Boy, I wish these guys were an endangered species...
I have had to battle these spiders for ten years in my house. I don't have any bugs (thanks to the spiders) or spiders in the house save for Brown Recluses. In ten years, I can honestly say I have had less than 10 bugs in my home. However, I have killed more Recluses than I can count. When I first started treating the house, I had read that they can't be killed by fogging/fumigating.
I tried my first fogging about six years ago. I put 12 foggers in my home including the attic and garage. Lo and behold, no more spiders until the following year. This may have been due to cutting off their food supply or actually murdering the buggers. This year, I have seen more Brown Recluses in my home than several years combined. The only thing different this year is some major construction in the field next to the neighborhood. Other than that, there is nothing different.
It has gotten so bad that I and my wife were killing on the average one a day. All throughout the house, with no particular locale. They wound up in the bathtub alot and I believe this was due to our redoing the shower wall and the inside is exposed ie. 2x4s and insulation. I went and bought 12 fumigators and 6 foggers. They were both RAID products. For the past few years, I have had good success with them. I fogged last week and usually don't notice dead bugs afterwards. When I was done and airing out the house, I saw one dead recluse but that was it.
Since then, I have seen two large ones and last night, my wife saw two babies crawling on the couch together. I can't figure this one out as I never see them again until the following year and yet here are four more within four days of fogging. Has anyone else had this problem before? It's a nightmare going to bed at night. I check the sheets and I even check the darned toilet before using it. It is starting to get old. I have laid down some glue boards by the bed along the baseboards and behind the couch where the air intake is for the furnace.
I re-fogged the attic again with three fumigators since I had those left tonight. I'm at wits end. I have a very clean home and everything is picked up. I would call a professional but don't know what more they would do except for using something more potent.
outline your beds with tea tree oil. it stinks, but they hate it and wont crawl in your bed. the smell will subside but the oil will still be there. do this every month.
it is too late to bomb them now. you have to bomb them in march when they are nesting and coming out of hibernation. do this next year.
all you can do this year is mitigate them. just use lots of tea tree oil in places you want to keep them out. put a little dish of it in under sink cabinets and that will deter them.
Wow, all I can say is be very very careful. It sounds like you are quite diligent and obviously know how dangerous they can be. Hopefully once that field is built on that may decrease some of them.
I was bitten by what must have been a brown recluse when I went to visit my parents one time. I stayed over and used a trundle bed, it must have been hiding in there. I woke up with a strange sore above my ankle. It didn't really hurt but it looked as if someone had taken acid and gouged out a hole a bit larger than nickel. That venom must be potent stuff. I didn't think much of it but then as the day wore on my ankle started to swell... and swell, then later even bending my knee became almost impossible to do and started to hurt, and a strange numbness kept working its way up my leg. Guess its a stupid guy thing but I kept thinking oh, it will get better, no big deal. Plus we didn't have money to go to a doctor. It finally did get better but by the time my ankle felt like someone had inserted a football under the skin and my upper leg started to hurt, even I was getting a bit worried. You can only "tough out" so much I suppose.
But the though occured to me. What if that thing had bit me near my neck or upper arm and the poison had worked its way to my heart? Do they have an antivenom?
Regardless, please be safe.
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
outline your beds with tea tree oil. it stinks, but they hate it and wont crawl in your bed. the smell will subside but the oil will still be there. do this every month.
it is too late to bomb them now. you have to bomb them in march when they are nesting and coming out of hibernation. do this next year.
all you can do this year is mitigate them. just use lots of tea tree oil in places you want to keep them out. put a little dish of it in under sink cabinets and that will deter them.
They hibernate? So what's the difference between bombing them sleeping or on the run? I didn't know they could handle the extreme colds of Oklahoma attics in the winter time and just died off.
Don't forget to treat the outside of your house, too. Stops them before they even get inside. Also, the daddy long leg will eat brown recluses. Maybe you should release a few into your house. At least you know DLL is harmless.
quote:
Originally posted by NellieBly
Don't forget to treat the outside of your house, too. Stops them before they even get inside. Also, the daddy long leg will eat brown recluses. Maybe you should release a few into your house. At least you know DLL is harmless.
Anything I can get for the outside that works that I dont have to go through a Pest Control for?
