TYLER (KYTX) - A warning for parents - experts are seeing more dangerous spiders in East Texas homes this year, and that means greater risk for bites, especially among kids.
They're the kind of guests you definitely don't want to share your house with - black widows. The mild winter means a higher spider population this year.
"Your problem becomes bigger incrementally," says Alpha Pest Control owner, Dennis Newberry.
Newberry says now black widows and brown recluse spiders are getting away from the heat, and closer to their food source in homes - other bugs.
"They can live on one or two bugs as long as a month at a time," Newberry says.
So their stay isn't short, and it's usually spent in dark, cool places.
"Places they can hide are closets, places that are remote, like behind doors, behind furniture, inside of shoes."
If you see one of these spiders, Newberry says call an exterminator and get rid of cobwebs around windows and doors.
Another thing you can do is make sure firewood is kept far from your home. You don't want it touching your house. That means the spiders can burrow under there and it's more likely that when you bring the wood inside, you're bringing toxic spiders with you.
Tyler doctor Holly Blanco works at the Trinity Clinic in the Broadway Commons. She says while most spider bites have no serious side effects, if you do get bitten, watch the wound closely because it could have been a poison bite from a black widow or brown recluse.
"The thing to do is clean it, and then if you have some pain take some medicine like Tylenol or Motrin; however if you start seeing signs of infection, it being really red, tender to the touch, or having puss draining from it or even a black center, that would be the time they need to go see a doctor," Blanco says.
Knowing what to expect, and what to do, will prepare you best.
Newberry says he's seeing more calls for dangerous spiders than ever before, but fortunately, East Texas doctors aren't reporting a significant increase in bites yet.
Newberry suggests educating your kids about which spiders are dangerous so they will avoid them.
