Spotted a camel spider around the house? These arachnids may not be venomous, but they can leave painful bites. Here’s how to get rid of camel spiders from your home and surroundings.
Camel spiders usually dwell in the desert regions of the world, but you can also find them hiding in gardens around California, Texas, and other southwestern states.
These intimidating spiders can deliver painful bites that cause problems like excessive bleeding, redness, and swelling.
If you live in one of these states, you need to take proper measures to drive these spiders away from your garden. Read the article to know all about it.
How To Identify A Camel Spider
Interesting, camel spiders are not spiders. They are a type of solpugid, a cross between a spider and a scorpion.
One of the main differences between them and spiders is that, unlike real spiders, they do not have venom and silk gland.
Moreover, they use a trachea for breathing which makes their oxygen intake faster and helps them to run fast while hunting.
These insects are usually found in deserts in Middle East Asia, the Southwestern states of the US, and Mexico. They have many names, such as wind scorpions, sun spiders, etc.
Camel spiders are bigger than normal houses spider. They usually grow to about 6-8 inches in length.
They have eight legs, but it might look like they have ten due to two extra leg-like appendages called pedipalps, which are actually sensory organs.
Their tan-colored body helps them merge well with their desert surroundings. This keeps them safe from predators.
Also, if you look at one closely, you will notice tiny hair on their body, which helps to insulate them from the deadly desert heat.
Why Are They Dangerous?
There are many stories and urban legends which portray these spiders as mammoth, deadly creatures.
Some of these myths say that camel spiders can grow up to 2 feet in height, jump up to nearly three feet, and are poisonous enough to kill a large camel.
Another belief is that they are extremely fast, scream while they run, and can lay eggs under camel skin.
Well, the reality is entirely different, these spiders are not venomous at all, and they most certainly can’t kill camels.
They are fast but not extremely fast. A camel spider can run at a speed of 10 miles per hour.
However, they can be considered dangerous due to their ability to deliver painful bites to people.
Camel spiders have massive plier-like jaws that easily break past human skin.
The camel spider bites can cause problems like intense bleeding, swelling, redness, and irritation. Therefore you must be careful around these insects.
If one of them bites you, make sure that you wash the wound with soap and apply an antibiotic ointment to it. Once that is done, cover the wounded region with a bandage to prevent an infection.
How to Get Rid of Sun Spiders?
During mating season, it is not uncommon to see these nocturnal spiders wandering around gardens and yards in states that are naturally dry and arid.
Since these spiders can bite, it is good to get rid of them if you keep noticing them regularly near your house.
Using chemical pesticides in liquid form is not a good idea, as they don’t work well against arachnids.
Spraying them directly on the camel spiders can kill them, but during the breeding season, others will repopulate the place in no time.
Therefore the best way to keep them away from your homes is by keeping them free from pests like insects and lizards who are food for these spiders.
If there is a large number of these spiders in your home, you must call pest control specialists.
If you find only one or two of them inside your home, you can remove them by driving them out.
You will need the following things:
- broom,
- vacuum,
- caulk,
- spider-repellent chemicals,
- sticky traps, and
- draft guards
to effectively remove them from your home.
Here is a step-by-step guide to using these materials to get rid of camel spiders:
Step 1: Finding the Spiders
In order to get rid of the spiders, you must be able to track them and know where they live in your house or neighborhood.
You can use sticky traps to lure them out. Place them in corners and gaps around your furniture.
If they wander around those corners, they will get stuck in the traps, and you can get rid of them easily.
You should also thoroughly clean abandoned rooms, drawers, and closets using a vacuum to make sure that they are not hiding there.
Step 2: Controlling the spiders
Once these spiders are stuck in the sticky traps, you can either kill them or release them in the wild. Keep re-inspecting the same spaces for more of them to appear.
You can kill any moving camel spiders you find on your re-inspection. Use pesticides like pest-control dust and spray in cracks and gaps where these bugs usually appear.
You also need to seal the possible entry points they can use to enter your home using caulk.
Step 3: Keep other pests away
Since they mostly hunt and consume other pests like lizards, scorpions, and small insects, removing them from your home and nearby surrounding will create a food shortage for them.
This will keep them away from your home. Apply insect repellent outside your house for good results.
How To Prevent Them From Coming Inside Homes?
To prevent sun spiders from coming back to your home, you must constantly check the spots where you encountered them first.
Since they usually live in places that are quiet and do not have any disturbances, attics and basements are ideal for them.
Regularly check these spots and keep cleaning them with a vacuum.
Also, these spiders can live in children’s sandboxes, which is why you must be extremely careful when the kids are playing with sand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kills a camel spider?
Liquid-based insecticides can be used to kill camel spiders. You can spray it directly on the spider to get the best results.
Also, camel spiders are prey for toads, big scorpions, and bats. You can also use sticky traps to catch spiders and kill them.
What are camel spiders attracted to?
Camel spiders usually prefer to be in places that are quiet and shady. They search for gaps and crevices in rock to stay away from the desert heat.
They prefer to hunt at night when the temperature goes down a little. At night they get attracted to different light sources.
Can you spray for camel spiders?
You can use liquid-based pesticides to get rid of camel spiders. They will kill them when sprayed directly, but it won’t be very effective during the breeding season.
