July 25, 2014
Spider! Spiders! Lots of Spiders!
With the heavy rainfall we received earlier in the summer and the sudden heat in July, spiders are on the rise. Many people find spider control and prevention can be very difficult – particularly this year due to moisture and abundance of insects. In general, northern states’ spiders like darkness and high humidity; they are often found in basements, crawl spaces and other damp areas of buildings. Most of the spiders feed on small insects and other bugs they can subdue. Keeping their behavior in mind, here are some tips on controlling spider, or spiders, or lots of spiders:
1. Keep grass short; Trim bushes, trees and ornamental plants next to the building. This will reduce amount of insects around the structure on which spiders prey.
2. Reduce outside lighting. Change high power night lights to low pressure sodium lamps. Insects are attracted to lights outside at night, so are the spiders.
3. Seal around windows, doors, utility lines and all other openings on the building. Spiders use these places to gain access to the building. Door sweep, window seal and other type of caulking, foaming sealant can be very helpful.
4. It may sound crazy, but compulsively, vacuum up every bit of dust everywhere in the house, and that will get rid of 99% of the extant spider, insects, eggs, egg sacks, and even the food many various insects will eat.
5. Talk to a Pest Management Professional about general purpose pesticide application around the structure. This type of application is usually broad spectrum and it will greatly reduce pesty insect/arachnid population around the structure.
