Spiders are without a doubt one of the most common pests we find in peoples homes and businesses. When new customers contact us they often ask if there’s anything we can do about spiders. The truth is that spiders are quite difficult to control. Due to numerous reasons, including their habits and physiology, spiders are quite resistant to traditional residual insecticides used for roaches and other household insects. However this doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to reduce their numbers inside of a home. The protocol for spider control is really more about making the areas inside and around your home less attractive to spiders. The best way to do that is to make it less attractive to their food source – insects. The only reason spiders are in our living space in the first place is to hunt other small bugs. So if we can reduce the amount of these insect in and around the home we should, in theory, reduce the amount of spiders we see.
Below is a list of steps that will help you reduce the amount of spiders in your house.
Seal Entry Points
This one probably goes without saying but one of the easiest ways to keep bugs, and in turn spiders, out of your home is by sealing cracks and openings that they use to enter the house. These include weep holes, gaps under doors, and gaps/cracks around window frames just to name a few.
Eliminate moisture/water sources
Water is the first prerequisite for life. This means that while that dripping faucet or a/c condensate line doesn’t seem like a big deal it can actually become a pest oasis that supports numerous species of insects in and around your home. When these insects thrive the spiders will thrive as well.
Change exterior lighting
Exterior lighting can attract hordes of flying insects at night which represents a veritable buffet for spiders. It’s recommended to change your exterior lighting to warmer colors closer to yellow. Research has also shown that older incandescent lights tend to be more attractive to insects than LED lighting.
Reduce debris and clutter
Piles of wood, brick, and stone on the outside make perfect habitats for numerous types of insects and will invariably draw in spiders as well. It’s recommended to remove clutter and debris piles or at least move them away from the structure to reduce the chance of drawing theses pests into your home. Interior clutter like cardboard boxes can also give bugs and spiders a place to hide out as well.
Pest Control Treatments
Last but not least is applying residual insecticides in and around the home to lessen the population of insects and thereby lessen the likelihood of attracting spiders. When spider numbers are high we can also employ sticky traps to physically catch and stop spiders from roaming around the house.
Spider Control Final Thoughts
One last thing to consider is that spiders themselves represent a type of natural pest control since they are only there to feed on the insects that enter your home. Often times we view them as beneficial especially on the exterior of your home. So, it may be beneficial to leave them to their work of helping you have fewer bugs to contend with inside and outside your home.
Contact Hunter Pest Control if you have more questions!
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