Brown Recluse:
Most of the spiders you find are easy to identify. Tarantulas are very large and everyone has seen them on a movie or pictures. Black widows are easy to identify because the female black widow has a red hourglass on her belly, but what about the infamous Brown Recluse? Although, California has no documented cases of Brown Recluses of the type you typically hear about from the Mid-West and other regions but we here in the desert have our own Desert Recluse. The Desert Recluse, which are commonly seen in dark, rarely disturbed areas. Ie: In boxes, under rocks, trashcans, plywood, rubber tires, etc. There is a documented case in Yucca Valley of 12 Desert Recluse Spiders collected under a doghouse. Typically, if you have 1 spider you probably have several. Sometimes, you will notice that it is actually their skeletal remains. The Desert Recluse sheds its body and leaves just a skeleton behind, you might think the spider is dead but indeed it is probably still around in it’s new skin. The Desert Recluse can live 2-4 years.
Camel or Iraqi Spider::
Actually, there are no Iraqi Spiders here in our desert unless they hitched a ride with our brave military personnel. But, we have our own special brand of Wind Scorpions, aka Sun Spider. They are related to the spider and they really aren’t a scorpion either but they are big, ugly and aggressive (they run like the wind, hence the name) they have very large pinchers and walk only on the last three pair of legs. That is why they seem so aggressive they appear to be running and ready for attack, but they are probably are just running towards your shadow or away and are harmless. They come out in the night and feed on other insects, spiders and other small creatures.
Ants:
It doesn’t matter what season you call it here our Ants love it here too. It can be hot, cold, dry or wet. Ants love our homes. Just leave some food out too long and surprise you can wake up with ants everywhere. We have heard of ants in the dishwasher, microwave and even in your bed! They are attracted to our homes for water and they will sometimes be in your dirty clothes looking for the protein in your sweat. (Yuck!) Our most common ants are The Red Imported Fire Ant and Argentine Ant they typically are outside in the ground and you will probably notice a dirt mound. They are hardy, industrious and fascinating to watch (in Ant Farms, not in your house)
Cockroaches (La Cucaracha):
Well unfortunately The Hi-Desert has made it’s home to some new guests, we don’t like them but they like it here. We are talking about those big, brown or black, ugly cockroaches or like people kindly refer to them as “Water Bugs” It seems they have been more prevalent the last few years as ever before. They are actually American Roaches or Oriental Roaches and they are commonly found outside in your dog’s bowl at night or floating in your pet’s water dish the next day. We do have German Roaches here also which prefer indoor locations and can be found in apartment complexes, restaurants, warehouses, offices or common areas where food is prepared and stored. They can travel from unit to unit through the septic and plumbing lines. The German Roaches can transmit disease-causing organisms such as Hepatitis and coli form bacteria. They can be a source of allergens and a risk for asthma. It is important to keep areas sanitary for the first defense of control.
