The short version
Orlando, FL has more widow spider species than almost anywhere else in the country, so learning to recognize one matters. Everything else you meet indoors, from house spiders to jumping spiders, is harmless and is eating other pests. Good control means identification, clearing webs and egg sacs, sealing entry gaps, and reducing the insects spiders feed on.
- A one-time spider service in Orlando typically runs $150 to $350, going by published ranges.
- Figure out the species first: a widow or recluse changes the whole plan in Orlando.
- Brown recluses live in a limited range, so confirm you actually have one before paying for recluse treatment in Orlando.
- Web and egg-sac removal does more for an Orlando home than spraying alone.
- Eighty-eight percent of the 50 kitchens inspected by Bertone and colleagues in North Carolina homes in 2012 had spiders present.
Written for Orlando homeowners, renters, landlords, and short term rental operators who are finding webs in the lanai, spiders in the garage, or something dark under the pool equipment. It also helps if you are comparing quotes and cannot tell which one is thorough. If a bite has caused severe cramping, sweating, or worsening pain, that is a medical question and it comes first.
What to look for
The University of Florida IFAS notes that Florida has the southern black widow, the brown widow, the northern black widow, and the red widow. No other state carries that many, and it is why widow work is routine here rather than exceptional. The brown widow in particular has spread throughout the state and takes to human structures readily, building in the underside of patio furniture, mailbox posts, and the frame rails of a screened enclosure. What drives the whole system is prey. Orlando's 92 degree summer highs and heavy summer rainfall keep mosquitoes, midges, and moths in constant supply, and every web builder in the yard benefits. Outdoor lighting concentrates that food against the walls of the house. What you will not find here is a brown recluse. UC Riverside places the breeding range from Nebraska south to Texas and east only as far as southernmost Ohio and north-central Georgia, which leaves Florida outside it entirely.
- 1Tangled, sticky webbing in the corners and lower rails of a screened pool enclosure.
- 2Spiky, textured egg sacs that look like tiny sea urchins, which point to brown widows.
- 3Smooth papery egg sacs suspended in a strong irregular web near ground level.
- 4Webs rebuilt in the same lanai corner within a day of being swept down.
- 5Insect parts and dark specks collecting on the sill below a persistent web.
- 6Clouds of midges and moths at exterior fixtures after a summer rain.
- 7Small silk retreats where wall meets ceiling in a garage or utility room.
Why it’s worth acting soon
- Widow webs on furniture undersides and enclosure rails sit exactly where hands go.
- One brown widow egg sac left in place seeds dozens more spiders across the lanai.
- Webbing traps pollen and grime and stains screen frames and painted block.
- The mosquito and midge problem feeding the spiders keeps building through the wet season.
- A short term rental with visible webbing collects the kind of review nobody wants.
Treatment options and typical costs
Inspection and Species Identification
$75–$200
The inspection maps where webs sit, which cracks lead inside, and what is feeding the spiders around your Orlando home. Everything that follows is built on that map.
- Time
- 45–90 minutes
- Best for
- Every job; the species decides how much to do
Exterior Perimeter Treatment and Void Dusting
$150–$350
Sprays alone do a mediocre job on spiders, which is why Orlando pros pair them with dusting. A light dust goes into weep holes, voids and behind fixtures.
- Time
- 45–120 minutes
- Best for
- Heavy exterior activity, widows or recluses confirmed
Monitoring and Follow-Up
$50–$150 per visit
For homes in Orlando where a brown recluse was confirmed, monitoring runs longer, because that species hides deep in stored items and emerges slowly.
- Time
- 20–45 minutes
- Best for
- Confirming results; recluse or widow properties
Sealing Gaps, Lighting and Prey Reduction
$150–$450
Expect a quote based on the work involved rather than a flat fee. An Orlando pro should walk you through which gaps matter and which do not.
- Time
- 1–4 hours
- Best for
- Long-term reduction; homes near woods, water or fields
Prices are typical published ranges. Ask what’s included before you compare quotes.
Mesh and sealant around a pipe entry close off a gap spiders would otherwise use.Which spiders will you actually see around an Orlando home?
