Old cardboard boxes can sit untouched for months in a basement, garage, closet, or storage room. Reaching inside without checking first may put your hand into the type of dark, undisturbed space a brown recluse spider seeks for shelter.
Brown recluse spiders prefer secluded areas where they can remain out of sight. Boxes, stored belongings, piles of clothing, and shoes can provide hiding places, while insects elsewhere in the home provide a food source.
That combination makes cluttered storage areas worth checking, especially within the brown recluse’s established U.S. range across parts of the South Central and Midwest.
Boxes Provide the Seclusion Brown Recluses Seek
Cardboard isn’t attracting brown recluses as food. The concern is the protected space created by boxes that remain untouched for long periods. Dark corners, gaps between stored items, and the interiors of boxes give spiders places with little disturbance.
Reducing clutter removes some of those hiding spots. Items that need to remain in storage can be kept in sealed containers or closed bags rather than open cardboard boxes.
Take care when moving boxes that haven’t been disturbed for some time. Gloves can provide another layer of protection when sorting stored items in areas where brown recluses occur.
Other Bugs Can Give Spiders Another Reason to Stay
Shelter is only part of the equation. Brown recluses prey on insects, so a home with an insect problem can also provide them with a food supply.
Trash, exposed food, and other conditions that draw flies and insects can contribute to that supply. Keeping food sealed, managing garbage, and addressing other household pests removes potential prey rather than focusing on spiders alone.
Gaps around the house can also provide entry points. Door sweeps, intact window screens, and caulk around cracks and openings can help reduce routes spiders and their prey use to get indoors.
Shoes and Clothes Can Become Hiding Places
Boxes aren’t the only spots that can remain dark and untouched. Shoes left unused and clothing sitting on the floor can offer similar shelter.
In areas where brown recluse spiders are present, shaking out clothing and checking or tapping shoes before putting them on can reduce the chance of an unexpected encounter. Stored linens, rarely worn clothing, and other items kept in quiet spaces deserve the same attention.
Brown recluses can be identified in part by their six eyes arranged in three pairs, rather than the eight eyes found on many spiders. Adults may also have a dark violin-shaped marking, though that marking isn’t always distinct enough to identify one with confidence.