All posts in “spiders”

mud dauber wasp not termites

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Mud dauber waspmud dauber wasp

 

 

Mud dauber wasp – Every once in a while we get a call from someone thinking they have termites. The picture is a mud dauber wasp, the female constructs this nest out of dirt. Shen then paralyzes a few spiders and deposits an egg within – providing lunch for her offspring.  Mud daubers don’t generally sting or defend their nest but that isn’t a reason to harass them because they can sting if provoked. You might find them collecting water to help build their nest.

 

Just wait for the baby wasp to hatch out or use a shovel to dislodge the mud nest.

Spiders and fear, what is it all about?

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You know that I’m not a big fan of spiders, maybe the reason I got into the pest control or bug business. Some researchers in the UK explained why we might be hard wired to fear them. “Why do spiders scare us so much?  Just for the record he states in his article that “a few spiders in the UK are poisonous” while in fact he should have said venomous.

 

The real point is how the toxin is delivered. Venom must be delivered through a bite, sting or puncture while a poison could be the entire body or parts of the body.

 

So don’t just pick up a bug if you don’t know what it is. Several bugs look nice but may contain some sneaky parts or secretions that might you sick.

50_Paper Wasp

 

 

 

 

So lets have a little test here – Paper wasp – Poisonous or Venomous?

It isn’t true is it – BIG bugs?

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At any time, it is estimated that there are some 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive.

In the United States, the number of described species is approximately 91,000. The undescribed species of insects in the United States, however, is estimated at some 73,000.

According to Smithsonian Institutions

According to all the reports I have seen or heard it is impossible for insects to grow to extreme sizes due to the lack of oxygen within the environment. That would be my luck, to run into a spider that was over 4 foot. “Giant Megloptera found – Bigger bugs being identified” Make sure you watch both videos, it is wicked scary!
34_Wolf Spider

Photo by PPMA

Black Widow webs

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Spiders have always creeped me out and the Black Widow is the ultimate of the creepy ones. Just the way they hang out in their web, hanging upside down and the stickiness of the web is weird. I know spiders eat a lot of bugs (competition) but they in general just look menacing.

A few facts:

  1. More common in the South and Southwest but can be found almost anyplace.
  2. Venom attacks nervous system, dangerous bite but rarely fatal.
  3. Usually outside at night.

What is digging up my yard?

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Do you have holes in your yard? Have you seen critters or other animals digging in your yard? Many things can cause damage to yards, from animals digging for their food to animals or insects trying to get away from something. You know who to call…

Black Widow webs

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The female Black Widow usually spends time hanging from her web, this web is often times small to medium size irregular in shape. They can also hide in corners or recessed area where there is some protection.

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The web itself is a bit crackly or even somewhat brittle. Just be careful touching it as she may decide to come charging out, she may think you are dinner caught in her web.

Again with the spiders…

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It is bad enough that I really hate spiders but “Scientists find a fish-eating spiders around the world“. (Thanks to Todd for sharing the article). Its actually somewhat cool when you think about it, some spiders make diving bells with air and many live on the water surface just waiting to catch small prey. So why not eat what you can catch?

The bug world is a complex little mini version of ours and inhabited by some unique OK maybe strange critters. I’m sure you have seen pictures of the scary ones but did you ever notice the colorful and intense characteristics of a few of them. How about the art involved in making a web? So don’t just panic the next time you spot one outside ponder for a minute the beauty and don’t stomp it to death – they eat other bugs.  Another critter out for my business….

 

Orb Weaver spider by PPMA

Orb Weaver spider by PPMA

I get this question a lot, how and where do bugs get into bathtubs and sinks?

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Well first off bugs, spiders and other critters with probably the exception of cockroaches don’t come up drains. Most critters don’t care to get wet I think, so it is my opinion that they come in from the attic. That S or P trap is designed to have water in it, if water is in the trap this will stop sewer gases and roaches from coming up. If you have a shower or bathtub that you don’t use often just remember to fill it with water occasionally. I also have recommended the use of 1 tablespoon of mineral oil almost as a cap to reduce evaporation of water in those traps.

So my recommendation is home-sealing, caulk and seal anything that goes through the ceiling drywall or wall and this will alleviate anything trying to get in.

OK wouldn’t this scare the #%*^@ out of you?

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“Family finds hundreds of potentially deadly spiders in pack of bananas.”

The arachnids may have been Brazilian wandering spiders, which have venom deadly enough to kill humans, but this has not yet been confirmed.

You know where I stand on spiders, but this would freak me out. This story was from Hednesford, England. I always check bananas when I buy them, but it just goes to show you – check your fruit and vegetables before taking them home.

32_Brown Recluse Spider

Photo provided by PPMA

Here in Arizona we have a relative to the Brown Recluse spider –  Arizona Brown spider. Take care their bite is dangerous, may kill living flesh and cause other debilitating illness.

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