Virginia has two medically significant spider species — the black widow and the brown recluse. Both are present in Newport News. Most other spiders are harmless, but we understand if you don't want any of them in your home.
(703) 804-7049Newport News's humid coastal climate supports a wide variety of spider species. The city's older housing stock, with its mature trees, established gardens, and the inevitable gaps and cracks of aging construction, creates excellent spider habitat in and around residential structures.
Black widows are the most medically significant spider in Virginia. Shiny black with the distinctive red hourglass, they prefer dark undisturbed spaces: garages, crawl spaces, woodpiles, storage boxes, and the undersides of outdoor furniture. Their venom is neurotoxic — causing severe muscle cramps, sweating, and pain that may require medical treatment. Black widows are more common in Newport News than most homeowners realize.
Brown recluses are present in Virginia but less common than in the Deep South. They prefer similar hiding spots — in clothing left on the floor, inside shoes, behind stored boxes, and in rarely-disturbed wall voids. Their bite causes necrotic tissue damage that can take months to fully heal, and bites often go unnoticed at first because they're initially painless.
Wolf spiders, orb weavers, cellar spiders, and yellow sac spiders are all common in Newport News homes. While not medically significant, they're alarming to encounter and their populations can build significantly in homes with high insect prey availability.
Shiny black, round abdomen with red hourglass on underside. Found in garages, crawl spaces, outdoor storage. Venom is 15 times stronger than rattlesnake venom by volume. Bites rarely fatal in healthy adults but require medical attention.
Tan to brown with violin-shaped mark on thorax. Hides in clothing, boxes, furniture. Bite is initially painless — tissue death develops over days. Where you see one, there are typically many more nearby.
Don't attempt to handle or spray them yourself. Call us — we inspect for the full extent of the population and treat harborage areas, not just the visible individuals.
(703) 804-7049We check crawl spaces, garages, storage areas, eaves, and interior corners — specifically looking for black widows and their egg sacs alongside general spider populations.
We remove all accessible webs and apply residual treatments to surfaces spiders travel — baseboards, window frames, corners, and exterior eaves and overhangs.
Spiders follow their food supply. Treating the insect population in and around your home removes the reason spiders are there in the first place.