5 things you can do to decrease spider activity that are often overlooked
Spiders. So tiny, yet the mere sight invokes so much angst and fear! Well…maybe not all of them are tiny but the spiders we deal with in Minnesota are. Some are scary looking, but do nothing but LOOK scary. Some, you rarely see because of where they live but can leave a nasty welt where they bit you. And some, yes some, are poisonous and the bite can require extensive medical treatment to heal the wound. For most of us, keeping them out our living space is a reality we would like to experience. So, where do we start? I want you to know about five places spiders enter your home that you probably don’t pay much attention to.
1-Trim Vegetation around the Perimeter of Home
Vegetation around the perimeter of a home provides great habitat for all sorts of critters…and that’s why the spiders are there! Spiders love the cover that bushes and other plants provide. It allows them to build webs and feed on the other insects that inhabit the vegetation as well. If you find that you absolutely love your vegetation around your home, at least make sure that you trim your vegetation so that it is not touching your home. Just doing that will decrease the number of direct avenues spiders have to access your home.
2-Clear Webs
Webs are an obvious indication that you have spiders present around your home and are a likely sign that they are inside your home. Spider webs are typically found in the eaves, entryways, window wells and connected to trees or other vegetation around a home. A simple way to decrease your spider activity is to remove the webs around your home. If the spiders don’t have a means to catch their food, they will have to move to find a place where they can
3-Decrease Outdoor Lighting
There is a reason that spiders have webs around a home…and it usually has something to do with outdoor lighting. You may ask, “What does my outdoor lighting have to do with spiders?” Well, let me tell you! Lighting attracts a variety of soft bodied insects that spiders love to eat. When your lights are on at night and you see moths, flies, and other insects flying and crawling around your lights you can bet that the spiders love it! Decreasing the amount of light you have and / or decreasing the amount of time your lights are on will help in the spider activity area…and it might cut your power bill as well! That’s what we call a “win/win”!
4-Declutter Perimeter of Home/De-junk your Garage
Any sort of clutter around the perimeter of your home or in your garage is ideal habitat for spiders. Make sure that window wells are clear of debris as black widow spiders love window wells. Around the home make sure you do not stack firewood or other equipment as it will be full of spiders in no time. Be cognizant of how you organize a garage. Again, any sort of clutter or debris will provide habit for a spider to be protected and able to prey on other insects. A clean garage diminishes good habitat and allows your pest control company to treat high traffic areas with thoroughness.
5-Inspect Windows, Doors, Screen Doors
It goes without saying, spiders are tiny little critters and any little crack or crevice around your home provided access to spider. Where we find most of these entryways are around our avenues to the home; windows, doors and screen doors. Make sure if you use a screen door for it’s intended purpose that it shuts tight and that the screen itself is in good shape…no tears or holes. Inspect your windows, both inside and out and pay particular attentions to the weather stripping on windows that open and close. Most doors that access the exterior of your home have some sort of weather stripping issue. The vast majority are not tight enough to keep insects or spiders out. By replacing old weather stripping and making sure that the weather stripping is snug against the closed door you will make it more difficult for spiders to access your home. Inspect the threshold of your door. There are several things you can do to make this area tighter for spiders to enter. Garage doors are notorious for not shutting tight. Again, a little TLC will help keep spiders unable, or less able to access your garage.
Will you be able to keep every single spider from accessing the interior of your home? Probably not. There is no question that spiders are pesky, relentless little creatures. Regardless, by inspecting and following our advice you will find a decrease in spider activity simply because there will be less spiders around and less ways to get into your home.
Need a little professional help with the eight legged demons? Read more at:
St. Paul Spider Control
Struggling with other pests? We have the expertise you need!
Minneapolis Wildlife Control