Several at-home treatments can prevent spiders from invading homes. Vinegar spray and peppermint oil repel spiders by creating an unpleasant environment that they don’t want to be in.
Regularly clearing out the clutter in sheds, garages, storage rooms, and attics reduces spider harborage areas. Keeping wood piles, trash bins, compost piles, and rock piles away from the home also helps. Read on or call Pest Control In Bakersfield experts today.
Glue Traps
Glue traps are one of the most effective spider control methods. These flat, sticky pads are coated with a pheromone attractant that lures spiders and other insects to the trap, where they become stuck and dehydrated. Often, they can also be baited with peanut butter, fruit, or other foods to increase the number of caught pests. Glue traps can be placed along baseboards and behind furniture to catch pests that enter these areas of the home. They can also be used outside to protect your home and garden from spiders and other insects that may be entering the space.
Typically, brown recluse and black widow spiders congregate in quiet, tucked-away locations such as attics, basements, or storage spaces, but they can also be found under wood piles or near compost bins. Generally, these locations are damp and warm, which can draw spiders to homes looking for a shelter or food source. The key to successful use of glue traps is correct placement. Once you have determined the regularly traveled paths of these pests, place several traps along their route, ideally at least a few feet apart. Alternatively, you can place glue traps around the edges of rooms and in corners.
In addition to using traps, it is important to prevent spiders from entering your home in the first place. Spiders are opportunists, and they will seize any opportunity to sneak into your house looking for food or shelter. You can help to prevent these eight-legged invaders by repairing any cracks or gaps in your exterior walls, sealing the foundation of your home, and removing leaf debris from your property.
You can also use insecticide sprays specifically designed for spiders to treat your yard and garden to kill any unwanted spiders before they have a chance to enter your home. These can be purchased at most garden or hardware stores and should be used with care and according to label warnings. If a serious spider infestation is identified, it may be time to call in a professional to ensure you are using safe, effective, and humane pest control techniques.
Insecticides
While spiders may be a nuisance in the home, most species are harmless to humans and help control pest populations by consuming the insects they prey on. A proper insecticide treatment can keep other bugs away from your property, which in turn helps to reduce spider populations.
Using the right insecticides will help you get rid of your spider infestation and prevent it from returning in the future. Deltamethrin is an effective insecticide that can be used indoors or outdoors. It can be sprayed on baseboards, corners, and cracks, as well as around windows and doors. Outdoors, spray a perimeter treatment around your house, including a band of soil and vegetation up to 10 feet from the foundation of the structure.
When applying any insecticide, make sure to follow all instructions carefully. It is best to leave this type of work to professionals trained in pesticide application. Avoid using pesticides near water or in areas where children and pets play. It is also a good idea to wear rubber gloves when handling any pesticide.
Since spiders are arachnids and not insects, they will not react to the same types of insecticides as other pests. This is because the chemicals are designed to kill insects, not arachnids. However, you can try spraying a non-toxic insecticide such as a citrus or tea tree oil around your home or business to repel them instead.
Another way to discourage spiders is to regularly declutter your property. This will eliminate their hiding spots and also remove potential food sources such as rotting debris and crumbs. In addition, regular cleaning practices can help to reduce the population of other insects that spiders feed on.
Getting rid of the insects that attract spiders is the best way to help keep these predators at bay. Use a routine insecticide treatment to keep other pests from ruining your yard and landscape, and seal all cracks and crevices in your home to prevent them from entering. If you do need to resort to pesticides, apply them with a coarse spray and concentrate on areas where they tend to hide.
Essential Oils
A natural and non-toxic alternative to chemical sprays, essential oils have been shown to have insecticidal properties.* They also smell great and are safe for children, pets, and the environment.* Peppermint oil is a common ingredient found in many commercial spider repellents, and studies have confirmed that it is effective at deterring spiders.* Other strong-smelling essential oils that spiders are repelled by include eucalyptus, lemon, tea tree, horse chestnut, cinnamon, cedar, and marigold.* You can make your spray at home by adding 15 to 20 drops of any of these essential oils to a 16-oz bottle of water.* Spray the mixture on corners, entry doors, floorboards, and other areas of your home where spiders have been seen. Repeat as needed.
Other natural ingredients can also be used to create a non-toxic spider spray. Vinegar is an inexpensive, all-purpose household product that can be sprinkled around the outside of your house to help deter spiders.* Other natural repellents include baking soda, a household staple that can be spread throughout the home to keep spiders and other insects away.* However, be careful with large amounts of baking soda in the house, as it is corrosive and can harm your pets if they ingest it.
Another option is to use a least-toxic botanical insecticide like pyrethrins, pyrethroids, or lambda-cyhalothrin. These products all work by disrupting the nervous system of spiders and other pests, killing or repelling them.
There are many ways to prevent spiders from invading your home, including taking steps to eliminate their food source and reducing the amount of clutter in the house. Other measures you can take to avoid a spider infestation include removing rocks, compost piles, and brush piles from your yard, and using food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE) in the garden and around the foundation of your home. This natural, non-toxic product kills and repels spiders by scoring their outer layer with tiny fossilized aquatic organisms, which are similar in appearance to broken glass under a microscope.* In addition, keeping grass and bushes trimmed and not touching or crawling over them will help keep spiders from hanging out near the foundation of your home.
Humane Removal
Spiders are generally harmless creatures and many can be quite beneficial in your garden, but they’re not so welcome in your home. A single spider in your house isn’t necessarily cause for alarm, but if you’ve noticed a web-spinning infestation, you may want to consider a few methods of control. Some pest control companies offer a humane spider removal service, which involves catching the creature and safely releasing it outdoors. This method is not for the squeamish, and should only be attempted if you’re sure you’re dealing with a non-venomous species. Place a cup or jar under the spider and carefully transport it outside. It can then resume its insect-hunting activities without bothering you or your family members.
Other methods of removing spiders from your home are less drastic, but no less effective. For example, vinegar is a powerful spider repellent, as is diatomaceous earth. You can create a spray by mixing equal parts of water and vinegar and applying it where spiders tend to hang out. The odor of the mixture is offensive to spiders, and they will steer clear.
Keeping your house clean regularly can also help eliminate spiders and their webs. Regularly wipe down your kitchen surfaces and vacuum your floors, especially corners. If you have a garden, remove fallen leaves and debris. You can also use a deterrent spray made with natural ingredients like peppermint oil, lavender, or tea tree oil. These sprays can be applied indoors, outdoors, or both, and can repel or kill spiders.
In addition to these natural remedies, many commercial products can be used to control spiders. These are typically in the form of sprays, dusts, or granules and contain chemicals that either kill spiders on contact or provide residual control. The sprays and dusts can be purchased from most hardware and garden stores, but it’s important to read the label carefully and follow all instructions.
In severe cases of infestation, a professional pest control company should be called in. They have the knowledge, tools, and experience to successfully rid your home of spiders and prevent future invasions.