Bugs and spiders in Oklahoma

What to watch for in Oklahoma

Oklahoma has three spiders worth knowing. The brown recluse is established and turns up indoors in any month, in closets, basements, attics and garages. The southern black widow and western black widow are both established, and the two are hard to tell apart in photos. A bite from an adult female widow can cause strong muscle pain, so get medical advice right away. Northern black widow and brown widow records exist, but neither is known to live in the state.

Ticks matter here as well. The lone star tick is the most-recorded, followed by the American dog tick and the blacklegged tick, and all three are established along with the brown dog tick. Lone star bites are linked to alpha-gal syndrome, a red-meat allergy that can be severe. Remove any attached tick promptly. Poison Help, at 1-800-222-1222, is the number to call about a worrying bite.

Through the year

Spring

Eastern carpenter bees are most active around April through June, black carpenter ant swarmers appear from about March, and varied carpet beetles gather at windows.

Summer

Lone star tick nymphs are out from May into August, American cockroaches are common in the warm months, and yellow garden spiders begin to build up toward late summer.

Fall

Boxelder bugs, Asian lady beetles and brown marmorated stink bugs move in, and tan jumping spiders are commonly seen indoors in late autumn.

Winter

Brown recluses are still found indoors, Indianmeal moths and long-bodied cellar spiders stay in the house all year, and Asian lady beetles stir again on warm days by late winter.