Black widows and Brown recluses.....?
This is very important as I have two year old twins and the spiders are both inside and out.
We do not have a basement but do have an attic.
Answers:
My experience with black widows is fairly limited, but I have seen most of these outside or in garage corner areas. These spiders are easier to find than a brown recluse (AKA - fiddleback) because they usually build a fairly extensive web. They are known to inhabit shoes left outside (or in a garage) also.
I have had a LOT of experience with the brown recluse (fiddleback) spider. These spiders like dry, dark, and warm areas, but will also find their way into piles of clothing. They like garages also (dry/dark/warm), but unlike the black widow do not spin large webs - if any. These spiders roam around to capture their prey, and that is what makes them particularly dangerous. They usually do this in the dark...
Both of these spiders will not bite unless you start to crush them, or they think they are being crushed. I am a very light sleeper (probably because of what I'm about to tell you) and I have woken at least 7 or 8 times because I felt spider walking on me - sometimes under the covers! I would wait until the spider walked off me and then roll the other way so I did not crush the spider. If you feel you need to get the spider off you be sure to BRUSH it off - do NOT crush it on you or you will be bitten!
The reason spiders are so hard to control is because once they have infested an area, they lay their eggs. You spray to kill the living spiders, but then weeks later the eggs hatch and the cycle continues. The only way to control them is to SPRAY REGULARLY - every 3 or 4 weeks until they are under control. I use a household odorless (I am very allergic to smelly bug sprays) bug spray called 'Ortho Home Defense MAX', which I bought at Walmart. I do not use the manual pump sprayer that comes with the bottle, but pour the liquid into a pressure sprayer (which you can buy at Walmart for about $15.00). With this sprayer, you can easily walk around and spray a fine mist in the corners (where the wall meets the floor) of all your rooms and closets/cabinets without having to manually pump to squirt the liquid out. If your house is badly infested I would also used some 'dry gas' bug bombs first, and then spray afterwards. Again, spray every 3 - 4 weeks until you get the spiders under control.
When a black widow bites you, the poison attacks the nervous system and can cause death. Brown recluse (fiddlebacks) bites cause the tissue to actually 'die' around the bite. The dead skin will essentially rot away. I have seen pictures of these bites, and the size of the rotted area can be as large as 6-inches in diameter. I also had one friend who was bitten on his chest and he almost died from the bite because it was close to his heart. My point is, do NOT hesitate to bug bomb and spray because the danger is very real!
Other answers:
Do you live in northern Califonia? They estimate that we have 100,000 spiders per acre here. There are some things you can do. First, allow me to educate you a bit. A spider carries venom for the purpose of eating, first and formost. If a spider bites you, it will probably not be eating that day. The spider prefers to leave you alone. Most Black Widow bites I know of where inflicted from the inside of a ladies shoe. Why? Ladies often don't wear socks and inside the shoe, the spider was trapped and felt it had no choice but to fight for it's life. Now, some practical steps you can take...
Pick up some insect foggers. St them off in every area of your home. Attic, garage, dog house, any enclosed area. Plan on doing this for 2 consecutive weeks.
At this same time, place a mixture of Polmolive, et al, dish liquid in a hose end sprayer and saturate your property and exterior of buildings. This is non toxic to plants and animals except for bugs. I think the suds interfere with their breathing or something.
Do you live in northern Califonia? They estimate that we have 100,000 spiders per acre here. There are some things you can do. First, allow me to educate you a bit. A spider carries venom for the purpose of eating, first and formost. If a spider bites you, it will probably not be eating that day. The spider prefers to leave you alone. Most Black Widow bites I know of where inflicted from the inside of a ladies shoe. Why? Ladies often don't wear socks and inside the shoe, the spider was trapped and felt it had no choice but to fight for it's life. Now, some practical steps you can take...
Pick up some insect foggers. St them off in every area of your home. Attic, garage, dog house, any enclosed area. Plan on doing this for 2 consecutive weeks.
At this same time, place a mixture of Polmolive, et al, dish liquid in a hose end sprayer and saturate your property and exterior of buildings. This is non toxic to plants and animals except for bugs. I think the suds interfere with their breathing or something.
My son had the black widow spiders and he had success with the exterminator, they sprayed for these critters 4 times in a year and now they have not returned. You need to be cautious as you know. Someone at my job was bitten by a brown recluse and her leg still is with an open wound after 2 years. She has seen a dozen drs. with little help.The bite is no joke. Hope you can find a solution.