Pest control specialist Randy Bilesky, owner of Go Green Pest Control and Exterminators has seen a 50 per cent increase in calls to his service this season over last.
“People panic … we get the phone call after someone has walked through a spider web,” said Bilesky. “They are sure it’s still in their hair, especially if it is one of the big hobo spiders.” Spider season is usually over by the end of September. But the long, warm summer has these uninvited guests overstaying a barely-there welcome, says Bilesky — and getting bigger in the process, he adds. “Spiders are huge right now, larger than I’ve ever seen before,” said Bilesky, who partly attributes their growth to climate change. “The spiders get a jump on summer by having a warmer spring and in fall the weather stays warmer longer, so they grow larger because there are more insects out there.” ‘Little feet running across the room’ The giant house spider and its relative the hobo spider are common throughout B.C. They are typically brown with a chevron pattern on their abdomen with a leg span that might seem, to some, like it’s a metre wide — but is actually closer to eight centimetres. Prevention before extermination: But Randy Bilesky, owner and specialist exterminator with Go Green Pest Control, is seeing plenty of fear right now. His company has had 39 calls so far this season, compared with 26 last year. And while his first step is to caution his clients on prevention — like filling cracks in ceilings and baseboards, and keeping doors and windows closed — all he hears from the front steps of his petrified clients’ homes is fear. “I usually get the blank look [that says], ‘I prefer something that’s going to kill them now. Or yesterday.'”