Spiders are a disgusting and frightening sight to many people. All spider species are predators – and due to their abundance, they are the best predators of many insects we consider pests.
While they are beneficial to some large extent, some spiders bite and some species are poisonous.
A spider bite can cause welt-shaped abrasions on your skin and with poisonous spiders, it can cause death. Moreover, spider bites are irritating and painful, and could lead to medical issues if not properly treated.
Now we will take a look at how to get rid of spiders in the home and around the house.
Spiders in the Home
If you have a large number of spiders in your home, it is likely a sign that you have lots of bugs. Spiders survive by feeding on other insects, and therefore they wouldn’t be in a place with no food.
Think of their presence as a cautionary sign that other kinds of bugs are also living in your home. So, if you see an abundance of spiders around, there is a high probability that there are other bugs in the home.
Spiders can live in many places in the home, from backyards, closets, under the beds, to beneath the tables, in basements, crawl spaces, and in attics.
Spiders can also multiply quickly and if you don’t take an action, they can take over your home. But don’t worry, you don’t need to live with spiders. We have the solution to solve your spider infestations and any other bug problems.
Spider Prevention Techniques
If spiders have invaded your home and you want to control or get rid of them, here are some tips to help you get started.
Sealing Entry Points to Stop Spiders
Start with sealing crevices, cracks, and all the entry points around your house. Spiders tend to seek a spot to tuck away and hide during the daytime.
But thankfully, you can prevent an arachnid from entering your house by patching up or sealing holes or any gaps that can lead inside your home.
These entry points include:
- Gaps in your entryway’s weather stripping
- Gaps around or near the windows
- Seal entryways that do not properly close
- Holes in siding
- Open chimney
- Garage doors with gaps
Cleaning up Spider Food Sources
Finding and cleaning up spider food sources is another way of controlling the spider population in your home.
Arachnids largely feed off insects such as cockroaches, mosquitoes, fleas, bed bugs, and flies. So abundant spiders may mean you have a bunch of other bugs in the home.
Getting rid of food sources can be a permanent solution to your spider problems. You can hire a professional exterminator or DIY pest control.
Keeping Outdoor Lights Off
Since outdoor lights attract bugs and other insects at night, spiders will naturally camp nearby to feast on them.
If you can keep the lights off on the porches at night, it may decrease the number of spiders making webs near the porch and outdoor lights.
DIY Pest Control Insecticide Solutions
If you want to try chemical solutions, there are a wide range of options for you including spider-killing sprays and insecticide dust.
Spider Killing Sprays
There are thousands of spider-killing sprays on the market, but the spider kit, Tempo SC Ultra concentrate, and PT Phantom II are highly rated.
Spider Kit
Tempo SC Ultra
PT Phantom II
- Spider Control Kit: This spider control kit features products you need to eliminate and prevent spiders from approaching your home. The products in the spider kit include tablets of Temprid FX to dissolve in a sprayer, an aerosol can for contact spraying, and 100i Insect Monitors to help identify where spiders are hiding.
- Tempo SC Ultra: This product contains an active ingredient beta-cyfluthrin that eliminates spiders and 100 other bugs without leaving behind visible residue or odor. The small version of Tempo SC Ultra can create around 30 gallons of solution that can cover about 30,000 square feet.
- PT Phantom II Pressurized Insecticide: Comes in a fitting, easy-to-apply aerosol can, this product is effective in eliminating spiders and other bugs insects such as bed bugs, cockroaches, and ants. It dries up clear without leaving behind any visible residue.
Insecticide Dusts
Choose from the two products below for your effective insecticide dust for removing spiders and insects around your home.
- CimeXa Insecticide Dust: This insect dust is a new kid on the block and can help you get rid of spiders, fleas, bed bugs, as well as other insects. It is 100 percent silica dust, odorless, and very safe, but most importantly it will not leave behind visible residue.
- Delta Dust Insecticide: This insecticide dust consists of deltamethrin and is the first and only 100 percent waterproof insecticide dust on the market.
Caution when using chemicals
Precautions should be observed when using sprays and insecticides to get rid of spiders and other insects.
Absorption via the skin is the most popular form of poisoning and may occur from drift, splash, or spill when preparing, loading, using, or disposing of the chemicals.
It may also occur when exposed to large quantities of residue when cleaning out filter screens or clogged nozzles.
Recommended safety measures
The first commended safety measure when dealing with chemicals is you need to read, understand, and follow to the letter the directions on the label.
This is the best way to help you stay safe and prevent splashing, spilling, spraying drift, leakages, and contaminating your clothing.
Also, avoid eating, drinking, chewing, or smoking while using chemicals when spraying for spiders and insects.
The reason is you could easily transfer the pesticide to your mouth from your hand, or fire from cigarettes may cause an explosion since most chemical pesticides are highly flammable.
Professional Extermination
When to Seek Professional Help
If you feel the DIY route is beyond your capabilities, you should immediately consider seeking the help of a professional exterminator to get rid of the spiders.
An exterminator will help you permanently eliminate bugs, insects, and pests on your property.
A professional exterminator knows more than one way to remove spiders from your home and many times they will guarantee that the methods used will be successful.
