Spiders have long been accepted as a “good” pest to keep around the yard or home. They are usually predatory to some degree and this feature has been exaggerated over time to where it’s not uncommon to hear that a good spider population around the house is “better than a bug-man”. This is an example of a classic urban legend. Spiders may eat certain pests. Web making spiders tend to be collectors of many flying pests and ground dwelling spiders such as the wolf spider will make a meal of just about any crawling creature it finds. But they will not replace a pest control service or good maintenance practice to keep pests under control.

SPIDERS ATTRACTED TO WHERE THERE IS FOOD

In fact, recent data suggests that spiders will move into an area only if it is capable of supporting their need for food. This means they are looking for an environment which has pests. In order for them to survive, they need to be able to sustain themselves by being able to feed on a regular basis. Without a good supply of food, they will either die or relocate. I have been in many attics and crawl spaces which had a lot of spider webs but the only spiders I was able to find were dead. These spiders had chosen poor web locations. They were doomed from the beginning. If a spider is able to establish a web in your home and is able to feed itself on a regular basis, it is a sure sign that perimeter pest control needs to be done.

SPIDER TYPES AROUND THE HOUSE

There are two types of spiders found around the home: ground dwellers and web makers. Spiders which thrive on the ground are usually much stronger than their web building cousins. These brutes are aggressive, usually nocturnal, great hunters and rely on their strong grip and bite. They stalk food at night and will feed on just about anything which moves. Some species may have toxins to assist in their hunting. When prey is identified, they will usually stalk within pouncing distance, crouch, leap, rip, shred, bite, grab and kill – all within a few moments.

Web builders are spiders which are not built to be on the ground. They are usually fragile, weak, slow, lacking grip and not able to defend themselves when out of their webs. What they lack in physical body they more than make up for with bite. In most cases, they are equipped with toxins that can kill insects quickly and in some cases these toxins are so strong they can be fatal to humans. Although data is limited and more research is needed to confirm suspicions, spider bites are thought to be more of a problem than currently recognized. In fact, most everyone knows the impact of a brown recluse or black widow spider. There are many other spiders which may be nearly as toxic. Undoubtedly they are biting and causing health problems as doctors are labeling many wounds due to “spider bites”. Since many species of spiders need to be tested to determine their toxicity, logic dictates that any can be harmful and therefore should not be handled. Realize that they have the potential to unleash a lot of poison from their bite and that sharing your living area with spiders is not a prudent thing to do.

SPIDER TREATMENTS

If you are having an abundance of spiders in and around your home and want to minimize their presence, then follow these guidelines. The author has divided them into the following four sections:

1. Outside treatments
2. Inside treatments
3. Attic and Crawl space treatment and
4. Miscellaneous treatments of sensitive areas

In most cases, you will need to treat in at least two areas to obtain control of the situation. Once eradicated, maintenance is suggested to prevent repopulation.

SPIDER CONTROL FOR OUTSIDE THE HOME

Spiders which are allowed free access to the sides of your home will more than likely make it inside. Allowing them to live in a garden, shrub or tree away from the house is acceptable; webs and nests at doorways, lights and windows will almost certainly lead them into your home. To stop this from happening, regular pest control on the outside of the home is necessary. This approach will serve two purposes:

• Spider populations will be immediately reduced
• Spiders are less likely to move inside your home

SPIDER SPRAY

To treat the outside of your home for spiders, you will need to do both a liquid and granular treatment. Liquid treatments should be done on the foundation, window frames, door frames, soffit areas, vent openings, exhaust areas, mounted lights, air conditioning areas, cable entry points, deck areas, stoop and patio areas. DELTAMETHRIN and LAMDA-CYHALOTHRIN are excellent actives to use on spiders. They’re microencapsulated which means the chemical is actually encased in a bunch of small capsules making it impossible to soak into porous surfaces easily. Therefore the treatment will last longer. Most importantly, the product will lay on the surface of treated areas so that as spiders travel in such areas they will readily pick up lethal doses. Use a good PUMP SPRAYER for applying either of the products.

SPIDER WEB REMOVERS

Just before you are ready to do the application, it is best to remove all the webs you see around window frames, overhangs, light fixtures and other locations on the perimeter of the structure being treated. There are two tools that do a great job of removing webs. For low, easy to reach webbing, the WEB SPINNER is ideal. It’s telescopic, easy to handle and makes short work of any web by spinning it up into a neat compact ring that can be disposed of quickly. But it’s only for small jobs and generally used in conjunction with a WEB REMOVER. The Web Remover is a unique tool designed to remove spider webs and nothing but spider webs. It combines the reach of an extendable pole that has attached a round, soft nylon bristle brush which is well suited for collecting spider webs. A quick “wipe” and most any web will become affixed to the bristled head and this tool is ideal for use inside and outside the home.

