You just love having spiders in your house, right? No? Well, if you’re not so crazy about the idea, then you need to do a few things to keep those infestations of eight-legged visitors out of your home. Here are some great ideas to get rid of them or prevent them from showing up in the first place.
Get Rid of Other Bugs
Spiders are attracted to bugs because those bugs are the food source for the spiders. It stands to reason then, that if you eliminate the food, the spiders will go away. Use a few tricks you can do to cut down on the pest population in general (and ultimately cut out the spiders’ food source). Keep your outside lights off so you don’t attract bugs to your house, or at least switch to yellow bug bulbs that are not as attractive to bugs. Keep your blinds closed or your curtains pulled at night so you won’t attract bugs with the house lights.
Don’t leave out food and dirty dishes, clear away clutter, and keep a tidy home (as tidy as possible) to deter other bugs and ultimately keep from attracting spiders to your home.
Vacuum Webs and Egg Sacks
If you see spider webs and egg sacks, break out the vacuum cleaner or the wet/dry vac and suck up the webs and eggs. The trick is to eliminate as much of the spiders’ comfy digs as possible.
Set Out Glue Traps
If you see spiders, invest in several glue traps and set them around those traffic areas. Discard glue traps and put out new ones when you get a few spiders trapped on them.
Glue traps are by far the most successful method of getting rid of large numbers of spiders. It is messy sometimes, but will get rid of spiders for sure. Here are the ones I use and they are well worth the small investment.
Remove Vegetation from Around Your Home
Vegetation that is planted in pots or in the ground up against your house can attract spiders and bugs. Move everything away from your home.
Use Peppermint Oil
Make a solution of about 15-20 drops of peppermint oil and water and pour into a spray bottle. Spiders really don’t like peppermint oil and you can spray this solution around your home to deter the spiders. If you’re not crazy about the smell of peppermint, use tea tree oil or eucalyptus oil.
Use Diatomaceaous Earth
This powdery substance is a dessicant for insects. This means the particles will cut the exoskeleton of insects and cause them to dehydrate and die. It’s a great pest deterrent for all types of bugs and especially spiders. Spread it around the outside of your home and in areas inside where you see spiders.
Having spiders in your home can certainly give you the heebie jeebies and it may be impossible to totally rid your home of these critters. Cutting down on the population and removing an infestation, though, will take work and is certainly necessary if you aren’t crazy about the idea of rooming with a bunch of eight-legged visitors.