A professional extermination company will be expensive the average cost is around $150 to $500. This does not include follow-up visits if they are needed.
Benefits of Hiring a Professional
Professional exterminators are highly trained and certified, which means they will follow the proper guidelines to ensure the safety of your household.
Here are other benefits of using the services of a professional exterminator to get rid of spiders:
- Guaranteed results – sometimes
- Trained and certified professionals
- Convenience
- Efficient procedures
- Follow-up services
- Experience and knowledge of dealing with pests
Choosing a Reputable Pest Control Service
How do you choose an exterminator that will help you get rid of spiders and other insects in your home? Here are tips to help you make a decision:
- Look for experience in the form of years of service
- The pest control service should be insured
- It should be registered with the relevant pest control agency
- A company with dependable customer service
- Knowledgeable team members
Natural Remedies
Before jumping the gun and getting right into using chemicals to try and get rid of spiders, try these organic and safe remedies. No guarantee they will work.
Essential Oils
Spiders usually use their legs to smell, and they usually get repelled by strong scents. With that in mind, essential oils such as citrus, peppermint oil, tea tree, lavender, cedarwood, citronella, and eucalyptus oil might be helpful to repel spiders.
There are several ways to use essential oils as spider repellants, but one of the most effective ones is spraying it all over the area where the spiders are located.
Mix any essential oil with water, empty it in a spray bottle, and spray, covering the areas that have spider webs.
You can also cover the entry point to your house with essential oil to prevent spiders from entering. Alternatively, soak a cotton ball with essential oil and place it in spots they like to camp or access points.
Chestnuts and peppermint oil are the most effective essential oils to repel spiders.
One thing to keep in mind when using essential oils is that some people can be allergic to them, especially those from the tree nuts and mint family. Therefore, avoid using some kinds of essential oils if you or someone else in the house is allergic.
Vinegar Spray to Repel Spiders
Vinegar is known to contain a strong acid that can repel spiders. It can also be a good option when used since it is not toxic when touched or inhaled by animals or humans, making it ideal for frequent use around your home.
The acetic acid in vinegar is particularly harmful to most species of spiders. Arachnids don’t like the smell of vinegar, therefore this option can be effective enough to help you keep spiders at bay.
Note that the level of acetic acid in the vinegar will determine how effective this method will be in repelling spiders.
The vinegar itself is not strong enough to kill spiders instantly, however, the stench from the acetic acid will keep the spiders away from your home.
To mix a vinegar solution to get rid of or repel spiders, mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a bottle.
You can spray the solution directly on spiders and other bugs or in places where they hang out the most, such as in the cabinets, cracks, crevices, or corners.
Repeat this process until you see positive results. You may want to leave the spray bottle in an open place so that you can spray whenever you see spiders.
If you find the smell of the mixture too strong for you, try adding orange peels to the solution and allowing the citrus scent to imbue the mixture before using it.
You can try this to see if it works but there is no guarantee.
Citrus Peel for Spiders
Orange peels can also help repel spiders, but the best part is that it is the cheapest option you can use. The crawling arachnids are not big fans of the smell of citrus, and with that, you can use it to eliminate them from your home.
All you need to do is peel them in large amounts and place them in a bowl with boiling water and let them settle overnight.
Place the solution in a bottle spray and sprinkle on places where the spiders like to hide.
You don’t necessarily have to use orange peels. Other options such as lemon and grapefruit or any fruit with citrus can do the job of driving spiders away.
This is not proven to work but people have mentioned it works for them.
Herbs and Spices
Although there are numerous kinds of herbs and spices that you can use to get rid of spiders in your home, there are few that are more powerful than the rest.
In particular, basil, mint, and cinnamon are known to be very effective in controlling spider populations.
Basil is one of the most common herbs in the culinary world and while humans love it, insects can’t stand it.
Because of this, you can use basil to scare spiders away from your home. To use this herb, consider planting it in a pot and placing it in an entry point or a spot where you have detected spiders.
In addition to arachnids, mosquitoes, houseflies, and ants also don’t like basil.
Mint is also effective in keeping spiders and other insects at bay. It is also an herb that is known for a wide range of uses in the kitchen all over the world.
However, spiders don’t hang around mint, and you can take advantage of its double-edged benefits to stock mint plants in your home.
Cinnamon is a type of spice that produces a scent that spiders don’t care for, and therefore can be a great repellant.
Moreover, there are different cinnamon products you can choose from, including cinnamon essential oil or cinnamon itself, to ward off spiders.
Conclusion
Although spiders are generally not harmful unless you have poisonous spiders in your area, it is still important to manage their population or get rid of them.
In most cases, abundant spiders around or in your home mean you may have a bug problem since spiders eat insects.
There are different ways you can go about preventing spider invasion from becoming a nuisance, including sealing entry points to your home, eliminating spider food sources, and keeping outdoor lights off.
But if this cannot keep them at bay, you can use natural or chemical remedies to repel or kill the spiders. Getting rid of spiders is a great step towards a pest-free environment, but continued monitoring and prevention will ensure these critters do not come back.