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OT: Why are the pests flocking to my apartment?

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OutOutDarnBugs

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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Feb 23 2009 0:35:57
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Tonight, while doing a scan of my room for bed bugs, I came across a large (dime sized, I'd say) spider. I tried to take a picture, but it was too blurry and THEN it started to move, so I sprayed it with Steri-Fab (stupid spider, making me use my Steri-Fab on you!) to kill it. And then I bagged it. And now I'm trying to see if I can get it IDed to see if maybe, it too, is biting me (or at least irritating me. In more ways than one).

This, along with finding a baby cockroach running across my floor the other afternoon (I bagged that, too), spider beetle carcasses abound (I stick everything with tape now), and mouse droppings appearing out of nowhere (setting up a trap tonight). What DOESN'T my apartment have?
spideyjg

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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Feb 23 2009 1:06:14
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Odds are very very slight that the spider is biting you. Spiders have no reason to bite humans except as a defense

Much as you may not like them during the BB war they are your allies. They feed on one thing, other insects and one about dime sized is just about the perfect size to hunt BBs.

The only 3 spiders with potential to do harm if they bite are the black widow, brown recluse, and yellow sac spiders.

For ID purpose get pics of the now dead spider showing the top of the abdomen, and especially the size and layout of the eyes.

For example the wolf and Running Crab spiders can look similar on the surface but the running crab has a different mark on the abdomen and does not have 2 large eyes like the wolf but 2 rows of 4.

Jim
OutOutDarnBugs

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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Feb 23 2009 1:26:23
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Woohoo! Thanks, Jim. I knew someone would pipe up about how to help me out with this.

I really don't think they're biting me. I haven't had anything that looks like a "spider bite" (then again, who am I to be able to diagnose my "bites"?). If anything, I do hope they're attacking BBs. ::fingers crossed::

My camera isn't good enough to zoom and get the full effect, unfortunately. I bagged the spider and emailed Lou to see if he (or someone else he knows) could ID it for me. I'm close to the Natural History Museum, so a quick pop over there wouldn't be hard. Then I can at least know what else is rooming with me and the BBs! ::trying to keep positive attitude!::

Thanks for the help, Jim!
BostonPCT

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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Feb 23 2009 8:25:49
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Your local university will usually ID any bug for you at no charge
OutOutDarnBugs

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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Feb 23 2009 11:49:21
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Thanks, everyone. I'm dropping off the spider today or tomorrow at the museum for Lou to take a look at it!
spideyjg

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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Feb 23 2009 12:12:02
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I'm curious what it was and Lou's take on its potential as a BB eater.

Jim
OutOutDarnBugs

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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Feb 23 2009 12:16:38
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Jim, I'll definitely post when I hear back from Lou. This was the 3rd one I found in my place, so I hope they've been munching away on the BBs.
OutOutDarnBugs

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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Feb 26 2009 20:12:43
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So, I took my spider (actually, two... one was an adult male, one was an immature, but not sure if they were the same kind) to Lou this afternoon. I can't, for the life of me, remember what he called it (it was scientific, after all). Apparently it's not native to this area, but they are found in the city. It won't bite me, but it may IN FACT, eat bed bugs. Which I wouldn't mind. Any help I can get...

He was super nice and talked to me for a really long time about my situation with the BB. He gave me advice as to where to look in my apartment for them, and some inexpensive ways of making my own monitors. I even got to see his colony and be there while he fed them. For some reason, seeing them contained to a jar and not in my room wasn't as bad as imagining them somewhere in my walls. Anyway, he's pretty great, and I'm glad I'm only 4 blocks away from the museum! He told me if I found any carpet beetles to bring them by, since he's sending them to k9 handlers to train their dogs NOT to alert to them...
spideyjg

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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Feb 26 2009 23:18:23
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OutOutDarnBugs - 2 hours ago »
So, I took my spider (actually, two... one was an adult male, one was an immature, but not sure if they were the same kind) to Lou this afternoon. I can't, for the life of me, remember what he called it (it was scientific, after all). Apparently it's not native to this area, but they are found in the city. It won't bite me, but it may IN FACT, eat bed bugs. Which I wouldn't mind. Any help I can get......

The name would have been nice but alas. Male spiders can be dwarfed by the females so if you see one double that size it could be a female of the species. Predatory roaming spiders will eat whatever they locate when hungry. They would be an explanation for the random bug corpse you may find. Allies are a good thing. ;)

I think with the word out Lou could get lots of carpet beetles sent to him. :lol:

Jim
losingit

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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Mar 3 2009 14:50:47
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My derm told me you can distinguish a spider bite from a bb bite by the punctures; spiders have two 'fangs' (don't remember what they're called) and so leave two pinprick holes but bbs have one 'fang' (a probiscus?) so you'll only see one hole.

Simple, huh?

As Jim says, spiders don't bite people very often and usually only in self defense (or a fit of arachnoid rage!)