The brown widow is the one people meet most often and recognize least. It is mottled tan to grey with a faint orange hourglass underneath, and it looks unremarkable until you spot the egg sac, which is spiky rather than smooth. It builds under patio chairs, in mailbox posts, along enclosure rails, and inside anything stored on a slab. The southern black widow is the classic one: glossy black, bright red hourglass, and a strong irregular web low to the ground in a shed, under a deck, or behind stacked pots. UF IFAS also documents the northern black widow and the red widow in Florida, though those are far less likely around a suburban yard. Everything else is a bystander. House spiders build small tangled webs in garage corners, jumping spiders patrol sunny walls without any web at all, and large golden silk orb weavers strand impressive webs between trees. All of them are removing insects from your yard for free, which in a 52 inch rainfall climate is not a small contribution.
Local spiders conditions in Orlando.
Orlando sits in a humid subtropical climate, and that sets the pace for spider activity here: late summer through fall (August-October). In Orlando, the area is mostly urban, so spiders pressure can differ from one block to the next depending on how tight the entry points are and how much food, water, or shelter is close by. An inspection in Orlando usually starts outside and works inward, checking the foundation, gaps around doors and windows, and any moisture or clutter near the structure first. Knowing Orlando's seasonal timing lets you schedule treatment before the busy stretch rather than after it, which usually means faster service and a more accurate quote. A provider who works Orlando and Florida every day can point out the specific conditions that matter most here, and getting the scope, price, and follow-up terms in writing makes it easier to compare options.
Crawl spaces and their vents are worth a look with a flashlight, especially if a widow has turned up outside.What does the spider year look like in Central Florida?
Orlando has no dead season, only slower stretches. January and February run cooler, with lows near 50 degrees, and web building slows outdoors while continuing in garages and enclosures. This is the practical window for screen repair and sealing, ahead of the build up. March through May is expansion. UF IFAS notes that the southern black widow typically mates during spring and summer, and egg sacs from the previous year open as temperatures climb. Webs multiply on furniture and enclosure frames faster than most people notice. June through September is the wet, hot peak. Heavy rain and 92 degree highs keep mosquitoes and midges cycling, and every web builder eats well. Penn State reports that the majority of widow bites occur in the summer months, which fits a season of yard work, shed cleanouts, and moving pool equipment. October through December stays productive but calmer. Populations thin, though brown widows persist through the mild winter in sheltered spots.
Why screened enclosures change the whole problem.
A screened pool cage is the most spider friendly structure on a Florida property, and it is worth understanding why before you pay anyone to spray one. The aluminum frame is hollow and full of joints, channels, and screw bosses, and each of those is a ready made retreat that stays dry in a downpour. The screen itself blocks wind and rain but not the small insects that come through torn corners or in through the door with you. Add lighting inside or nearby and you have created a nightly insect trap with a roof over it. Web builders find that within days. The fix is mostly mechanical. Sweep the corners and lower rails on a schedule, patch tears while they are small, check the door sweep, and keep lighting warm rather than bright white. If a company proposes treating the cage, ask specifically whether product goes into frame channels and corner joints, or just across the screen, because only one of those makes a difference.
Renters, landlords, and vacation properties.
Spiders rarely qualify as a habitability issue, so responsibility usually splits along a practical line: tenants clear webs inside the unit, owners handle structure. Torn screens, a garage door with a gap under it, a broken exterior fixture, an unscreened soffit vent, and standing water from a clogged gutter are all owner items, and they matter more than any single treatment. Orlando adds a wrinkle most cities do not have. A large share of housing here is seasonal or short term rental, and a property that sits closed for six weeks in the off season is undisturbed in exactly the way a widow prefers. Furniture stays stacked, the enclosure goes unswept, and nobody opens the pool equipment cabinet. If you rent long term, put requests with the room, the date, and a description of what you found.
How do you compare two spider quotes?
