Spiders are most often an outdoor pest, but you’ve likely come across some in your home periodically. While they are generally good insects to have around, thanks to their penchant for eating other insects, it’s understandable that you’d want to get rid of spiders from your home or property. You’ll want to exterminate them promptly!
Spiders aren’t liable to do much (if any) damage to your home, but they are definitely annoying to come across! And if you happen to be so unlucky to meet one of the few poisonous breeds in your basement, you might actually be in danger! There are a few steps you can take to remove spiders from your home, and a couple things you can do to encourage them to build their webs elsewhere.
Read on to find some common solutions to keep spiders out of your home and away from your family.
The best offense is a good defense… on the playing field AND with pests around your home! The best way to avoid having to deal with house spiders is to prevent them from being able to enter your home to begin with. Do this by removing any piles of wood, leave or debris from your yard and keeping the area clean and free from dark, solitary areas like old yard furniture or tires. The closer these areas are to your home, the more likely they are to wander in.
Finding and sealing any possible ways in is also a good step to take. Look for small holes or cracks around the outside of your home and seal them with caulk. Also make sure all your doors and windows seal tightly.
Another easy step in discouraging them from entering your home is to turn off outdoor lights at night, or switch to yellow sodium vapor lights. Spiders aren’t necessarily attracted to the light but other bugs and insects are, which provides a food source and good motivation webs to be weaved near those lights.
How to get rid of spiders
Vacuum spiders and spider webs
This is as simple as it sounds! Vacuum up any webs, nests or spiders you come across. The pressure from the vacuum kills them immediately, so they’ll be gone before you know it! Though if you have a large infestation this method might not be the best choice.
Transport them outside
I know you’ve heard it before, though you might not want to agree- spiders are actually our friends! They help keep the population of many other insects under control and help keep other crawlies out of your house. If you do not want to welcome a new roommate, at least give him the chance to continue his insect-eating mission by transporting him back outside!
Need help getting rid of spiders, silverfish or other insects and live in Oakville, Burlington or Hamilton areas? Call the spider control experts for a quote now!
Remove food source and shelters
Keeping your home clean is a good way to reduce the number of pests and insects that would like to make themselves comfortable. With spiders, maintaining a clean home offers them fewer places to hide and makes it less likely that their favourite food sources are hanging around. Both of these factors mean it’s less likely that they will stick around for long.
Set traps
Spider traps work by emitting a spider-pleasing aroma to draw them to it. Though spiders will be drawn to it and ultimately get stuck there, this means that your trap will eventually end up full of dead spiders that you now have to deal with… Not my favourite solution! These traps will help remove existing spiders but won’t do anything for a long-term problem since they don’t actually have any insecticide or repellant in them. Other methods on this list will be much more effective.
Use spider repellent
In the world of insect infestations, spiders are harder to find than many others. Because they prefer to hide in dark, hidden areas you might find yourself having to search to find them. Rather than go through this trouble, it’s often easier to just use a spider repellant spray in areas that you think might be susceptible to them. This spray is safe for humans but gives off a scent that is unpleasant to spiders.
Make your home spider free
When trying to get rid of spiders from your home your best option is to make your home seem as unappealing to them as you can. Spend some time removing anything that they might see as a place to hide and keep your home clean to decrease the number of other insects around that would provide food for them.
Spiders are creepy, crawly, and not nice to look at, but they aren’t too hard to get rid of if you find them! Keep a look out for them so that your few friendly visitors don’t end up creating an infestation.
And as always, if you encounter a situation that has you questioning whether the spiders are dangerous or you feel overwhelmed with the task don’t hesitate to contact a professional to get the job done!
