Spider Prevention In Home – Keep Your Home Spider Free This Halloween!

As Halloween approaches, spiders are on our minds more than normal. While decorative spiders are fun, the ones crawling through your basement are not as fun.

Spider Prevention In Home

Follow these tips and tricks to run a spider-free home this Halloween, and keep the spookiness to a minimum.

What You Need to Know About Spiders

Contrary to what horror movies would have you believe, most spiders are solitary creatures. While they are not territorial or aggressive towards other spiders, living alone gives them the best chance of catching enough food for survival.

There are approximately 50,000 species of spiders in the world, and only 25 are venomous. In any given area, there are three or less venomous species. So, there’s always a chance that you have a venomous spider in your home, but it is unlikely. The United States is home to around 3,500 identified species of spiders.

In the United States, the most common venomous spiders are the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse. The Brown Recluse is most common in the southern states, and has a potentially venomous bite that kills living tissue. The Black Widow on the other hand releases venom that attacks the nervous system. Black Widow venom is 15 times stronger than rattlesnake venom, but because the bite is so small, it is rarely lethal.

Why Spiders Are In Your Home?

Spiders enter your home for basic survival purposes: food, water and shelter. Some spiders prefer damp areas, and will seek out areas in your home such as crawl spaces and damp basements to take up residence. Others prefer dark and dry, and you will find these spiders living in the corners of your home.

If you have spiders in your home, they have to be eating something. This means you likely have other pests in your home such as flies, fruit flies, or even smaller spiders.

Getting Rid Of Spiders In Your Home

The first step to getting rid of spiders is to eliminate those that are already in your home. The easiest way to do this is to use a broom or vacuum cleaner and get rid of any visible webs. Check under appliances, behind shelves, and in basements. Any spiders that you don’t catch with the vacuum will be forced to rebuild or relocate. Keep an eye out for new webs and continue to get rid of them to discourage spiders. If using a vacuum, make sure to empty it into an outdoor garbage can after use, as you may have sucked up a spider or egg sacs.

Once you have cleared the webs out of your home, the next step is to eliminate access points. Look carefully around the outside of your home for cracks and crevices in the foundation or siding. Fill these in to prevent access points for spiders and other pests that may attract spiders.

Next, make sure to turn off exterior lights at night, as this will attract flying insects that spiders love to eat. Pull down any existing webs near outdoor lights and force the spiders to relocate.

Some spiders prefer damp environments, so reducing excess moisture in and around the home can be beneficial to get rid of a spider infestation. This could be leaky pipes, high humidity in a basement area, or outdoor standing water. Fix these issues and spiders will have nothing to drink, making your home less desirable.

The Bottom Line – Spder Prevention In Home

Following these tips will greatly reduce the amount of spiders you see in and around your home. If you continue to see spiders, especially Black Widow or Brown Recluse spiders, or simply do not want to deal with them, call the professionals. Pest control professionals are able to quickly diagnose the extent of your infestation and deal with it accordingly.