Babies on Back: Identifying the Wolf Spider

Wolf spider on white background

Imagine this: you’re walking to the kitchen to get a late-night snack when you find a spider in the middle of the floor. It’s not one of those benign Daddy Long Legs – it’s big and dark and roughly the length of a Twinkie. Your brain goes into autopilot, and you run to grab your nearest and heaviest shoe. It’s worked for other bugs, hasn’t it? That’s what you keep telling yourself as you approach the spider and slam your boot over it. That should be the end, but you’re suddenly horrified to find a rippling wave of tiny spiders rushing out from underneath your shoe. There are hundreds of them, all moving frantically in different directions and gradually taking over your kitchen.

Yes, this is a horror story just in time for Halloween. It’s also a very real possibility if you cross paths with a wolf spider and react without thinking. If you take a moment to stop and look over the bug that has invaded your home, you can avoid casting yourself in a one-person scary movie. Inman-Murphy can help residents of the Memphis metro area make sure the only creepy spiders in their home are Halloween decorations.

Identifying the Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders are often mistaken for other, more dangerous spiders, mainly the black widow and brown recluse. They all have two body parts (the cephalothorax and abdomen) and large, fang-like chelicerae. What separates them in many cases is the size – brown recluses are about the size of a quarter, while wolf spiders can be three, sometimes even four inches depending on the region they’re found in. Wolf spiders are also one of the only members of its species that don’t live on a web. Instead, they run to catch their prey with a staggering gait of two feet a second. That’s how they manage to catch and eat larger insects and other, smaller spiders.

The most distinctive quality of the wolf spider, though, would have to be how the female carries her young. There is no web to store her eggs, so instead, she moves about the environment with her egg sac on her abdomen. Once they hatch the babies stay in their makeshift carriage, so at nearly any point in time the mother wolf spider has hundreds of spiderlings hanging on her wherever she goes. So if some unsuspecting passer-by gets a fright and disturbs or tries to squish the mother, the babies will scatter in all directions. Not a fun sight for anyone, so what can you do to keep from ending up in that person’s unfortunate, spider-covered shoes?

DIY Spider Control Strategies

Spiders are inevitable living around Tennessee, but there are things you can do to control the access these eight-legged nuisances have to your home. Some of these tips are things that are good to do anyway, like sweeping and vacuuming on a regular basis and keeping closets and other undisturbed places free of clutter. Because all spiders – wolf spiders included – like little nooks where they can sit and wait for their next meal. In that same vein, we also advise moving any firewood or other piles of debris away from the exterior of your house, as well as trimming low-hanging branches or anything else that a spider can use as direct access to your home.

These are all easy precautions to take, but if you do all that and still find yourself running a “Mommy and Me” for wolf spiders and their many, many children, Inman-Murphy can help!

Spider Control with Inman-Murphy

Halloween is a great time to go out and get scared, but when you get home you want a place you can consider safe and free of any giant spiders. Home remedies can be useful in spider prevention, but there comes a time when you need professional help. Inman-Murphy has expertise in long-term spider control. A happy ending for your no-longer horror movie. To get a free quote, contact us today!

Avoiding Deer Ticks & Lyme Disease

A deer tick found in Mid-South TN - Inman-Murphy Termite & Pest Control

Have you ever found a tick on your leg attempting to latch itself on? This is one of the most unsettling pest experiences you can have around Mid-South TN, but itโ€™s even worse to find out that some ticks in our area are capable of transmitting the bacteria that causes Lyme disease to humans. Like some of the many other diseases that ticks can carry, Lyme disease comes with serious consequences, so itโ€™s important to be able to protect yourself, your family, and your pets from tick bites. Read on for tick prevention advice from our team at Inman-Murphy Termite & Pest Control.

How Do People Get Lyme Disease?

Most cases of Lyme disease start with a bite from a deer tick nymph. Deer ticks are known to carry and spread Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, through their bites. Because of both their tiny, 2 mm-long stature and their anesthetic saliva, deer tick nymphs are experts at sneakily biting hosts without ever being detected.

If you end up contracting Lyme disease from a deer tick bite, the first symptoms you will notice are fever, rashes, headaches, exhaustion, and pain in your joints and muscles. However, if left untreated, you will eventually start dealing with nerve damage and arthritis. You should call a local medical professional right away if youโ€™re experiencing any of these symptoms and believe them to be related to a recent tick bite.

Best Ways to Avoid Ticks in Mid-South TN

Itโ€™s important to learn how to keep out of ticksโ€™ way to prevent bites and the potential consequences that could follow. Ticks in our area like to hide out in humid and densely vegetated areas, so we have to be cautious when spending time outside, especially with our pets and children. Here are some tips for avoiding ticks:

  • When spending time outside, wear long pants and socks to limit skin exposure
  • Keep your kids and pets on the trail when hiking or walking in areas with dense vegetation
  • Always check your body for ticks before coming back inside
  • If you do find a tick, donโ€™t grab it with your fingers. Use tweezers to pinch it close to its head and the surface of the skin, then draw it away slowly.

Local Tick Control Professionals

You should not be dealing with ticks on a regular basis. If you, your family members, or your pets are coming back inside with ticks on their bodies routinely, you might have a tick problem on your property. In this case, itโ€™s important to reach out to your local tick exterminators for help to protect yourself from dangerous bites. Our technicians at Inman-Murphy Termite and Pest Control are trained to set up barrier spray treatments to keep ticks away for months. Contact us today to learn more about our tick control services and receive a free quote!