We have it available in three sizes. The WEB REMOVER WITH 5′ EXTENDED HANDLE is good for when all the webs are close and easy to reach. It’s ideal for use in basements, inside living areas of most homes with low ceilings and great to have at any boat dock. It’s comprised of two pieces that measure 3.5 feet long when the unit is collapsed and just over 5 feet long when it’s fully extended.

The most common size we sell is the WEB REMOVER WITH 14′ EXTENDED HANDLE. This model can easily be used in all the same areas as the 5′ unit but since it extends to 14 feet in length, it’s much more suited for use outside the home for under soffits, around windows and hard to reach areas. It stands at 6 feet tall when fully collapsed and comes in three sections that slide out and lock into place for a fully extended length of 14 feet.

The longest unit we have is the WEB REMOVER WITH 30′ EXTENDED HANDLE. It’s a very special tool that can reach most any place around even the tallest of homes. It’s 30 feet in length means that the average 5-6 foot tall person on a small ladder 5 feet off the ground can reach heights in excess of 40 feet. This tool is generally not needed for most homes but if you have a high reaching ceiling in your main entrance foyer or just a lot of spider webs 30-40 feet up around the outside of your home, this extra height will make any web clean up a breeze. It stands about 8 feet tall when fully collapsed and has five sections that extend to right at 30 feet long when fully extended.

For extra savings and cleanup, consider any of our “web kits” which include the Handles, Heads and Web Spinners:

WEB REMOVER W/5′ HANDLE AND WEB SPINNER KIT

WEB REMOVER W/14′ HANDLE AND WEB SPINNER KIT

WEB REMOVER W/30′ HANDLE AND WEB SPINNER KIT

Any of these kits will provide all you need for easy spider web management – no matter where you have a problem. Remember, the Web Spinner adds almost three feet to any of the handles and fits on in place of the standard nylon bristled head. And since there are so many benefits of web removal, persistent problem situations must have web removal done on a regular basis if you expect to keep local populations down.

First, it will help to expose all the critical areas needing treatment and prevent any cracks or crevices from being sheltered.By removing the webs you insure even coverage of liquid treatments.

Second, webs almost always contain egg sacs which will not be killed with any treatment. By removing the spider webs you will also be removing all egg sacs which will prevent another outbreak of spiders. Web removal also insures that all adult spiders currently active will be completely exposed to your treatment and won’t be able to avoid being sprayed by hiding or being sheltered by their webs.

SPIDER GRANULES

In addition to spraying outside, you may need to use granules. If you are subject to ground dwelling spiders, spraying of the foundation may help, but it will not provide complete control. Create a band of treated turf around your home, at least ten feet out, which will work against any spiders trying to enter via the ground. BIFEN GRANULES are a great active for spiders. Spread them in a band ten feet wide around the home. This means that you will have a ten foot wide treated area and assures that as spiders move through this area they will absorb a lethal dose of material and die. Use some type of spreader to apply the granules uniformly. We have three GRANULE SPREADERS that work well. It’s important to get good coverage around plants, shrubs and mulch and either of these will do the job. The advantage of the granule is that it will last several weeks or months as it is designed to withstand rain and weathering.

SPIDER CONTROL FOR INSIDE HOME

Treating inside a home for spiders should be done when a problem exists. Once eradicated, either perimeter, attic or crawl space treatment should be done to prevent reinfestation. There are four approaches for the inside. Spraying, dusting, repellent materials and trapping/zapping.

Spraying is the most direct and will provide the quickest knockdown. It is done with a pump sprayer and using either the DELTAMETHRIN or LAMDA-CYHALOTHRIN. These materials are low odor and may be applied in all areas of the home. Treat baseboards, closets and rooms where problems exist. Keep both children and pets away from treated surfaces until the material dries. These products will provide quick knockdown and residual. The residual will help prevent future infestations.

SPIDER AEROSOL

If the liquid is a bit messy, go with DFORCE AEROSOL. It comes with an long application straw so you can direct the treatment into cracks and crevices where spiders and other pests like to hide. Dforce has just a slight odor and treatments will last 2-3 weeks.

Another type of product that can be an excellent tool to deploy is called a dust formulation. DRIONE DUST lasts a long time, kills on contact and will repel any pest. Use it in switch plate covers, light switch covers and basically any wall void where you suspect spiders are active. Apply it with a HAND DUSTER which allows for easy treatment of cracks and crevices. Once treated, these voids will not allow spiders to nest or enter.

