Spiders are creepy bugs with eight legs and fangs that can typically inject venom. They’re known for spinning intricate webs that capture insects for them to eat.
Many of us are scared of spiders due to their fearsome, creepy looks and the potential danger of being bitten by venomous spiders, like the brown recluse spider. Unfortunately, spiders commonly live inside our homes, which is problematic because some spider species will quickly breed indoors and take over your home.
Despite their scary looks, spiders eat insects that wander into your home, making them valuable critters to have around. However, venomous spiders do present a danger to humans and should be dealt with quickly before they spread the infestation in your home. If spiders have taken up residence in your home, there are various ways you can go about eliminating them.
If you’re interested in learning how to get rid of spiders, keep reading our guide, which goes over the following:
- How To Get Rid of and Kill Spiders
- How To Keep Spiders Out of Your Home and Yard
- How To Identify Spiders
- Signs & Causes of a Spider Infestation
If trying to exterminate spiders on your own becomes too challenging, we recommend Orkin, Terminix, and Aptive. These exterminators have some of the best-trained professionals that can use traps, baits, and other chemically treated solutions that are often more effective than standard DIY methods.
For Terminix quotes, you can reach them at 866-577-5051 or with this form.
For quotes from Orkin, call 866-701-4556, or fill out this form.
For a free quote from Aptive, call 855-521-7075 or visit the company’s website.
Ed has been working in the pest control industry for years helping 1,000's of homeowners navigate the world of insect and rodent management. He manages Pest Strategies now helping homeowners around the world!
Table of Contents
How To Get Rid of and Kill Spiders
If you’re unlucky enough to find a spider, or multiple spiders, in your home, then you may be wondering what is the best way to kill spiders?
Here are our top tips for repelling and killing spiders:
- Destroy all spider webs. Take a broom and knock down all spider webs you come across. If you take away a spider’s ability to capture food, it will be less likely to stick around.
- Use vinegar to repel spiders. Take a spray bottle and fill it halfway with white vinegar and the other half with water. Then spray this mixture into common spider areas, like the corners of your rooms. Reapply this mixture every couple of days.
- Use a spider insecticide. Insecticide treatments can be highly effective in killing spiders and even taking care of a more extensive spider infestation. Many insecticides will instruct you to spray them along your baseboards, under furniture, and in the corners of your home. Please note that some insecticides are unsafe to use around pets or children, so read the instructions and guidelines before applying.
- DIY a natural spider repellent out of essential oils. Spiders do not like the smell of many essential oils, including lavender oil, peppermint essential oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, and citronella. Try adding an ounce or two of one of these essential oils to a spray bottle, then fill it with water and a couple of drops of dish soap to make the mixture stickier. Then, spray this in common spider areas, like the corners of your home or the baseboards.
- Thoroughly clean up your home. Use a vacuum around the window sills, curtains, blinds, and curtain rods to target areas where spider egg sacs may be. Make sure you empty your vacuum in a trash can outside, far from the outside of your home.
- Purchase spider traps. Spider traps are typically flat cardboard pieces with a thin layer of glue on top. The spider trap essentially works as a glue trap and prevents spiders from moving off the glue trap once they’ve stepped on it. Use these near your entrance, baseboards, and in corners of your home.
- Use diatomaceous earth (DE). DE is an effective natural remedy that lacerates the spider’s exteriors, leading it to pass away from dehydration. A typical application of DE is in thin, tiny layers and around the exterior of your home.
How to Keep Spiders Out of Your Home and Yard
Nobody wants to come across a spider crawling across their walls. Here are some of our top tips for preventing spiders from coming into your home and yard in the first place:
- Clear the clutter. Spiders love accessible hiding places, like cardboard boxes, storage areas, and dark closets. Clean up the clutter to prevent spiders from using your home as an easy target. Vacuum regularly to keep webs under control and eliminate food sources for spiders and other pests, like fleas and roaches, that may attract spiders to come into your home.
- Install window screens. If you enjoy keeping your window open, make sure that you install screens to prevent pests from coming in. Once installed, regularly inspect your screens and immediately replace any torn screens you find.
- Keep your kitchen tidy. Don’t leave out leftovers or food crumbs that may attract insects. Insects are many spiders’ preferred food source, so discouraging other insects from entering your home can keep spiders away too.
- Repair any cracks in your foundation. If you notice gaps, holes, or crevices in your foundation or doorways, immediately take note and close up the gap with a caulking product. The fewer points spiders have to enter your home, the better.
- Change your outdoor lighting. Like many pests, spiders are attracted to lights, so keep your outdoor lights on only when needed. Consider switching your light bulbs to sodium vapor lights or yellow lights, which are less attractive lighting options to pests.
