The fear of spiders is incredibly common. In fact, 15% of the world’s population suffers from arachnophobia. People are still afraid, even if the spider species is harmless. Like the house spiders. So, it makes complete sense that we receive an enormous amount of house spider inquiries in Autumn. Not only is it one of the most common spiders in Ireland. But they are especially likely to be indoors at this time of year. More and more of our customers are coming across house spiders. And they want to know what they can do about them. So, here are 5 tips to stop house spider infestations.
1. Seal any gaps, crack or crevices
House spiders do not like the cold. Therefore, they utilise any opportunity to head indoors. So, the first preventative measure is to ensure there are no ways for that to happen. Check the exterior of your property. Remember spiders can crawl through the smallest gap. Therefore, sealing any potential entry points is imperative. Regardless of how small the gap may seem. Don’t forget to check the seals around windows and doors. And even install draught excluders to ensure they don’t come under the front door.
2. Clean food debris ASAP
Spider infestations are typically secondary infestations. More often than not, spider infestations start with insect infestations. As spiders eat insects. Therefore, they go where the insects go. So, to avoid spiders in your home, you need to avoid insects too. Insect infestations start when there is a food source. Cleaning up food debris is a good start. Like crumbs on the floor or under appliances. Never leave food on the counters, or in the sink. Eliminating insect infestations acts as a spider deterrent. Without a food source, they are unlikely to stick around.
3. Remove house spiders, webs and eggs
Get rid of any spiders, webs or eggs as soon as you spot them! If possible, use a vacuum. Do you know that one web can contain an egg sac with hundreds of spiders inside? Do not give spider eggs the opportunity to hatch. Or you will have an infestation on your hands. If you spot egg sacs on a spider web, disposing of them will not help. They have to be crushed. Thus ensuring they cannot hatch. Obviously, this isn’t a very pleasant task. However, destroying eggs may be preferable to having hundreds of spider hatch.
4. Frequent cleaning
The last tip is fairly straightforward. Keep your home clean! Regular vacuuming and dusting work wonders to control spider populations. And don’t forget corners and hard-to-reach areas. Spiders thrive in areas less frequented by humans. So make sure you don’t forget them during your cleaning sessions.
Dealing with house spiders?
Call or email Ultimate Pest Control today and we will deal with them for you!
