- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
- Posted by: Lauren Fordyce
The invasive pest spotlight focuses on emerging or potential invasive pests in California. In this issue, we cover the brown widow spider.
Brown Widow Spider Facts
The brown widow spider became established in Southern California in 2000 and appears to be displacing the black widow in some of its habitats, especially in urban areas. They build their webs in secluded areas around homes and in vegetation. Mature female brown widows are smaller than mature female western black widows. The normal brown widow spider coloration is a mottled mixture of tan, brown, and gray. It has a lengthwise stripe halfway up the back side of the abdomen with two isolated dots in front of it and diagonal stripes on...
- Author: Lynn S. Kimsey
- Posted by: Lauren Fordyce
![Most spiders, like this jumping spider, prefer to hide from people. [Credit: Dustin Hume, Unsplash]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/95486small.jpg)
Arachnophobia: Should You Be Afraid of Spiders?
Fear of spiders, arachnophobia, is a widespread problem in western societies. This fear is not only of spiders but can extend to all land arthropods with more than six legs—the arachnids. It can range from simply avoiding arachnids to panic attacks, high heart rates, and flight behavior. It's not clear if arachnophobia is a learned response or something instinctive. However, it is much commoner in western societies than elsewhere. In other parts of the world, spiders
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
It's that time of year again for UC IPM's semi annual Easter Egg hunt!
Can you guess which insect, spider, or mollusk laid the eggs pictured below? These critters may already be hiding in your home, landscape, or garden! Leave a comment with your guesses. Answers will be posted on Friday, April 15.
Happy Halloween! Here are the answers to our haunted horrors posted earlier in the week. If you encounter these, or other pests, you can find management information and resources on our website.
1. If you're growing pumpkins or squash, you may encounter Fusarium crown and foot rot. These lesions are typically firm and dry and might be considered nature's way of carving jack-o-lanterns.
2. Black widows are notoriously scary, but there are other
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
October is a perfect time to talk about spiders! People decorate for Halloween with scary images of spiders and webs. Many people fear spiders but what you may not know is that they are helpful in our homes and landscapes.
Spiders you might find wandering in your home or hanging out in your garden are beneficial predators, eating pest insects like flies, mosquitoes, and numerous other undesirable bugs in and around landscapes.
Whether you are curious as to what kind of spider you found or you are looking for ways to get rid of them, UC IPM has the information you need in the newly revised free publication, Pest Notes: Spiders. Author...
