Usually, guests will enter your home with an invitation but there’s a good chance you’ll have some surprise visitors this year: spiders! Once a year you’ll likely notice an abundance of this 8-legged pests around and inside your home thanks to the timing of their mating season. Although spiders are generally harmless and don’t live all that long, you’ll want to be aware of their habits so you can take step to decrease their presence inside your living spaces.
There’s no doubt you probably see spiders around your home throughout the year, but the chances of spotting them does increase in the fall because this is when they are starting to look for mating partners.
If you’re in Burlington, Oakville, Milton or Hamilton/Mississauga area rest assured that Halton Wildlife has the spider pest control expertise you need. Contact us now!
When is spider mating season?
Spiders have a fairly consistent mating season, typically spanning just September and October each year. You’ll likely start noticing an increased presence in early September and this will probably last until early to mid October. Towards the end of October, you will usually see them much less often.
What does spider mating season involve?
Fall is when male spiders will leave their webs in search of female spiders to mate with, which is what will draw them into your home. These male spiders will seek out females to mate with in order to have her lay eggs that will eventually hatch hundreds of babies.
Preventing spider entry is the best option
Although preventing spiders from entering your home may feel like a losing battle, especially in southern Ontario, there are a few things that you can do to help reduce the likelihood that they’ll want to make themselves comfortable in your space.
1. Reduce clutter – Spiders love spaces that are dark, damp and cluttered so keeping your home clean and tidy can help keep them at bay. Sweep away cobwebs and dirt, throw away garbage and pick clothes up off the floor to reduce their hiding spaces. Spiders are actually afraid of humans so the more spaces they have to hide, the more likely they are to hang around your home.
2. Revamp your storage spaces – Plastic-lidded containers are much more likely to prevent spiders from gaining access than cardboard boxes. Ensuring that your storage area is filled with sealed plastic containers will mean that spiders will have less opportunity to build a web and get comfortable.
3. Allow light in – Spiders love the dark so opening your curtains or blinds can help keep them away.
4. Scent your space – Spiders sense smells with their legs so using strong scents like peppermint, tea tree, cinnamon, citrus, citronella, eucalyptus and lavender can help deter them. Spray these scents into corners, around window sills, along baseboards and behind appliances, reapplying often.
5. Use chalk – For the same reasons that spiders don’t like strong smells, chalk can help create a barrier against them as well. Draw a line around your window sills, doorways or bed to deter them from crossing into spaces that you don’t want them to be.
6. Kill insects – As with any pest or critter, removing their food source will help to discourage spiders from making themselves at home. Most indoor spaces are ripe with insects which means they create quite the draw for these insect-eating critters.
7. Seal any cracks – Use caulk to seal any cracks around windows and where your floor and walls meet, especially in your basement as this is a common way that spiders will make their way in.
Spider mating season is short
When it comes down to it, finding spiders in your home is a fairly common occurrence, especially in warmer climates like those you’ll find in southern Ontario. Thankfully spider mating season is short so the length of time that you are more likely to find an increased presence of spiders in your home is short. Taking some of the steps mentioned here will help to decrease how much of an irritation they are.
