf spiders on your lawn or in your home, look for these funnel-like webs. This will tell you that you're dealing with grass spiders.
Yellow-brownish in color, a grass spider has two stripes that run along the back shell with an abdomen that is slightly darker in color. They are not very big spiders and will grow to around 10 to 20 millimeters in length. Males are typically smaller than female grass spiders.
Grass Spider Behavior
These funnel web weavers are most notorious for creating cave-like webs across grassy lawns – they can also be found in low-growing shrubs – in which they will hide. Grass spiders use their impressive speed to catch prey – consisting of insects and sometimes other funnel weaver spiders – and drag them toward the back of the funnel-shaped web. These webs can also be quite camouflaged, often tricking other critters to enter. A wide range of spider species weave sticky webs, trapping any victims that happen to run into them. However, a grass spider’s web is not sticky. Instead, the unique funnel shape they create is what makes it so difficult for prey to escape.
Grass spiders live a rather short life of around 1 year. After mating, both the male and female will soon die. Female grass spiders will lay egg sacs in the late summer or fall that overwinters and hatches in the spring. After laying the egg sac, the female will perish. These egg sacs are commonly found at the feet of the deceased mother spider. The hatchlings will go their separate ways weaving individual funnel-like nests apart from one another. Over their lifespan, these nests will grow bigger as the grass spiders molt and mature. Grass spiders go through multiple molting phases eventually reaching full adulthood in the late summer.
Are Grass Spiders Poisonous?
Grass spiders are not poisonous and aren’t a species you should fear. However, like all spiders, they do have venom inside of them which they use to subdue prey. A grass spider’s small fangs cannot penetrate human skin unless it is very thin, such as the skin of a baby or an elderly person. Rest assured knowing that these spiders will only bite if they feel threatened.
What Attracts Grass Spiders?
Homeowners typically only come across grass spiders inside when there is sufficient food and shelter in or around the home and throughout the lawn. Grass spiders are attracted to insects as they are what spiders prey on. Homes that attract insects will also bring spiders with them. Insects are most attracted to sugar, food crumbs, sticky residue and more. Keeping your home clean will prevent any insects, or spiders, from entering it.
Preventing A Grass Spider Infestation
There are other steps you can take as a homeowner to prevent a grass spider infestation. These include keeping your yard tidy from debris, mowing often to keep the grass low and eliminate cover for grass spiders, and maintaining bushes, shrubs and other vegetation around your home. All of these practices eliminate desirable housing conditions for grass spiders, and will encourage them to look elsewhere.
Grass Spider Pest Control
The most effective way to handle a grass spider infestation, and prevent them from returning, is to call the professional technicians at Preferred Pest Control. When you choose our spider removal services, our experts will come to your home and remove all spiders along with their webs and eggs. After, we will apply an insecticide to kill any remaining spiders, ensuring there are no more in your home. Our team will also use a spray around your home while sweeping any likely shelter areas for spiders.
How Preferred Pest Control Can Help Des Moines Area Homeowners
If you come across or suspect grass spiders in your home or business, Preferred Pest can help! As the leading Des Moines exterminator, our technicians will take care of your spider problems efficiently and effectively. Unsure of which type of pest you’re dealing with? Call our team of specialists at (515) 415-5550. Professional help is easily the most effective way of getting rid of your problem and ensuring it does not return. Schedule an appointment by visiting Preferred Pest Control online.
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