With its glossy black body and striking red hourglass marking, the black widow stands out from the typical house spider, and that's a good thing, because black widows are the most venomous spiders in North America. If your house is infested with black widows, follow the tips below to get rid of these dangerous spiders before someone gets bitten.

Starve the Black Widows

Like other spiders, black widows go where the food is plentiful. If your house is infested with black widows, it means the spiders are finding plenty of food to survive on and use to multiply.

Stop the black widows by starving them. Get rid of their preferred food sources, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, and other small insects. Free your yard of these insects by trimming and maintaining your plants and grass. Additionally, fix any water leaks, and be sure you aren't overwatering your yard, as water is a major attractant for most insects. Finally, keep pet food indoors when possible. If it must be kept outside, cover it; otherwise, opportunistic insects will show up, giving black widows more food to eat.

Determine Where the Black Widows Are Hiding

Once you've reduced the black widows' food supply, figure out exactly where the black widows are hiding. For most black widows, their large webs will let you know where they are lurking. However, some black widows are very elusive, and it's easiest to find them at night when they're out looking for food.

If you decide to search for black widows at night, use a flashlight bright enough to see your surroundings clearly, and always wear shoes. Otherwise, you might step on one unhappy black widow with your soon-to-be-unhappy bare foot!

Poison the Black Widows

After finding the black widows' hiding spots, go back and thoroughly spray the areas with insecticide. Be sure to spray cracks, holes, and small gaps, all of which are excellent places for black widows to retreat.

Never underestimate the danger of living in a house infested with black widows. Though it's true that black widows will sooner run from people than attack them, the fanged pests will bite when provoked, whether the disturbance was intentional or not.

A black-widow bite can be deadly, so don't risk finding out how your body responds to being bitten by one of these spiders. Follow the above tips, and if the black-widow infestation at your house proves to be too much, call a pest-control technician, such as one at Quality Exterminators Of Georgia Inc, who is better equipped to handle the dangerous spiders.