- Keep up your landscaping. Trim back any tall grass and clear vegetation at least eight feet away from the outside of your home to prevent spiders from wandering in accidentally. Tall grass is a favorite hiding place of many pests, and spiders may search for food in tall grass, so keep up on regular lawn mowing to prevent this. Barrier insecticides are also available to repel spiders from your yard and home.
Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
DE is an effective natural remedy that lacerates the spider’s exteriors, leading it to pass away from dehydration.
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How To Identify Spiders
Spiders are eight-legged arachnids with fangs and several sets of eyes (typically eight eyes in total). It’s usually easy to identify these pests as a spider, but it can be difficult to identify different species of spiders.
There are two primary types of spiders: web building spiders and hunting spiders.
Hunter Spiders
Hunter spiders typically live outdoors but may come inside accidentally or when looking for shelter or food.
- Active hunters that stalk and chase their prey
- They may also be passive hunters who lie in wait for prey to approach them
- Do not create spider webs to capture food in
- Live outside, but may come inside during colder weather
- Typically don’t reproduce inside because they don’t tend to thrive once indoors
- Are fast and difficult to catch
- Examples of hunter spiders include: Parson spiders, sac spiders, wolf spiders, and sowbug spiders
Web Building Spiders
Web building spiders are considered a more severe threat to humans because they’re more likely to thrive indoors and breed, making the possibility of a spider infestation much more likely.
- Create spider webs to catch their prey
- Typically live near or on their spider web, waiting for their next meal
- Depending on the species of spider, it may survive, or even thrive, indoors and reproduce
- Usually have poor eyesight and rely on sensing and their spider webs to eat
- Examples of web building spiders include: Tangle web spiders, house spiders, black widow spiders, brown recluse spiders
Venomous Spiders
When identifying what kind of spider is in your home, it’s essential that you rule out the two types of venomous spiders that live in the United States. Both the brown recluse spider and black widow spider have venomous spider bites that can require medical attention.
While it’s rare for one of these spider bites to cause a fatality, it has happened. You’re far more likely to experience uncomfortable symptoms as a result of the spider bite, which is why medical attention is recommended if you’re bitten.
Venomous Spiders in the United States
- The Black Widow Spider: The black widow is infamous for being the most venomous spider in the United States. Black widow spiders are identifiable by their all-black body and red hourglass marking on their back. They typically live inside and will seek shelter inside of our closets, shoes, or other crevices.
- The Brown Recluse Spider: This spider is mainly in the western and southern parts of the United States. They typically hide in woodpiles, cardboard boxes, sheds, and dark, damp places. They can be identified by their brown body and six eyes (most spiders have eight eyes).
Signs & Causes of a Spider Infestation
So, what attracts spiders into your home? There are various reasons that spiders may enter your home, but the primary reason is access to food, water, and shelter from cold weather. Many homeowners will experience increased spider activity during the fall and winter as spiders seek refuge from the cold and less favorable weather conditions, like rain and snow. However, spiders are a pest that are still commonly seen year-round, so don’t let your guard down just because it’s spring or summer.
Things that attract spiders to your home:
- Other insect infestations in your home (Spiders eat insects, so an existing infestation gives them easy access to their next meal)
- Easy shelter (Spiders will use sheltered areas of your home, such as woodpiles, storage areas, cardboard boxes, etc. as a hiding place)
- Dark, secluded areas in your home, such as the basement, attic, garage, or crawl space
- Easy access to your home via cracks, crevices, torn window screens, and holes (If it’s easy to enter your home, spiders and other pests are more likely to enter)
- Protection from the weather outside (If the temperatures are dropping outside, spiders are more likely to come inside in search of shelter)
During their stay, spiders will begin building intricate spider webs to trap insects in. The longer they’re in your home, the more spider webs they can make, giving them better access to consistent food, encouraging them to stick around. If you spot webs, cleaning them up is a great way to discourage spiders from hanging around.
Signs of a spider infestation:
- Noticing cobwebs around your home
- Spotting spiders in your home
- Having an existing insect infestation, especially flying insects, like gnats, mosquitoes, or flies
- Finding spider egg sacs, which are typically wrapped in a silk ball
If you find egg sacs in your home, you likely have a severe infestation or are about to have a significant infestation. It’s recommended that you immediately contact a pest control professional for immediate spider control measures.
Conclusion
Spiders are creepy pests that nobody wants to find in their home. Worse yet, many species of spiders breed quickly and can take over your home in the blink of an eye.
Don’t hesitate to call a pest control professional to inspect your home if you have spiders or note other signs of a spider infestation. They can consult with you about different spider control options and quickly get the problem under control.
