How to Get Rid of Brown Recluse Spiders: An Expert Guide

They may be shy, but brown recluse spiders are anything but friendly! If you've spotted one of these eight-legged intruders in your living space, you need to act fast!

Living with the fear of venomous spiders isn't fun. By following the expert advice in this guide, you'll learn what kills brown recluse spiders effectively and which strategies are proven to help keep your home spider-free.

Identifying a Brown Recluse Spider in Your Home

Before determining how to kill brown recluse spiders, you have to know how to identify them. Luckily, this is a relatively easy job because they are very distinctive-looking spiders. 

Brown recluse spiders typically measure between 1/4 and 3/4 inches and are light to medium brown. The most distinctive characteristic is the violin-shaped marking on their back. It begins as a darker brown "fiddle" pattern behind their eyes and extends down their back, with the neck of the fiddle pointing toward their abdomen.

Unlike many spiders, which have eight eyes, brown recluse spiders have only six eyes, arranged in three pairs. Their legs are long, thin, and covered in fine hairs, but without the thick, spiny appearance of some other spider species. You'll typically find them in dark, undisturbed areas such as basements, attics, closets, and storage boxes. They’re true to their "recluse" name!

Homeowners often confuse brown recluse spiders with common house spiders, wolf spiders, or even small tarantulas. Learning to recognize their unique features is the first step in effective management. If you spot webbing that appears irregular and loosely constructed in corners or between items in storage areas, this could indicate the presence of a brown recluse.

Are Brown Recluse Spiders Dangerous?

The concern about how to get rid of brown recluse spiders stems primarily from how dangerous they can be. While they aren't aggressive and typically only bite when threatened or pressed against the skin, they are venomous spiders.

If you are bitten, you’ll be exposed to a particular venom that is known for destroying human cells and leading to necrosis, or the death of the tissue surrounding the bite area. While a bite may go unnoticed at first, within three to eight hours, the bite site can become red, swollen, and painful. In more severe cases, an open sore called an ulcer may develop, which can take months to heal and potentially leave a scar.

Symptoms of a brown recluse bite include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Nausea
• Joint pain

In rare cases, they can also destroy healthy red blood cells, a condition also known as hemolysis. Children, elderly individuals, and those with compromised immune systems face a greater risk of severe reactions.

How to Kill Brown Recluse Spiders Safely

When searching for what kills brown recluse spiders, don’t overlook Catchmaster®’s spider traps. Specially designed with professional-strength glue, they can be strategically placed throughout your home to capture spiders as they move along their typical travel routes.

Our best-selling spider traps work by using a powerful adhesive to trap spiders as they scurry across the trap. They are flat and can be placed in corners, along baseboards, behind furniture, and near other areas where spiders are likely to travel. For maximum effectiveness, place traps in dark, undisturbed areas where brown recluse spiders typically hide, such as under sinks, in closets, basements, attics, and near storage boxes.

Our Brown Recluse Spider Glue Traps are specially designed with a spider-print to help you trap and identify existing spiders. By checking traps regularly, you can help monitor the extent of the infestation and determine if your control efforts are effective.

Effective Ways to Prevent Brown Recluse Spider Infestations

Start by reducing clutter in your home, especially in storage areas, basements, and attics. Make it a habit to regularly clean and organize these spaces to eliminate potential hiding spots.

You should also seal entry points around your home to prevent spiders from entering. Check for and repair cracks in foundations, gaps around doors and windows, and openings around pipes and wires. Install door sweeps on exterior doors and ensure window screens are intact and properly fitted.

Keeping up-to-date on your yard work is also important. Trim vegetation away from the exterior of your home, remove woodpiles, leaf litter, and debris from around the foundation. You can also create a gravel or rock barrier between your landscaping and house walls to prevent them from coming too close.

Essential oils such as peppermint, tea tree, lavender, and citrus are key when learning how to repel brown recluse spiders. Since they dislike the strong scent, it deters them from approaching your space. Mix 15-20 drops with water in a spray bottle and apply to corners, entryways, and potential hiding spots. 

Control Brown Recluse Spiders with Catchmaster

The best way to kill brown recluse spiders is through a comprehensive approach. Remember these essential points:

• Proper identification is crucial. You need to know what you're dealing with before taking action.
• Since they can cause serious health issues, be sure to remove them quickly.
• Reduce clutter and seal entry points to make your home less attractive to crawling insects and spiders.

Don't let the fear of brown recluse spiders compromise your comfort at home. Catchmaster has everything you need to learn how to kill brown recluse spiders at home!

Trusted by professionals for over 70 years, we offer products that work and all the knowledge you need for efficient pest control. When brown recluse spiders or other household pests move into your space, you need to become a Catchmaster!