Spiders are common everywhere, but brown recluses are some of the most well-known in Tennessee. Brown recluse spiders have brown bodies with a darker violin-shaped marking on their upper body, known as the cephalothorax, and six eyes in three pairs. While they live up to their name and are generally reclusive, their bites are venomous, making it crucial to protect yourself from them. Fortunately, there are a few ways to do this. The most effective method of repelling brown recluses from your inside space is to sign up for professional treatments. You can also seal cracks and crevices to reduce places for them to enter and remove clutter to avoid providing shelter for them.

What are brown recluse spiders, and what do they look like?

Brown recluse spider in Gallatin, TN, on a wood surface.

Brown recluse spiders are medium-sized arachnids that live up to their name and are known for being reclusive. These spiders are drawn to dark, secluded spots where they can hide during the day, such as attics, inside shoes, under piles of cardboard boxes and furniture, and basements. At night, they emerge to feed on insects.

Brown recluses have eight legs, six eyes arranged in three pairs, and light brown bodies. They also have a distinctive darker marking resembling a violin on their cephalothorax, where the head fuses with the thorax. Because of this, they're also known as the violin or fiddleback spider.

Some insects that brown recluse spiders commonly feed on include cockroaches, mosquitoes, crickets, and sometimes even other spiders.

Are brown recluse spiders venomous?

The main reason brown recluse spiders inside your home or business are a cause for concern is that they're venomous. While they are solitary, generally nonaggressive, and prefer to stay away from people, they will bite if pressure is applied to their bodies, like when you accidentally step on or roll over them in your sleep. Brown recluses cause skin reactions at the site of the bite, with a deep sore and blister forming. However, other, more severe symptoms include fever, nausea, and skin rashes all over the body.

How can you protect yourself from brown recluse spiders?

Worker in Gallatin, TN, applying a brown recluse treatment.

If you want to protect yourself from brown recluse spiders, there are a few ways to do this. The most effective solution for keeping these spiders out of your inside space is to sign up for professional treatments. When you do, pros will inspect your property for indications of brown recluses. Then, they'll apply treatments proven to reduce and repel them from your inside space. They'll also return several times throughout the year to retreat so that you have consistent, overlapping coverage.

In addition to professional treatments, other measures that you can take to protect yourself from brown recluse spiders are sealing any cracks and crevices where they can enter your home or business. Without easy access, they may become discouraged and look elsewhere to hide. You'll also want to remove clutter to reduce areas where they can seek shelter in your inside space.

Call Us to Sign Up for Our Brown Recluse Control Service Today

At Performance Lawns Inc., we offer our brown recluse control service to commercial and residential properties in Gallatin, Hendersonville, Lebanon, and surrounding cities in Tennessee. With this service, our team will inspect your property for signs of these spiders. Then, we'll apply our highly effective treatments inside the walls through electrical switches and plugs. After that, we'll utilize a repellant and place glue boards throughout. We'll visit monthly throughout the year to monitor activity and reapply our treatments to continue repelling brown recluses and ensure no lapse in coverage. Call us today at (615) 708-5549 to sign up for our brown recluse control service!