Kill Brown Recluses And Keep Them Out For Good With A Powerful Solution

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Brown recluses (Loxosceles reclusa) love to hide in small, out of the way places like cracks between baseboards and walls, woodpiles, or even in gardening gloves. It's easy to be surprised by them. While you might not even notice their bite when it happens, the injected venom has the potential to make you sick and cause tissue damage. For this reason, you may choose to ignore the usual advice of not killing spiders in your home and get rid of brown recluses. You can keep them out for good with a powerful solution that's easy to apply: deltamethrin. 

Deltamethrin is a powder substance that has been sold as an insecticide since 1978. It doesn't just kill brown recluses, but most other small insects, too. Exposure to typical use amounts won't kill mammals or birds, but always use caution when using insecticides in a home with small children or pets, as it can cause skin irritation in humans and drooling, muscle tremors, and vomiting in pets. That said, it's not known to cause cancer. Deltamethrin kills insects if they contact it, including eating, inhaling, or walking through it. Once contact has been made, the substance attacks their nervous systems and they die. It's a great choice for killing brown recluse spiders because it also kills their typical prey, like moths, flies, and crickets, too. With less to eat, plus killing spiders, it's kind of a 2-in-1 solution.

Like other overlooked solutions for getting rid of brown recluse spiders, using deltamethrin in and around your home is straightforward. First, identify the areas that need to be treated. If you've recently spotted a brown recluse in a particular spot, like near your plant potting station or under your kitchen sink, start there. Because brown recluse spider webs look different, you'll also be able to identify their resting places as areas that need treatment. To make things easier, you can use a HARRIS Powder Duster to really get the dust into hard to reach spots. While you can always sprinkle some on the ground or dust it along the baseboards or window sills, brown recluses can get into some really small spaces. This tool will be able to reach places you can't get to otherwise, like tiny gaps and cracks. 

There are many different brand names of this pesticide, such as Tempo 1% Dust Insecticide or DeltaDust Insecticide 1 lb. When shopping, just be sure to check for deltamethrin in the ingredients list, so the powder you buy works as intended. Read the instructions carefully, as each brand might have different safety and usage suggestions.