So the house I'm living in has brown recluse spiders. Since the weather has warmed up I've been finding them at a alarming rate. Then this morning I found a baby in my room which makes me think there was a nest of them . Not only do I despise spiders but brown recluses are about as bad as it gets. So tomorrow I'm going to get some foggers for my room. I'm trying to decided what to do with my bettas. I can't move the tanks so I guess the best option would be to cover them with plastic. Anyone else have any ideas?
OMG brown recluse, aren't they poisonous??? I would pack my bag that second and head for the hills! LOL. Sorry I can't be of any help...
Oh, and I LOVE your avatar!
In the meantime, I would take out the bettas. Put them in whatever small containers you have and take them with you. Once everything's settled down, clean the tanks really well (sterilizing them might actually help!) and then things should be okay.
You should put them in little containers..(if you have any). I recommend the containers that your Bettas came from. Now, I know you can't move the tank (obviously) but you shouldn't leave your Bettas in their. You never know if a spider can slip into the air holes.
Just like GMD said, you should clean the tank inside and out before you place your Bettas in the tank. Good luck, and I hope everything goes well.
Spiders Yuck...I would pack and move also :(...I would be very cautious using any chemical near a tank fish or no fish. I had 2 beautiful 55 gal Cichlid tanks that were poisoned by bug killers. I never knew what happened, water tested fine,cleaned tanks months went by but every fish I added died, finally took a sample to my local trusted fish store. He explained that a mear molicule of bug killer could poison a tank for good. No guarenteed way to get it out of the rocks, gravel ect. Lost thousands of dollars on whole set up due to my pest control guy. Maybe try some food grade diatemacious earth, sprinkle it around baseboards. I found a gal jug of it at my local feed store. $10 it keeps bugs out and off in home and garden.
That's an idea. Instead of fogging, could you use something else? We routinely get ant infestations in our house, and I've discovered that boric acid really works well. You just soak some cotton balls in a boric acid/water mixture and put them where you know ants go. I don't know if there's anything like that for brown recluses, but that might be worth a try.
Thanks everyone. It seems that poisons don't work well anyways unless they come in direct contact with the spider. For recluses who like to live in closets, boxes, etc. that is not often the case. The best bet seems to be sticky traps. Now comes the next problem....how do I keep 3 cats out of them .
@ rosefoo- That is my new boy coming next week from Thailand .
Put them in places your cats can't get to. I don't own cats, and the only cats I've really come in close encounters with are barn cats and they get in EVERYWHERE (it's ridiculous). Or keep your cats out of rooms where you know brown recluses are.
I think you can also spray some water on the cats to teach them to stay away from the traps (aversion conditioning). Hope that helps!
Sure they're Recluses? They usually hide out in damp/dark areas (like bathrooms and basements). The brown recluse only has 6 eyes, where as Pirate and Cellar spiders (which have the similar "violin" pattern to them have 8 eyes. They're small spiders too (between 1/4th - 1 inch long). They like to hide out in paper & stacks of cardboard, so if there are any shoe boxes lying around your place I'd get rid of them. They also build webs, so if you see one crawling around your house, it probably isn't a recluse (those would be scavenger/hunter spiders). I don't think that any kind of poison or chemical would kill it if that chemical is just left out. You either need to physically kill them, or directly spray them with pesticides. Common household bug-spray has little to no effect on these buggars, and the good stuff is outlawed by the federal gov. :/ I'd say just tidy up what is lying around the house and be careful if you come into contact with 'em. They leave nasty bites and can cause necrosis. BAAADDD STUFF (a type of flesh-eating bacteria).
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Fogging for spiders w/bettas...
. Not only do I despise spiders but brown recluses are about as bad as it gets. So tomorrow I'm going to get some foggers for my room. I'm trying to decided what to do with my bettas. I can't move the tanks so I guess the best option would be to cover them with plastic. Anyone else have any ideas?
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