Spiders can elicit shrill shrieks when they appear swinging from the ceiling of your bathroom, or scurrying down the curtains in the kitchen. But remember the kind and caring Charlotte, from the children’s book and movie Charlotte’s Web? Spiders may not counsel pigs, but they do keep other insects in check and are worthy of saving instead of being whacked with a shoe.
The best way to save a spider is to avoid letting them into your house from the start. Outside they do great things like trapping wasps and mosquitos (what’s the point of these pests anyway?) in their webs and serving them for dinner. Inside they only cause trouble.
A tear in your window screen is like putting down the red carpet for a spider. They climb walls to escape predators and to chase prey and if they find an opening, they’ll want to hide inside. Check your screens often and cut back any branches that can touch and rip them.
Gaps around doors or unsealed areas where wires and pipes enter your home also become favorite places for spiders to hide and gain access to your home. Caulk and weather stripping can keep the spiders, as well as other pests, outside. Closing the gaps might also help with your air conditioning bill.
When spiders aren’t on the move, and really, that’s rare, they look for nice areas to shelter and to offer protection. The place becomes ideal if it’s not often disturbed. Wood piles that aren’t touched in the warm season, the beautiful geraniums in planters around your porch, that old canoe you’ve been meaning to clean up and use again, can be the perfect home for spiders. Keep anything like this away from your house. For a spider, it’s an easy hop from a potted plant to a ripped screen, to your living room.
Another tip, that may not be possible where you live, is to keep outdoor lighting to a minimum. Maybe spiders are scared of the dark, but they are drawn into light and the spotlights hitting your garage door might be exactly the safe space they’re looking for. If despite your efforts at prevention, you find webs adorning the corners of your living room and spiders swinging down to greet you when you go to pour your coffee, call Northwest Pest Control. We can rid you of spiders and set up a perimeter treatment to keep them from returning. We’ll even tell your kids that Charlotte decided to move to Kansas.