How to Treat Your Home for Brown Recluse Spiders

Brown recluse spiders like hiding in cardboard boxes.

Brown recluse spiders primarily inhabit the southern central and Midwestern United States, but can reach as far north as the southern portion of Illinois. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, it is very rare to find these spiders north of this area. Brown recluse spiders tend to infest wooden furniture, framing and cardboard boxes in attics, basements and crawlspaces. It may be difficult to get a brown recluse infestation in your home under control, because the spiders are -- as their name implies -- reclusive. They are most active at night.

Things You'll Need

• Flashlight
• Gloves
• Glue boards
• Dust insecticide containing silica gel or deltamethrin
• Spray insecticide containing cypermethrin, cyfluthrin, bifenthrin, deltamethrin or lambda cyhalothrin

Instructions

1. Investigate. Use a bright flashlight to investigate crevices, wall junctures and corners in your home where you suspect brown recluse spiders may be hiding. Look for shed skins, eggs sacs and actual spiders.

2. Remove clutter. Clear out areas that would make a good hiding place for the spiders. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and protective gloves when moving boxes and furniture to protect yourself from a bite.

3. Lay glue boards around your home to trap the spiders. The sticky cards, which you can purchase at a grocery or hardware store, are effective at capturing large numbers of the spiders at once. Monitor the number of spiders you trap on the glue boards, and adjust the amount you lay as needed.

4. Apply a dust or spray insecticide. According to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, dust insecticides are very effective on cracks such as baseboards and sill plates, as well as under insulation. Use sprays along floor and wall joists.

Tips & Warnings

• You may need to contact an extermination professional to control your brown recluse population.

• People often mistake harmless brown spiders for the brown recluse. Look for a dark, violin-shaped marking on the spider's back.

• Brown recluse spiders bite humans on rare occasions. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, most bites only result in redness and swelling and are no more harmful than a bee sting.

References

• Illinois Department of Public Health: Prevention & Control: Brown Recluse and Black Widow Spiders
• University of Kentucky College of Agriculture: Brown Recluse Spider