Spiders and scorpions: identification, treatment and cost
Identify common house spiders, the brown recluse and widows, and scorpions, and know which ones are worth worrying about. 13 guides, sourced to extension services and public records.
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Spiders and scorpionsBlack Widow vs False Widow: How to Tell Them Apart
Black widows are glossy with a red hourglass; false widows are purplish brown with no red. How to tell them, and the brown widow, apart, what...
October 18, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsWhere Do Spiders Go in Winter? Why You See More Indoors in Autumn
Most spiders spend winter outdoors as eggs, young or dormant adults under snow. The ones indoors were already living there, and putting them out often kills...
October 18, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsHow Long Do Spiders Live? House Spiders to Tarantulas
Spider lifespans by species, from one-season orb weavers to 35-year tarantulas, plus how long spiders last without food, indoors and through winter.
October 14, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsHobo Spider: Why Its Dangerous Reputation Has Collapsed
The Northwest's feared funnel-web spider turned out to be harmless. What the venom studies found, where hobos live, how to tell them from look-alikes, and what...
October 12, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsOrb Weaver Spiders: The Big Garden Spiders Are Harmless
The big round-web spiders of late summer, from the zigzag yellow garden spider to the Southeast's banana spider: how to tell them apart, and why they...
October 12, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsHow to Get Rid of Spiders in the House (and Why They Come In)
Spiders live in nearly every home. What actually reduces them, why they surge in late summer, and what the only lab test of peppermint, chestnut and...
October 12, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsAre Jumping Spiders Dangerous? The Friendly Spider, Explained
Jumping spiders bite rarely and mildly, eat other pests and need no control. How to identify the bold jumper, and why they sit on sunny windowsills.
October 11, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsAre Daddy Long Legs Poisonous? The Myth, and Three Different Animals
Three animals share the name daddy long legs, and none is dangerous. Why the most-venomous-spider myth is wrong on both the venom and the fangs.
October 11, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsWolf Spiders: Harmless, Webless and Passing Through
They build no web, form no indoor population and are harmless to people. The ones in your house wandered in at ground level looking to overwinter.
September 29, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsIs It a Brown Recluse? Identifying Spiders by the Evidence
Of 581 spiders submitted from California as brown recluses, exactly one was. The established range, the six-eye check, and why the violin marking is the least...
September 18, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsJoro Spiders: What the Research Actually Found
Volunteers bitten under medical supervision reported a median pain score of 1 out of 10. No extension service in any affected state recommends chemical control.
September 14, 2026
Spiders and scorpionsScorpion Control Cost 2026: Why Sealing Beats Spraying
Scorpion treatment costs $125 to $500, monthly service $40 to $75. Sealing at $300 to $2,500 is usually ahead within two to four years.
August 31, 2026