"Anything I can get for the outside that works that I dont have to go through a Pest Control for?" - rowdy
Take a pickle jar down to Woodward park: pretty sure you'll find a scad of DLL's somewhere -
turn over a few rocks, check the corners in the restroom.
Hope this helps, jdb
sticky traps (and lots of them) and the newer pyrethroids (cyfluthrin, cypermethrin) are your only hope... foggers don't really work... reduce clutter...
interestingly, i always loved this study...
http://www.news.ku.edu/2003/03N/NovNews/Nov7/spider.html (//%22http://www.news.ku.edu/2003/03N/NovNews/Nov7/spider.html%22)
the horseapples or hedgeapples from Bois D'Arc trees work as a spider repellent as well, ive been told.
I was having a spider problem when I lived in the panhandle and a few of the locals told me about it. I was hesistant to use pesticides for my health and the health of my cat. Just make sure you replace them every so often. One of them fused to the cement floor of the basement. :)
This bulletin (//%22http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/l-1787.html%22) from Texas A&M Extension might be useful:
quote:
Controlling spiders
• As a precautionary measure, become familiar with what poisonous spiders look like and how they act.
• Because spiders nest in quiet, undisturbed areas, discourage them by cleaning and vacuuming closets, cellars and other such areas frequently.
• Seal buildings with caulk, screening and weather stripping to keep spiders from entering.
• Tape or seal boxes, especially in storage areas infested with brown recluse spiders.
• Where possible, wash off outside areas, particularly under roof eaves, with a water hose.
• Mechanically removing the webbing may be necessary because no chemical treatment to dissolve webs is available.
• When chemical control is needed, use products containing diazinon, chlorpyrifos, propoxur, bendiocarb, synergized pyrethrins, carbaryl, resmethrin, tetramethrin, malathion or mixtures of these insecticides. Always follow label directions and use only products labeled for spider control or for use in areas where spiders are found. Spray or dust outside under roof eaves, window ledges and porch and patio roofs. Inside, spray around windows, door facings and baseboards and in attics basements and storage places. Chemical control may not always be as successful as desired because spiders are mobile and may migrate back into the area. Also, species that sit on the web may not pick up much residual pesticide.
• Because some spiders, such as the brown recluse, can be difficult to control, homeowners may wish to engage a professional pest control operator.
First aid for spider bites
Relieve local swelling and pain by applying an ice pack, ammonia or alcohol directly to the bite area. In case of severe reaction, consult a doctor immediately and, if possible, take along the spider for positive identification. Specific antivenin is available to treat some widow spider bites.
Tips for professionals
• Advanced-generation pyrethroids, such as cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, tralomethrin and bifenthrin, generally work well against spiders.
• Wettable powder formulations generally provide superior residual control on wood, concrete and brick surfaces.
• Residual pyrethroid dusts such as cyfluthrin or deltamethrin provide excellent control in inaccessible void areas.
• Brown recluse infestations are best treated with a combination of sanitation, residual sprays and dusts in appropriate areas.
• Aerosol fogs are generally ineffective for all but exposed stages of spiders, but may provide a useful supplement to residual sprays and dusts.
Personally, I like pyrethrins (//%22http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC34291#Toxicity%22) (Permethrin) for around the house and yard. They're found naturally in the chrysanthemum and are the active ingredient in several commercial bug killers (look for mosquito and ant killers)...They're not very toxic at all to humans. The advanced pyrethroids look slightly more toxic, cyfluthrin (//%22http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC33504#Toxicity%22) is very common (I love to read the labels). But it's still way better than malathion (//%22http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC32924#Toxicity%22), carbaryl (//%22http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC32816#Toxicity%22) (Sevin) and diazinon (//%22http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC35079#Toxicity%22) (you can't even buy diazinon for residential use anymore...nasty).
If you are a hippy, Rowdy, you might just plant
chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium (http://hanakoyomi.img.jugem.jp/20060604_193295.jpg)
Not sure that it'd be as effective as the insecticides, but they're pretty.
quote:
Originally posted by Rowdy
I tried my first fogging about six years ago. I put 12 foggers in my home including the attic and garage.
I went and bought 12 fumigators and 6 foggers. They were both RAID products.
I re-fogged the attic again with three fumigators since I had those left tonight.
WOW. All those foggers and fumigators, that sounds really excessive to me.