Set the price aside for a moment and read what each quote says it found. First, does it name species and locations? A quote that lists only spiders was written without a real inspection and cannot predict what returns in July. Second, does it point at a cause? Useful estimates name something specific: brown widow sacs under the patio set, webbing throughout the cage frame, a floodlight on the rear wall, a gutter holding water. Weak ones name a chemical and a visit frequency. Third, does it separate one time work from recurring work? Web and egg sac removal, void treatment, screen repair, and mosquito reduction are different jobs with different lifespans, and companies bundle them very differently. Compare what a full year costs, not one visit. Fourth, is the Florida license number on the quote, and does it say what happens if webs return between visits? Those two answers sort companies faster than the total does.
What affects the price
- Whether a screened pool enclosure is included, since that is a large surface with many joints.
- How much webbing has built up, because removal is labor rather than product.
- Two story eaves and soffits that need ladder work to reach safely.
- Whether widows are confirmed, which shifts the plan toward targeted void treatment.
- One time service versus a recurring plan through a long humid season.
- Whether mosquito and fly reduction is bundled in or quoted separately.
- Property type, since a rental turnover schedule changes how often visits are needed.
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What's your biggest concern about spiders?
When to call for help
Bring in a licensed company when you are finding widow webs in more than one location, when spiky egg sacs keep reappearing on furniture and enclosure rails, or when webbing returns within days of a thorough clearing. Screened enclosures in Orlando are the common trigger, because they give spiders shelter, a steady insect supply, and hundreds of frame joints to hide in. also if identification is the real problem. Knowing whether you have a brown widow or a common house spider changes the urgency, the plan, and what you should be paying for.
What you can do yourself
A lot of this is homeowner work and always will be. A vacuum with an extension wand strips webs and egg sacs faster and more completely than any spray, screen patch kits are cheap, and swapping a bright exterior bulb for a warmer one cuts the insect traffic that feeds the whole yard. Emptying saucers and buckets that hold rainwater reduces mosquitoes, which reduces spiders. What you are buying from a professional is identification and reach. Someone who works with widows daily reads an egg sac at a glance and can treat enclosure channels, soffit voids, and block cores that a retail bottle cannot touch. Once widows are established around a structure, or when webs are back before the week ends, an Orlando household usually stops coming out ahead doing it alone.
Spiders in Orlando
Orlando sits at 82 feet of elevation in a humid subtropical zone, with summer highs near 92 degrees, humidity averaging 74 percent, and about 52 inches of rain concentrated in the warm months. That produces insect prey almost continuously, which is the real driver behind local spider numbers. Housing here leans heavily on concrete block construction, attached garages, and screened enclosures, and all three give spiders sheltered anchor points that a wood frame house in a colder state does not offer. The city was founded in 1875 but most of its housing stock is far newer, built out alongside the theme park economy, and the tourism industry also means a large stock of vacation rentals and seasonal homes that sit empty for stretches. Undisturbed weeks are exactly what a widow population needs.
Local research
Spiders in Orlando, FL: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which spiders actually live in Florida, when they are busiest around Orlando, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Widow species in Florida
Florida has more widow species than any other state, so widow control is a routine service item.
UF/IFAS Extension (EDIS)Spider species recorded in Florida
- Southern black widow (Latrodectus mactans) — 'Found in the southeastern region and has been found as far north as Ohio and as far west as Texas' (UF/IFAS); confirmed in Pennsylvania (Penn State) and one of two dangerous sp…
- Northern black widow (Latrodectus variolus) — Penn State: 'It is probable that the northern black widow, L. variolus, is also present' in Pennsylvania; UF/IFAS lists it among Florida's four widow species. Hourglass often sp…
- Brown widow (Latrodectus geometricus) — 'Introduced into Florida and is now found throughout the state', spread into South Carolina; spiky egg sac 'much like the seed of a sandspur'; venom reported 'as toxic as the bl…
When spiders are busiest around Orlando
'The Southern black widow typically mates during the spring and summer' (UF/IFAS); the brown widow is 'found throughout the state' and active year-round in the warm climate.
'FDACS regulates and licenses the pest control industry under the authority of the Structural Pest Control Act, Chapter 482, Florida Statutes.'
