Bugs and spiders in Louisiana

What to watch for in Louisiana

The brown widow is a non-native spider whose bite is usually much milder than a black widow's, but it is a true widow and easy to confuse with a young black widow. The southern black widow is established here too and favors garages, basements and the outside of the house. The northern black widow is established with far fewer records. The brown recluse is also established, though it is recorded much less often than the brown and southern black widows. Get medical advice after any suspected bite.

Four ticks are established in Louisiana: the lone star tick, blacklegged tick, American dog tick and brown dog tick. The lone star is the most-recorded, and its bites are linked to alpha-gal syndrome, a red-meat allergy that can be severe. Red imported fire ants, which sting, and yellow fever mosquitoes, which bite, are also established. If a bite or sting worries you, Poison Help (1-800-222-1222) can advise.

Through the year

Spring

Black carpenter ant swarmers appear roughly March through June, and lone star tick adults are most active around April through June.

Summer

Fire ant mounds are most noticeable once the soil is warm, American cockroaches turn up in the warm months, and mosquito season runs roughly June through October, or longer in the warmest areas.

Fall

Asian lady beetles move in during October and November, while yellow garden spiders and spotted orbweavers are at their most noticeable in late summer and fall.

Winter

American cockroaches and southern house spiders are around year-round in the South, and German cockroaches live indoors in every month.