I would lay off those and call in professionals and be very carefull if you have any indoor gas appliances with standing pilot lights, such as furnaces, kitchen stoves, or water heaters. The use of that many foggers in a closed-up house combined with burning standing pilots can actually cause a house to explode. Don't laugh; there are several documented cases of houses exploding from over-zealous use of bug foggers and pesticides.
And all the money you are spending on foggers and do-it-youself treatments would probably pay for thorough (and safer) professional extermination.
This (//%22http://www.pestproducts.com/spiderkit.htm#Spider%20Elimination%20Kit%22) is a commercial site, but they seem to know what they are talking about. They use pyrethroids, often wettable powders, microencapsulated, or dusts. The residue hangs around long enough to knock down the population. Looks like you can order this stuff from various places at various prices.
quote:
Originally posted by Steve
quote:
Originally posted by Rowdy
I tried my first fogging about six years ago. I put 12 foggers in my home including the attic and garage.
I went and bought 12 fumigators and 6 foggers. They were both RAID products.
I re-fogged the attic again with three fumigators since I had those left tonight.
WOW. All those foggers and fumigators, that sounds really excessive to me.
I would lay off those and call in professionals and be very carefull if you have any indoor gas appliances with standing pilot lights, such as furnaces, kitchen stoves, or water heaters. The use of that many foggers in a closed-up house combined with burning standing pilots can actually cause a house to explode. Don't laugh; there are several documented cases of houses exploding from over-zealous use of bug foggers and pesticides.
And all the money you are spending on foggers and do-it-youself treatments would probably pay for thorough (and safer) professional extermination.
Sounds excessive until you see Recluses all over your bed, couch and kid's rooms. I always turn off every pilot light in the house.
quote:
Originally posted by Chicken Little
This (//%22http://www.pestproducts.com/spiderkit.htm#Spider%20Elimination%20Kit%22) is a commercial site, but they seem to know what they are talking about. They use pyrethroids, often wettable powders, microencapsulated, or dusts. The residue hangs around long enough to knock down the population. Looks like you can order this stuff from various places at various prices.
Looks like I will order something from this site. I hope it doesn't hurt pets though....
Couldn't order from this site for some reason so went over to doyourownpestcontrol.com and it was cheaper and with free shipping. I ordered DELTA DUST to put in the attic and SUSPEND SC for the spray. Thanks for steering me in the right direction. The total was only 64.00 which included a duster to spread the dust with.
RECLUSES MUST DIE NOW! [}:)]
Doubt it, unless your pet is a fish. Spray-on flea sprays are very similar in ingredients and concentration, and those go right on the dog. Cats are more sensitive (//%22http://www.cathelp-online.com/emergency/permethrin.php%22), but then, you're spraying the house and not the cat.
You might broadcast it up in the attic and around the house, then just hit the cracks and crannies, baseboards within the house. Whatever the instructions allow.
quote:
Originally posted by Rowdy
Couldn't order from this site for some reason so went over to doyourownpestcontrol.com and it was cheaper and with free shipping. I ordered DELTA DUST to put in the attic and SUSPEND SC for the spray. Thanks for steering me in the right direction. The total was only 64.00 which included a duster to spread the dust with.
RECLUSES MUST DIE NOW! [}:)]
There you go. Best of luck. Let us know how it goes.
I have worked at a manufacturing company in Tulsa for many years. In the spring Recluces are always a big issue. I called the Pro's a few years back and they didn't advice spraying for these little guys because it does kill the bugs that feed on the Recluce. We go ahead and spray anyway to keep out the roaches and other intruders. But they adviced putting out sticky traps. It seems to work. I have a lot of facility to cover, but a place them in all the places that I think a Recluse might hide. They are pretty inexpensive. Before I was getting at least one spider bite a year. Since then I have not had any and when I pick up the trap it always has a spider or few in it. Treat your yard as well as your home. Remember they are a Recluse. They don't like activity, so treat in those areas with the traps. A good dusting and spring cleaning help and a good Cat helps too if you can put up with the litter box.
quote:
Originally posted by LeftOCenter
I have worked at a manufacturing company in Tulsa for many years. In the spring Recluces are always a big issue. I called the Pro's a few years back and they didn't advice spraying for these little guys because it does kill the bugs that feed on the Recluce. We go ahead and spray anyway to keep out the roaches and other intruders. But they adviced putting out sticky traps. It seems to work. I have a lot of facility to cover, but a place them in all the places that I think a Recluse might hide. They are pretty inexpensive. Before I was getting at least one spider bite a year. Since then I have not had any and when I pick up the trap it always has a spider or few in it. Treat your yard as well as your home. Remember they are a Recluse. They don't like activity, so treat in those areas with the traps. A good dusting and spring cleaning help and a good Cat helps too if you can put up with the litter box.
