Spider Control in Clarksville, TN

University of Kentucky Extension, which covers the same spiders found just across the state line, says most spiders found indoors are accidental invaders that came in through doors and other gaps, and that most species do not try to bite. Two in our area have venom that matters to people: the brown recluse and the black widow. Before you pay for anything, figure out which spider you have.

Which spider are you seeing

Spider	What it looks like	Where you find it	Risk
Brown recluse	Even tan to brown, violin mark, six eyes in three pairs	Closets and stored boxes; also basements	Bites are uncommon but can cause a wound that needs care
Black widow	Shiny black female with a red or orange hourglass underneath	Crawl spaces, water meter boxes, woodpiles, sheds	Venomous; bites are uncommon
Wolf spider	Gray or brown with spots or stripes, from pencil-eraser size to about a silver dollar	Running across floors; builds no web	Harmless except to people allergic to the venom
American house spider	Brown and tan, rounded abdomen, about nickel-sized with legs out	Messy cobwebs in corners and windows	Harmless except to allergic people
Cellar spider	Small body on very long, thin legs	Basements, hanging upside down in loose webs	Harmless; it eats other spiders
Yellow sac spider	Pale yellow to green, no violin mark, eight eyes	Silk tubes in shrubs and in wall corners	Can give a painful bite

The descriptions come from University of Kentucky Entomology fact sheets and the Tennessee Poison Center. The wolf spider is the one that sends most people looking for an exterminator, because it is big and fast. UK lists it as one of the most common spiders in Kentucky and says it does not persist indoors. Cellar spiders are worth leaving alone if you can stand the webs, since UK notes they prey on other spiders, including brown recluses.

If you are not sure, a clear photo of the back and the eyes settles most cases.

Brown recluses

This is the spider that drives most spider calls in Middle Tennessee. They hide in dark, undisturbed places like stored boxes and closets, along with crawl spaces and attics. UK Entomology calls them difficult to eradicate and says treatment should be left to professionals. Bites are uncommon, and a person can live in a heavily infested house without ever being bitten. Our brown recluse guide covers identification, what a bite does and when to see a doctor.

A brown recluse service should be built around sticky traps, because traps are the only honest way to tell whether the count is going down. UK recommends placing many flat glue traps before any insecticide goes down, then counting new spiders over time.

Black widows

The Tennessee Poison Center describes the adult female as shiny black with a red or orange hourglass on the underside of the abdomen. Males are smaller and generally considered harmless. They favor dark, enclosed spaces. The Poison Center lists crawl spaces and water meter compartments, along with firewood piles and sheds. Reported bites are uncommon.

The CDC lists pain that can spread to the chest or abdomen, along with muscle cramps and sweating, as symptoms of a widow bite. If someone is bitten, wash the bite, put something cold on it and call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. Call 911 for trouble breathing.

For one or two widows in a woodpile or a meter box, you do not need a professional. Wear gloves and knock down the web and egg sacs. Then vacuum up the spider. Call when they keep turning up in places you cannot safely reach, such as a crawl space.

What a spider service should include

UK's fact sheet on eliminating spiders around homes says routine, thorough cleaning is the most effective way to get rid of spiders and keep them from coming back. A visit worth paying for follows the same logic:

• A flashlight inspection of the crawl space and attic, plus the outside of the house.
• Removing webs and egg sacs by vacuum or brush. UK says each sac can hold hundreds of young spiders.
• Sticky traps along walls and in corners to find hot spots and track results.
• Sealing advice: door sweeps, tight window screens and gaps around pipes and wires.
• Moving firewood and stored items away from the foundation, and cutting back shrubs and limbs that touch the house.
• Switching outdoor entry lights to yellow or sodium vapor bulbs. UK says these attract fewer night-flying insects, which in turn draw fewer spiders.
• Targeted insecticide where it is justified, such as dust in voids for recluses, rather than a blanket spray.

UK says perimeter barrier sprays may need to be repeated every month or two during warm weather. It also says total-release foggers, or bug bombs, are seldom effective against spiders.

Spiders follow their food. Clarksville averages 251 days a year warm enough for insect activity, per our NOAA weather data, so a house that has a lot of insects around the lights and foundation will have spiders too. Fixing the insect side often does more than treating the spiders directly. That can mean sealing and lighting changes, or general pest control.

One-time visit or a contract

My view, by spider:

• Wolf spiders and house spiders: do not buy a contract for these. Seal gaps and vacuum webs, and put out a few sticky traps.
• A few black widows outside: handle them yourself with gloves, or add them to a general pest visit you were already getting.
• Brown recluses showing up repeatedly indoors: a paid inspection with a trap grid and a follow-up visit makes sense. Recluse programs usually take more than one visit because the spiders live in places sprays do not reach.

Be wary of door-to-door sellers in new subdivisions who promise a spider-free house on a year-long agreement. Nobody can promise that for recluses. Ask what the plan includes, how results will be measured and how to cancel. Our guides to one-time vs. quarterly service and pest control costs in Clarksville cover the money side, and you can check a Tennessee charter before anyone starts.

If you rent and recluses are coming out of the walls, read Tennessee renters and pests before paying for treatment yourself.

Getting someone out

We only refer companies chartered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (and licensed by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture for Kentucky addresses). Tell the company which spider you are seeing and where. Ask for a free inspection and a written price before any treatment.