Spiders

Spiders
Most spiders in Lawton are more annoying than harmful, but if you feel that your home or office has a lot of spiders, call us and we can get rid of your spider problem. We use a water-based spray that is not harmful to your family or pets, and we will spray the whole inside and outside of your house to prevent any unwanted spiders from entering.

Lawton has several different types of spiders that are common in the area, including brown recluse/fiddleback spiders, black widow spiders, tarantulas, and wolf spiders.

Brown Recluse Spiders

The brown recluse has distinguishing characteristics that set it apart form other brown spiders. Look for three pairs of eyes that are arranged in a circle on the head with a dark mark behind the eyes in the shape of a fiddle. These spiders also have really long legs. They live in sheltered dark areas, and they lay their eggs during the summer months. It takes 10-12 months for them to fully mature. Brown recluses have been known to survive long periods without food or water. Female spiders usually live one to two years, but some have been known to live for four to five years. They are most active at night, and during the day they like to rest in undisturbed areas. In homes they can be found in bathrooms, bedrooms, basements, cellars, attics, and under furniture. They often can be found hiding in old clothes, shoes, and under tables.

Brown recluse spiders are not normally aggressive but will bite if they feel threatened. Usually people get bitten when they put on clothing or shoes that a spider is hiding in, or if they accidentally roll over one in bed or sit on one. If you suspect that you have been bitten by a brown recluse, seek immediate medical attention as their bites are very poisonous and can cause substantial tissue damage.

Black Widow Spiders

Male and female black widow spiders are significantly different from one another; their size and characteristics are the main distinctions. When trying to tell the difference between the two, the female is shiny black, with smooth legs (not hairy) and two rows of eyes.  Her most distinguishing mark is the red hourglass shape on the underside of her body. The average adult female is 1 1/2 inches with her legs extended. They are usually found in their web, hanging belly up, which will aid in seeing the red hourglass marking. The male black widow will usually have three light streaks on his body and knob-like appendages near the front of his head. The average adult male is only about 1 inch with his legs extended.

Common places to find black widows are under eaves, around trash cans, or in piles of stored materials like boxes, wood, crates, etc. They can also be found in and around outdoor restrooms, water meters, gas meters, and rodent burrows.

The female black widow has a bite that is so dangerous that it can potentially cause serious medical problems, even death. Female black widows are not usually aggressive in nature unless they are accidentally disturbed or if they are guarding an egg sack.

Symptoms of a female’s bite can be very severe including extraordinary pain spreading from the bite into the rest of the body within a few minutes of the bite.  In a couple of hours, symptoms like chills, vomiting, difficult breathing, sweating, confusion, partial paralysis, painful stomach cramps and spasms may begin.  Death from a female black widow bite is reported to happen in 1% or less of all cases, but if you believe you may have been bitten, you should seek immediate medical attention. The most vulnerable are the elderly and the very young.

Tarantulas

Tarantulas are large hairy spiders that range in color from brown to black. When they are fully grown, they can be more than 3 inches long. Females are larger than the males and can live 15 to 20 years. Tarantulas will not only be found in the wild but are also often kept as pets. When in the wild, they spend their nights hunting and their days under rocks or other sheltered areas. At night they can be seen along the road, especially in the country.

Tarantulas do have venom, but their venom is not generally a concern to people. Nevertheless, use caution when handling them because they can quickly become agitated and can pierce the skin with their fangs.

Tarantulas can also use their hind legs for defense by ejecting barbed hairs at whoever is provoking them. While these hairs can be found in the nose of dogs or other animals that have gotten too close to a tarantula, they are not reported to harm humans.

Wolf Spiders

Wolf spiders are nocturnal hunters that can often be found under lights.  They are common in Lawton but pose no danger to humans.

Wolf spiders can be brown to black, they can have stripes running the length of their abdomen, and they can get quite large.  Some wolf spiders create webbing, but only as a daytime shelter. They leave the web at night to hunt.