A Tucson Man Lit His Home On Fire By Using A Propane Blow Torch To Exterminate Problem Spiders
Generally, encountering a few odd spiders within a home on occasion does not warrant a call to a pest control professional. Many pest control professionals and entomologists are in the habit of telling people that indoor spiders are beneficial due to their habit of preying upon insect pests that could be a nuisance or a destructive presence within a home. Of course, such words do little to quell the fears of those suffering from arachnophobia, but as it happens, several spider species that are sometimes found within Arizona homes are potentially dangerous to humans. Some examples include the western black widow, the Arizona recluse, and the desert recluse.
The western black widow inflicts bites that can cause systemic symptoms, such as nausea, fever, hypertension and chills, while both the Arizona and the desert recluse species are now well documented as inflicting bites wounds that becoming necrotic, which is what the more well known brown recluse species is known for causing. In addition to causing tissue necrosis around bite wounds, the desert recluse is usually found near and inside of homes in residential areas. Perhaps one of the above named spiders was to blame for an incident that saw a Tucson resident burn his parent’s mobile home down to the ground.
During the fall of 2018, when tarantulas are frequently found within and near Arizona homes due to their seasonal mating migrations, a man became impatient with several spiders that had been infesting the mobile home he was looking after for his parents. In an effort to kill the problem spiders that had been entering the home from the foundation, the man used a blowtorch to spray fire beneath the trailer. Unsurprisingly, a fire resulted and quickly grew out of control, requiring a team of 23 firefighters to extinguish the blaze. The man claimed that the spiders he was trying to kill were, in fact, black widows.
Have you ever found a tarantula in your home?