Thanks for your input. I don't believe the bugs that eat Recluses are here in my home or they are on vacation because I have had too many Recluses.
I do have glue traps along the baseboards, behind the couch and other places as well and I have yet to find one. Hopefully the fogging helped some and the ones I saw after the fogging were pushed out of their "home". I had doubts about foggers killing Recluses, but I have seen them personally dead in my home after a good bombing. This still doesn't kill the ones that are buried somewhere away from the aerosol.
My Recluse poison should arrive today or tomorrow and my attic will be the Killing Fields for the spiders of evil.
Awesome, I'm interested to know how your spider slaying goes.
Rowdy,
Here's a glue trap calculator, with instructions on where to place them to trap the maximum number of BR's.
http://www.brown-recluse.com/traps.html
Get 'em, boy!
Ah, you are quite the valuable one Chicken Little. I have adjusted a few of my traps accordingly-thanks.
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I received the powder and liquid insecticide. I bought a duster instrument that disperses the powder. It is a simple model that you fill with the killer powder and simply squeeze and the powder disperses in a nice spread radius. I put on a long sleeve shirt, pants, disposable gloves and face mask (no not of the Friday the 13th variety).
I stepped into the attic and started from the far end and worked my way back to the entrance by dusting the entire surface of the attic. This product dispersed well and I only had to use approximately 2-3 cups. After I was done, I was careful about leaving any residue anywhere once I came back down from the attic.
Apparently when you get this stuff in contact with your skin, it will leave a tingling/burning sensation. I can vouch for that![B)] I was extremely sweaty and used my shirt sleeve to wipe my forehead and I guess I had some remnant of the powder on my sleeve because my forehead felt a little like what the MSDS sheets state. I took off the shirt and tossed it in the trash just to be safe.
Now, it was on to the liquid stuff. After mixing this product with water, I found that it has the consistency of Aunt Jemima (she would have been proud). I guess this gives this product a good residual by being resistant to water/rain. I sprayed around parts of the garage and water heater as well as the furnace area. I also sprayed the threshold of my side door going into my backyard from the garage. I took the sprayer in the house to attempt to spray a few baseboards but found that my sprayer needs to be replaced simply due to the fact that the product does not come out fine enough for me.
I have seen Pest Control people spray before and the pesticide comes out where it dampens the sprayed area but not create run-off. I will attempt to spray the interior when I replace the sprayer. Both insecticides left almost ZERO smell whatsoever. This would mean be careful where you spray it because you cannot go by smell. Other than that, I have not seen ONE insect or spider of any kind since the second attack.
The enemy was strong but I believe it is convinced it is going to be a losing battle. The first attack was a nice aerial attack which turned out to be the equivalent of dropping leaflets over their "home" warning that this type of behavior walking around my home would not be tolerated. The powder attack was extremely lethal and I think I almost heard many spiders scream in anguish and fear as their "homes" were being pillaged and "burned".
I believe I can taste victory on my tongue now (or is that the pesticide) after such a brutal battle with 2x4s and insulation serving as the background for such arachnid atrocities. I think I am fine and unscathed by my own weaponry as the only simptoms of pestiside poyzening is a tingline sensashun and bad spelling.
I am worried for you Rowdy.
Don't you realize that they are just regrouping and planning for a sneak attack after you retire for the night?
I would not sleep for a few days if I were you. Make some coffee, get your weapons reloaded and be very afraid.
Excellent report, soldier.
It appears that these little suckers are rampant in South Tulsa. There was not a single house that my parents moved into that didn't have a brown recluse problem at one point or another.
Sounds like they are in their last throes.
All is eerily quiet still. I am starting to relax when going to bed and not find Freddy Krueger of the Arachnid world lurking under my 400 count sheets. I think I may be eeking out joy now.