Brown recluse spiders have been dormant since October but have starting to make their appearance again in Kansas. They’re drawn to barns, outbuildings, and places with lots of boxes, saddles, or old equipment in storage. K-State entomologist Jeff Whitworth said this time of year he starts getting calls about the spiders.

“Guys go out and start getting stuff out of their storage closets or their sheds or their barns, that they haven’t messed with all winter. You start seeing Brown recluse spiders. They are cannibals, they will eat each other, but they will also eat recently dead insects. So they’re scavengers, so they’re really tough to kill,” said Whitworth.

Whitworth says when spraying residual insecticides, if the spider doesn’t get into it while it’s wet or within 24 hours it’s not going to be effective.

“We normally don’t recommend treating with an insecticide, other than to get rid of a food source. If you spray often enough so that there are no crickets, no other spiders, no ants, no food source, then the brown recluse spider will go away also, so it’s a matter of attrition. It may take a while,” said Whitworth.

To keep them at bay, Whitworth said the number one thing to do is clean out storage closets, sheds, and anywhere that boxes or equipment is stored. Old equipment may have vegetation still attached to it which attracts other insects that are food to the brown recluse spider.