More camel spiders will quickly repopulate the area in a short time. You can use sticky traps for better results.
What are camel spiders afraid of?
Camel spiders do not like living in places with cold temperatures, which is why they are found dwelling the desert areas.
They are also afraid of the active predators in the desert. Toads, big scorpions, and bats are some of the top predators of camel spiders in the desert.
Wrap Up
Camel spiders are certainly a big threat to the common pests residing in your house, but they are not safe as they can bite you and cause problems.
If you have pets or infants at home, you should drive out these solpugids on priority. While they are not venomous, their bites can be very painful.
Start by finding where these insects live and use products like pesticides and sticky traps to get rid of them.
Thank you for reading the article.
Reader Emails
Camel spiders can be a big menace, especially during their mating season. Over the years, our readers have shared their experiences with finding and driving out these spiders from their gardens and yards.
Do read all about it firsthand, and maybe you can pick up a few tips as well.
Letter 1 – Solpugid: Gassed to Death
spider query I was watching TV when I saw this spider walking across my hardwood floor. From a distance it looked like a small scorpion. It walked with its two large front legs in the air and the other legs in close to it body. Im happy to se it not a recluse but I cannot find anything that exactly resembles this spider. I took these photos after it was dead. I had to spray the it just incase it got away. I have never sen a brown recluse and with two small boys in the house. 
This is a Solpugid, sometimes called a Sun Spider or a Wind Scorpion. It is perfectly harmless as it has no venom. Solpugids are hunting machines, hence they are beneficial predators. Solpugids will quicly dispatch the scorpions you fear, as well as spiders, cockroaches and other crawling things you may not want in your home. Perhaps the next Solpugid you meet will not be gassed to death. Another Carnage Letter that ends on a Positive Note (04/19/2008) I panicked…thanks for the help with identification Dear Lisa Anne and Daniel, Though you may not be entomologists, I appreciate this “pet project” a great deal, and have included it in my favorites list. There’s no site quite like it. I intend to come back anytime my field guide fails me .like tonight when I was sitting on the floor and a solpugid (as it turns out) took me by surprise as it came running down the hall toward me. Though my first reaction is usually to trap and release most insects after I’ve identified them, when in a blur it looks like a scorpion, I swat. I’ve got babies in my house. My first thought tonight when I looked at the carnage (only squashed the back of the abdomen, so the head and legs on one side were pretty intact) was ” but it looks like a 10 legged (what the!!!) spider? with some pretty serious fangs” Next time I won’t kill my solpugid, and save it for the boys to see in the morning before releasing. Other interesting crittiers we’ve found in our family room– The Jerusalem Cricket that slowly crawled down the same tile hallway making a mysterious clicking sound for about 15 min. till we discovered the alien like source. Glad I didn’t accidentally step on that spiky exoskeleton with my bare feet. Definitely have plenty of house centipedes (thanks for that ident. I knew it was a centipede, but it had such long hairy legs). And the bright green and hairy Wolf Spider I came across a few years back was really quite something. Living in relatively the same geographic region, I wonder if you have ever experienced the amazing appearance in fall of a distinctive dark brown (almost black) spider with orange stripes? Appropriately clad for Halloween in October…which is when they made their first appearance, en masse, on our patio (which has a roof). My husband who was irritated that he couldn’t get to the BBQ to make dinner one night announced to them all “so if you are here tomorrow night, I’m getting my torch out (the chef kind-mini one).” They must have listened, as from that night on, they only spun their webs after dinner, and had rolled up/eaten/torn loose their webs by morning. I even attempted to videotape one spinning it’s web one night. I see them appear about the same time every year (never as many as that first year in the house)…I’ve seen one over at the Huntington too. Oh, and our 6 foot tall friend walked up to one that was spinning one night, and the little guy put up his front legs in defense as if to say “bring it on big guy.” Definitely not a timid spider.” That year they would hide out in the creases between ceiling boards/the occasional knot in the wood during the day. Now I only find them in the outlying bushes, rarely under the patio roof anymore. Any idea what title I can attribute to the photos I’m sure to one day find again? Another mom over in Mt. Washington says she has had a similar experience. Amelia Glendale , CA Hi Amelia, Your spiders are probably Araneus Orb Weavers, or perhaps a Neoscona species. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has a spider identification service. Just capture a spider and take it in for identification.
Letter 2 – Sixth Recipient Nasty Reader Award: Unnecessary Carnage Solpugid dies agonizing death
What is THIS bug? July 18, 2009 I killed this bug (sorry, I was afraid!) in my garage tonight and was so creeped out I’ve got the heebie-jeebies! I have no idea what it is, can you please tell me? It has large jaws and is appx 3/4 to one inch long. Creeped out in Colorado Foothills of the Rocky Mts. in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Letter 3 – Solpugid: Dead on the Want Ads
I need help with an identification please… August 11, 2009 Well, my Mom discovered this guy roaming the floor on the bedroom in Santa Fe, NM. It looks vaguely spiderlike, and she’s concerned that it may be something that bites. The abdomen looks like it’s jointed, which I don’t think is spiderlike, but it does seem to have pincers or something along those lines. What has she got here? Who the heck is this guy? Santa Fe, NM
The post How To Get Rid Of Camel Spiders in Three Easy Steps appeared first on What's That Bug?.
No comments:
Post a Comment