Rules that apply in Florida
For context, nationally
- Throughout North America, but are most common in the southern and western United States — Black widow distribution. CDC/NIOSH
- In the midwestern and southern United States — Brown recluse distribution. CDC/NIOSH
Sources: EENY 560: Southern Black Widow, Latrodectus mactans; CDC/NIOSH; Southern Black Widow Spider; Brown Widow Spider (HGIC factsheet). Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Simple ways to keep spiders away
- Sweep the corners and lower rails of the screened enclosure every couple of weeks.
- Turn over patio furniture before the season starts and check the undersides for egg sacs.
- Wear gloves when moving pots, pool equipment, and anything stored on a slab.
- Switch exterior fixtures to warm or amber bulbs so fewer insects gather at the wall.
- Repair screen tears and door sweeps promptly, since a small gap is an open door.
- Empty saucers, buckets, and toys that hold rainwater to cut the mosquito supply.
- Keep storage off the garage floor and away from walls so you can see behind it.
- Trim shrubs back from the wall so webs have nothing to anchor between.
- Shake out shoes and gloves that have been left in the lanai or garage.
Spiders found in a bathtub or vanity usually wandered in from a gap behind the plumbing, not up the drain.Did you know?
Wolf spider mothers carry hundreds of spiderlings on their backs
Spiderlings travel miles by ballooning on silk threads
Questions people ask
How many widow spiders live in Florida?
Four. The University of Florida IFAS lists the southern black widow, the brown widow, the northern black widow, and the red widow as present in the state, which is more widow species than any other state carries. In an Orlando yard the brown widow is the one you are most likely to meet, since it has spread throughout Florida and takes readily to porches, furniture, and enclosures.
Are there brown recluse spiders in Orlando?
No established population. UC Riverside describes the brown recluse breeding range as running from Nebraska south to Texas and eastward only as far as southernmost Ohio and north-central Georgia, which stops short of Florida. A plain brown spider in an Orlando garage is far more likely to be a house spider or a sac spider, and a slow healing sore deserves a clinician rather than an assumption.
How do I recognize a brown widow egg sac?
By its texture. Brown widow egg sacs are covered in small pointed projections and look almost spiky, while other widows produce a smooth, papery sac. Since the spider itself is a mottled tan and easy to dismiss, the sac is often the clearest sign you have one. Finding several on the same patio furniture means a resident population rather than a visitor.
When is spider season here?
It barely stops. With winter lows around 50 degrees and 52 inches of annual rain, prey stays available nearly year round, and the brown widow in particular remains active through the mild months. UF IFAS notes that the southern black widow typically mates during spring and summer, and Penn State reports that most widow bites occur in the summer months, matching the season of yard and shed work.
Why is my screened pool enclosure full of webs?
Because it is close to a perfect spider habitat. The frame gives hundreds of sheltered joints to anchor a web, the screen keeps out wind and rain but not small insects, and lighting draws prey straight into the space. Regular sweeping of corners and rails does more than spraying, and repairing screen tears keeps the insect supply down.
Do pest control companies in Florida need a license?
Yes. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulates and licenses the pest control industry under the Structural Pest Control Act, Chapter 482 of the Florida Statutes. Ask for the company license and the name of the applicator who will be on site, and look the license up before work starts. A pro who dodges the question has given you an answer.
Should I remove every spider I see?
No. A jumping spider on the window frame and a house spider in the garage corner are eating flies, mosquitoes, and other spiders at no charge. Concentrate on webs where people reach, on anything with a widow in it, and on egg sacs. A yard with no spiders usually means a yard with a mosquito problem waiting to be noticed.
Does one spray treatment fix it?
Rarely, and not for long. Spiders sit in webs and voids rather than walking across treated siding, so blanket spraying misses most of them. Physical removal of webs and egg sacs, targeted product in the cracks and voids where spiders shelter, and cutting the insect supply is what holds. Ask a pro to explain where product is going and why.
Nearby cities
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Sources (17)
The facts in this article come from the public sources listed above. Every home is different, so ask the company you talk to about pricing and what’s included. Published by Spider Exterminator · Updated September 11, 2026 · How we write these guides