A Healthy Pest-Free Environment for Your Business

Rat in a commercial kitchen in the Memphis Metro Area - Inman-Murphy, Inc.

As a business owner or manager, you know more than anyone the importance and difficulties of maintaining a clean, pristine commercial space. Customers donโ€™t think twice about their expectations of a sanitized and organized place to walk into, no matter what industry your business is in. For many types of businesses, especially those dealing with food or storage, it can be quite difficult to monitor your property and defend your customers and staff from pests with no hiccups. Thatโ€™s where our team at Inman-Murphy, Inc. comes in. We are here to offer our commercial pest control services and teach you how to prevent pests in your business in the Memphis Metro area on your own. Read on to learn!

Common Business Pests in Millington TN

In our 25 years of serving the Memphis Metro area, weโ€™ve noticed patterns in the types of pests that businesses commonly face. In order to get rid of these pests, you have to be aware of the conditions that attract them and work diligently to maintain a preventative business space. Here the most common pests that infest commercial spaces, some of which you might already be dealing with:

  • Rodents: Rats and mice capitalize on food waste and hiding spots afforded by storage spaces to sustain themselves in restaurants, grocery stores, and warehouses. Itโ€™s important to clean up spills promptly and store food properly to keep them away.
  • Spiders: Spiders take advantage of the arid corners of larger business spaces that donโ€™t see much traffic from anything besides insects. Itโ€™s important to declutter and clean often, paying attention to places that customers donโ€™t see, too.
  • Roaches: Roaches are often found in the dark and damp places, such as under sinks or cabinets, taking advantage of plumbing leaks for a source of moisture. Routinely monitoring your property for leaks will help you to avoid cockroach infestations.

How Commercial Exterminators Can Help

Having worked with plenty of business owners in the area before, we are well aware of how busy your schedules are. If you try to conduct your own pest control, you can end up spreading yourself too thin and end up falling short of the effort it takes to both conduct effective business and keep the people around you safe from the dangers associated with pest infestations.

Professional Pest Control for Businesses

For a guaranteed-effective pest control partnership, reach out to our exterminators at Inman-Murphy, Inc. Our commercial pest control experts have served all kinds of businesses and developed the expertise necessary to conduct exhaustive pest control using responsible products. Get in contact with us today for a free quote or to learn more about what we do!

How to Get Rid of Spiders in Your Home

A daddy longlegs walking on a quartz countrttop

Most spiders are completely harmless, but no one wants them to invade their home. While we like them in our gardens, weโ€™d like to keep them outside where they belong! Unfortunately, spiders are prone to make their way indoors, especially when there’s plenty of prey, warmth, and water to be found inside. The key to getting rid of spiders is to prevent them in the first place.

The experts at Inman-Murphy, Inc. are here with the best tips to not only get rid of spiders but keep them away for good. Read on to learn more!

5 Best Spider Control Tips

1. Keep Your Home Clean and Tidy

There are few things spiders love more than a dirty home. Dust, clutter, and messes encourage spiders to take up residence. This is why you often find spiders in your garage, attic, or basement. You can keep spiders out by limiting their exposure to these messy environments in the first place. This is best done by regularly dusting, vacuuming, and generally reducing the clutter in your home.ย Donโ€™t give spiders any excuse to stay and get comfortable!

2. Remove Spider Webs

While youโ€™re cleaning, remove all spider webs in corners high and low including beneath sofas or other furniture with a duster or vacuum. Watch for spider eggs lurking nearby and get rid of them immediately. Before emptying out your vacuum bag indoors, take it outside and dispose of it carefully to avoid further spreading any spiders or their eggs.

3. Secure the Perimeter of Your Home

Walk around the outside of your home and look for piles of leaves, grass clippings, or woodpiles. Trim large bushes or shrubs to keep them from touching your home or windows. Plants and bushes create great havens for spiders. By making your yard less hospitable to spiders, you can ensure they are less likely to eventually make their way into your home.ย 

4. Seal Up Cracks

As you examine the perimeter of your home, look for cracks near windowsills or doors where spiders could sneak inside. Seal cracks with caulk to keep spiders out in your garden. Not only will this keep spiders from crawling indoorsโ€”but it will also work to prevent other insects. Because spiders feed on smaller insects, you can reduce their primary food source by keeping all types of insects out of your property.

5. DIY Prevention: Essential Oils & Vinegar

Did you know spiders hate citrus and mint? Rub citrus peels in areas spiders frequent throughout your home, such as windowsills, baseboards, and ceiling corners.ย Another method is filling a spray bottle with water and a few drops of concentrated peppermint essential oils. Spray this around your home to keep spiders out with the added bonus of making your room smell great.

If you donโ€™t have peppermint oil, vinegar does the same trick. White vinegar has a million and one uses around your house. Repelling spiders is just one of them. Fill a spray bottle with water and vinegar and spray the cracks and crevices throughout your home. These DIY methods won’t be effective in getting rid of an active spider infestation but can assist in repelling the pests in the first place.

How to Get Rid of Spiders For Good

These solutions may help with average spider issues, but spider infestations may not be solved by natural home remedies alone. If youโ€™re experiencing high numbers of spiders in your home, you may have a spider infestation. You can trust the professionals at Inman-Murphy to handle your spider problem so you can sleep better at night. Contact us today to get started!