CRITTERS ARE COOL

The Black Widow Spider made famous by Mystery Writers because they sometimes kill their partner directly after mating.  It is not clear why they do this but they clearly have their own reasons.  Black Widow Spiders can be found under rocks, hiding in dark area's under porches, pavement stones.  The stories about them greatly exaggerate their agressiveness.  These spiders prefer to be hidden and will not attack unless they feel threatened or are protecting their young.  The strength of their venom depends on a number of factors such as:  age, reproductive cycle, perceived threat.  Their venom is a neurotoxin and reactions to the bites can be dangerous to children and the elderly. 
Black Widow Spiders an often be found in woodpiles and gain entry into a home when firewood is brought in.  Avoid bites by wearing heavy gloves when moving stored items. Spiders often hide in shoes, so check and shake out before wearing.  Use caution when you see their webs around.

Frequently referred to as the Southern Black Widow because of its geographical range. The jet black color, rounded abdomen, and red hour glass marking on abdomen are distinctive marks for this spider. Adult spiders average 1.5 inches long. The female Black Widow Spider is the one usually seen because the female sometimes eats the male after mating and is bigger.

The webs of black widow spiders are normally built close to the ground, under porches, foundations, around garden statues and in basements.

Black widow spider venom contains toxins called neurotoxin (which affects nervous system). Generally, a person’s reaction to a bite depends on the area of the body bitten, a person’s size, depth of bite, sensitivity and venom potency. Opinions range regarding actual effects of the bite from a Black Widow Spider. Reports of mild discomfort, extreme pain, nausea for a couple of days to possible death if medical attention is not sought immediately.

If bitten by a Black Widow Spider place ice wrapped in a washcloth or other suitable covering on the site of the bite for 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off. Repeat this process. Before applying ice at the site of the bite, it should be wiped with alcohol to relieve local swelling and prevent secondary bacterial infection. Seek medical attention if necessary.  Do not attempt to apply home first aid as a sole treatment.

Wolf Spiders are common in the Southeast, we have seen many of these guys scrambling around.  Some are furry and others are smooth as a babies bottom.  They are relatively harmless to humans and would rather run then fight you.   They are capable of defensive bites but only the south american species can do any real damage with necrotic bites and even those have been attributed to other spiders.  These spiders can be found along woodlands, wet coastal areas, suburban gardens and they can be useful in keeping the insect population down.    These guys typically have 8 eyes and are unique caregivers.  They carry the eggs along with them in a silken egg sac globe which attaches to the abdomen.   Immediately after hatching the spiderlings climb up mothers legs right to ther abdomen and they all crowd around there and momma takes them with her while she hunts and works.  Spiderlings disperse through the air (aerially) carried on a soft wind to tree's, limbs, streams, gardens etc.  Which is probably why they are so commonly found. 
  

Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, from the Greek word "λύκος" meaning "wolf". They are robust and agile hunters with good eyesight. They live mostly solitary lives and hunt alone. Some are opportunistic wanderer hunters, pouncing upon prey as they find it or chasing it over short distances. Others lie in wait for passing prey, often from or near the mouth of a burrow.

Wolf spiders resemble Nursery web spiders (family Pisauridae), but they carry their egg sacs by attaching them to their spinnerets (Pisauridae carry their egg sacs with their chelicerae and pedipalps). Wolf spiders have two eyes out of eight that are large and prominent. The eight eyes of the Nursery web spiders are all of approximately equal size.

Spiders can help keep the insect population but if they are in your home United Pest Management has the solution.  We have both traditional and organic solutions for controlling their populations and keeping them outside instead of inside your home or office.

Jumping Spider

Many orb-weavers build a new web each day. Generally, towards evening, the spider will consume the old web, rest for approximately an hour, then spin a new web in the same general location. Thus, the webs of orb-weavers are generally free of the accumulation of detritus common to other species such as black widow spiders.

Most arachnid webs are vertical and the spiders usually hang with their head downward. A few webs, such as those of orb-weaver in the genus Metepiera have the orb hidden within a tangled space of web. Some Metepiera are semi-social and live in communal webs. In Mexico such communal webs have been cut out of trees or bushes and used for living fly paper. ^{[citation needed].  Information furnished here from Wikipedia.}

^{The reduction of spiders and their webs can be done through good housekeeping by
removal of their webs after dusk.  Changing exterior lighting from white to yellow bulbs can 
cut down on their food source because flying insects (a spiders food source) are attracted to
the light.  A professional pest control program can help elminate a spiders food source. Provided by UPM.}

The brown recluse spider or violin spider, Loxosceles reclusa, is a well-known member of the family Sicariidae (formerly placed in a family "Loxoscelidae").

It is usually between 6–20 mm (¼ in and ¼ in), but may grow larger. It is brown and sometimes an almost deep yellow color and usually has markings on the dorsal side of its cephalothorax, with a black line coming from it that looks like a violin with the neck of the violin pointing to the rear of the spider, resulting in the nicknames fiddleback spider, brown fiddler or violin spider.

Since the violin pattern is not diagnostic, and other spiders may have similar marking (i.e. cellar spiders and pirate spiders), for purposes of identification it is far more important to examine the eyes. Differing from most spiders, which have eight eyes, recluse spiders have six eyes arranged in pairs (dyads) with one median pair and two lateral pairs. Only a few other spiders have 3 pairs of eyes arranged this way (e.g., scytodids), and recluses can be distinguished from these as recluse abdomens have no coloration pattern nor do their legs, which also lack spines.