How to Get Rid of Spiders in Your Home
Last updated: 6/8/21
Estimated read time: 5 minutes
Spiders are a source of fear and dread for many people. But while these creatures are beneficial for the environment and serve as natural pest control, we still don’t want to find them in our homes. Whether you have noticed spider webs in corners of the room or seen spiders crawl along the wall, here are a few tips on preventing spiders from entering your home and what you can do if they are already there.
How to Prevent Spiders
The easiest way to prevent you from finding spiders in your home is by practicing Integrated Pest Management, which means changing the environment within your home to discourage spiders from even entering in the first place.
Caulk Cracks and Crevices
Spiders can enter your home through the smallest crack and crevices. To avoid this, thoroughly inspect your foundation, walls, windows, and doors and seal any cracks or holes you may find. Also, make sure to install tight-fitting window screens, and door sweeps to keep out spiders and other pests.
Clean Regularly
Make sure to clean your home regularly. Use a vacuum attachment to clean around windows sills, floorboards, and crown molding. Also, dust about once a week, especially around dressers and shelves. If you find any spider webs, make sure to remove them immediately. In addition to disturbing areas spiders may inhabit, regular cleaning discourages other pests on which spiders may feed.
Reduce Clutter
Spiders prefer quiet areas that are rarely cleaned or disturbed, which is why you often find them in closets, garages, basements, attics, and outbuildings. By reducing clutter and creating open areas, you prevent spiders from building their nests inside your home.
Check your lighting
Outdoor lighting attracts flying insects, which in turn causes spiders to build their webs near light fixtures. Consider switching to yellow LED or sodium vapor bulbs for outdoor fixtures, as their light attracts fewer night-flying insects. Additionally, the simple habit of turning lights off at night can help reduce the number of spiders.
Tidy your Yard
While you may not like having spiders in the yard, you definitely don’t want them coming into the house. Move piles, such as firewood and yard waste, away from your foundation, and trim back shrubs, vines, or tree limbs that touch the outside of your house. This should help reduce the number of spiders migrating indoors.
Use strong Smells
Spiders are sensitive to certain smells, which is something you can use to your advantage:
- Spray essential oils such as eucalyptus, tea tree, and peppermint oil around windows and doors. The same can be done with vinegar, though it may also repel some family and friends.
- Save the peels of citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruit, and place them near windows and doors. Make sure to replace the peels every few days, as they tend to dry out and lose their potent smell.
How to Get Rid of Spiders
While you can take measures to prevent spiders from coming into your home, there is no guarantee that you won’t find them crawling along your living room wall. If they’ve made it in, here are a few tips on how to get them back out.
Take the Spiders Outside
If you only find a few spiders in your home, consider carefully trapping them in a box or jar and gently releasing them outside. This allows the arachnid to continue hunting insects without bothering you or your family.
Swat the Spiders
In the case of individual spiders, you can easily kill them by swatting them with a rolled-up magazine or a shoe. Afterward, carefully scoop up the body and dispose of it quickly.
Set Traps
There are a variety of sticky traps for spiders and other insects. While most of these traps have no way of luring the spider, a few flies and insects stuck in the trap often do the trick. Set the traps near areas where you have noticed a lot of activity, but feel free to move it around until you find the most efficient location for the trap.
Vacuum Them Up
If you are noticing several spiders around the house, grab a vacuum. As mentioned, thorough house cleaning is a great way to discourage spiders, but eliminating them is also a great option. A vacuum cleaner can easily suck up spiders and their webs. Also, make sure to suck up any egg sacs, as each can hold hundreds of young spiders.
Call Professionals
If you are still having trouble with spiders, we encourage you to reach out to BOG Pest Control. Our expert technicians will inspect the situation to create an eco-friendly, safe solution for your family. Spider control is part of our pest control program, which also protects you from ants, cockroaches, and other pests.
FAQs About Spiders
What do spiders eat?
Spiders are carnivores, meaning that they feed on other animals and generally eat insects they have hunted or caught in their webs. Depending on the spider’s type, they feed on wasps, moths, blowflies, mosquitoes, butterflies, crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles.
Are there poisonous spiders in Maryland?
While several species of spiders in Maryland are venomous, the only native Maryland spider that poses a threat to humans is the black widow spider. The brown recluse can be found in Maryland on very rare occasions if it was accidentally brought in from another state, stowed away in a shipment. Both of these spiders are dangerous. It should be noted that spiders only bite humans in self-defense, so it is best to stay away from these venomous spiders if you find them.
Why are there more spiders in the fall?
While there may seem to be more spiders in the fall, those spiders have been present all summer, eating insects and growing. They are large enough for you to notice by the end of summer, especially as they are now coming out to mate. The first frost of winter will kill most spiders, which is why they begin mating and producing egg sacs that will survive the winter and re-establish the population next spring. The egg will be placed in protected areas and hatch in the spring. Some spiders’ young hatch in the fall and live in the egg sac until they emerge with the warmer weather.
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