SPIDER WEB SPRAY ELIMINATOR

WEB OUT SPIDER SPRAY is another material that can be used inside. Though it will kill spiders on contact, Web Out can last 100 days or longer when used inside and does a great job of stopping spiders. It also “melts” away existing spider webs making cleanup a lot easier.

To obtain the best results when using this product, first remove all visible webs with our Web Remover featured above. Complete removal of all webs will certainly enhance the effectiveness of Web Out as well as remove egg sacs which can lead to future spider populations once they hatch. Remember, Web Out is all natural making it an excellent option for those sensitive areas where spraying is not possible. Such areas could be where someone is sick, has asthma or is sensitive to pesticides. When combined with the removal of the webs, you can offer good spider control for these sensitive areas and be using products which are effective.

SPIDER TRAPS

SPIDER TRAPS are another tool helpful for sensitive areas where spraying is not desired. Set them out where doors are opened frequently. This includes garage and front doors. These traps should be placed along walls where spiders are expected to travel. Generally, this is on either side of the entrance way. Over time they’ll capture many perimeter invaders meaning you’ll see that many less inside the home.

SPIDER CONTROL FOR ATTIC AND CRAWL SPACES

Attics are places where many spider invasions begin. Vent’s around soffits and gables have small screening which can allow flying insects to enter. Since many web making spiders rely on “parachuting” to move around, they can move into these same locations. Once in your attic, they will find a steady supply of silver fish, mosquitoes, flies, wasps and bees. When they reproduce, their young will find their way into your living areas. To prevent this from happening, make sure all entry points into your attic are sealed. But this won’t help if you’ve got spiders living in these spaces now. For current infestations, treat with dust.

SPIDER CONTROL DUST

Spraying with a liquid won’t work in attics since the porous nature of the attic reduces the effectiveness of such a treatment. Dust formulations are made for this environment and do well. ECO DUST is easy to apply and once again the best choice for this application. The dust will cover vast areas easily and because it is dry, it will stay on surfaces spiders must use to migrate. This residual protection will stop them from getting into your living area and offers the best long term protection. Use a DUSTIN MIZER to apply the ECO Dust. This is a manually operated device which enables you to propel the dust 15 to 25 feet. You will get good coverage in small to medium sized attics.

If you have a huge area to treat, the B&G ELECTRIC DUSTER will get the job done. It runs on electricity and can propel dust 25 to 40 feet. It will enable you to treat 1000 sq/ft in a couple of minutes. Remember, good coverage will provide long term control – usually a full year. And since ECO dust controls many pests, treating the attic will keep several pests from getting into your home.

Crawl spaces are another location spiders like to invade along with many other pests. Camel back crickets, roaches, ants, flies and many other pests will take advantage of crawl spaces if given the opportunity. Make sure all cracks are sealed, vents have screening intact and holes around pipes are sealed. By keeping unwanted pests out, you will minimize spider invasions. Once pests move in, spiders will follow. Although attics are most likely to have web making spiders, crawl spaces can have either. Both will take advantage of ample food supplies. Power dust your crawl space with ECO to get the longest residual. Treat once a year to make sure unwanted pests are kept out.

SPIDER TREATMENTS FOR SENSITIVE AREAS

If you’ve got sensitive rooms to treat, using any of the aerosols or liquids listed above could be a problem. This can happen when there are newborn babies, sickly patients, elderly people, pregnant women, or anyone allergic to chemicals or pesticides in the home. What can you do?

For starters, set out SPIDER TRAPS. They can be placed anywhere and won’t pose a hazard or threat to anyone. They will no doubt collect some of the unwanted spiders. Put them where spiders are being seen. Web making spiders can be discouraged by making sure to remove any webs found. Make sure to keep windows closed, doors sealed and any other entry point closed off. These are great areas to install gluetraps. Use several around entry points and doorways. These will help to collect spiders and other perimeter invaders as they enter your structure. Every one caught is one less that can bite or be a nuisance.

Next, spray some WEB OUT. You should still remove any person or pet sensitive to treatments being done around them but once the treatment has been done and has dried, they can come back and not risk being exposed to a lingering pesticide like that found in traditional products. Web Out uses vinegar, thyme oil, lemongrass and citronella as it’s main actives which are inherently low risk to non target organisms.

One last thing you can do is equip anyone in these rooms with a HAND HELD ZAPPER. Used effectively for mosquitoes, flies, wasps and bees, this device allows the user to quickly deliver a shock of electricity which will kill most any insect on contact including spiders. It is an excellent tool to have around since it kills without any mess. Cleanup is easy and quick and the large surface area of the “electric grid” insures you can get any targeted spider. If used in a web, just clean it after you have zapped the spider residing there and the Zapper will provide years of use. Remember, this is not a toy but rather another tool that can be used in the war against unwanted pests.

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