Exterminators had to take the most extreme measures possible to fumigate a home that was said to have approximately 5,000 venomous brown recluse spiders residing in it.
The 2,400-square-foot home, located in Weldon Spring, Missouri, was vacated by its previous tenants after several attempts at eliminating the spiders proved unsuccessful.
Brian and Susan Trost, purchased the home for $450,000 in 2007, were unaware of the situation and filed a lawsuit against the former owners Tina and David Gault. A spider expert estimated there to be nearly 6,000 spiders in the home at the time. The Trosts won a $472,110 settlement, however they have not received any money so far.
Earlier this week, McCarthy Pest Control covered the home with a tent and proceeded to leak 200 pounds of sulfuryl fluoride gas into the home in hopes of killing the poisonous spiders.
“Once it’s all up then the real action has to start… and that’s the gas,” exterminator Tim McCarthy said. “There’ll be nothing alive in there after this.”
Imagine finding out that your brand new house is infested with 5,000 brown recluse spiders. http://t.co/DBxtLdqsZg pic.twitter.com/fMbBleavWG
— KTLA (@KTLA) October 11, 2014
Jamal Sandidge, an expert at the University of Kansas, said that there is no specific reason on why one home may become infested and not another. He said bringing in moving boxes, or yard sale items that have the spiders on them can contribute to the problem.
“You can move from a house that has brown recluse, they’re in your stuff, they’re in your boxes… you’re bringing them with you. You buy things at an auction, a garage sale, you inherit furniture, you have furniture in storage, you bring it back to your house,” McCarthy said. “Many times brown recluse are carried right into the house.”
