Effective Spider Control For Summer

Eight legs, dozens of eyes, and one bad reputation—spiders can spook even the most hardened homeowners. One spider might not worry you—they can even help ward off other insects—and most spiders in Manitoba aren’t dangerous. They do leave a mess, though—there’s a reason that cobwebs are a universal symbol for old, abandoned, and uncleaned houses.

As a premier exterminator in Winnipeg, we’ve dealt with these eight-legged terrors more than a few times.  In this article, we’re going to teach you a few tips for effective spider control. We’ll cover cleaning techniques, natural remedies, and more—a bit of effort each day will keep the spiders away:

Clean and Declutter

Spiders lurk in dark, quiet spaces where they can trap their prey. They love clutter—it helps them hide and gives them surfaces to build their webs on. By decluttering regularly—and by cleaning any spider webs you find in crawl spaces—you can reduce the number of viable habitats for a spider to live in.

Remember to keep the outdoors clean, too—rake up any piles of leaves or grass clippings, get yellow outdoor bulbs that repel insects, and pay special attention to the dark, quiet areas that attract spiders. 

Prevent Spiders From Accessing Your Home

You can get rid of spiders, but it’s best to stop them from becoming a nuisance in the first place. Prevent spiders from getting indoors by ensuring that your outdoor doors and windows are always closed. Seal any cracks in your foundation, and use caulking and weather stripping to keep doors and windows tightly sealed. 

Use Natural Spider Repellants To Keep Spiders at Bay

Most insects respond best to synthetic chemicals, but spiders can be repelled using natural oils. There are a number of ingredients you can use to make a natural spider repellant. Here are a few options:

• Peppermint Oil: Put a few drops of peppermint essential oil into a spray bottle, mix with water, and spray around your house—especially in the nooks and crannies where spiders tend to have. Spiders hate the smell of mint—they’ll stay away.
• Citrus and vinegar: Spiders don’t like strongly-scented acids or citrusy essential oils. You can soak orange peels in apple cider vinegar, mix lemon juice with vinegar, or even use vinegar and tea tree oil. Mix a solution of vinegar with water in a spray bottle, and spray in spider-prone areas! 
• Diatomaceous Earth: You know those silica gel packets that you’re not supposed to eat? Diatomaceous earth has silica in it—which means it dehydrates any pests (including spiders) that walk over it. That makes it an effective method of pest control—buy the food-grade stuff, mix a tablespoon with water in a spray bottle, and spray it outside in spider-prone areas like wood piles and around trash bins.
• Cedar: Spiders hate cedar, and it’s easy to integrate throughout your home. Buy hangers made of cedar. Buy picture frames made of cedar! It’s a beautiful wood with a beautiful scent that spiders hate. 

Set Spider Traps

Now you know how to block spiders—but if you have spiders in your home you can’t seem to get rid of, sticky glue traps can help. They’re non-toxic and have the benefit of trapping other bugs. Place these traps near spider-prone areas—even spiders walk along the ground sometimes, and you’ll catch yourself a spider in no time at all.

Too Many Spiders To Handle? Call Gilles Lambert Pest Control

We know that spiders can be kind of freaky—webs everywhere, rapid skittering along the floor—the works!

That’s why we offer spider control in Winnipeg. When you’ve got more than a few spiders, it’s a spider infestation—and spider bites may be the least of your worries. We’ll get rid of those creepy crawlers quickly and give you a plan to prevent future infestations. Call us today!