Spider Management Guide

Spiders look for dark and secluded areas in homes to hide. Though most spiders are more of a nuisance than a threat, you still don’t want them infesting your house. Implementing prevention methods and using pest control products can help to keep spiders from taking over your home. We’ve gathered information to help you eliminate a spider infestation.  

Like other pests, spiders sneak into homes to find food, shelter, and moisture. Identifying what specifically attracted them, and removing the attractant, will make it easier to get rid of these arachnids. Spiders can be active year-round, especially since your home provides them with a warm environment. If they have access to food and moisture too, then you can plan on them sticking around. To kick spiders out of your home, you’ll need to use pest control products and minimize conducive conditions.

Reducing Attractants

• Seal Entry Points: Spiders enter homes via cracks or holes around your house. Checking for and sealing these potential points of entry will deter spider activity. Make sure your door and window screens don’t have tears. Seal any holes near cable lines or utility lines. Spiders also can be brought indoors on firewood, toys, or items stored in your shed, so look your items over before bringing them inside.
• Remove Food Sources: A spider’s primary food source is an insect. If you’re dealing with other bug problems, then spiders may be drawn to your house. Keeping your home bug-free will help to minimize spider activity. Take steps to eliminate infestations and minimize potential bug attractants such as food and moisture.
• Reduce Sources of Shelters: Spiders prefer to spend time in quiet, secluded areas away from light sources. They will often hide in corners, closets, and under items indoors and outside. Keeping your space neat will minimize potential hiding spots. Outdoors, you’ll want to remove leaves and other yard debris. Keep your grass and vegetation trimmed. Storing your woodpiles off the ground can help to keep spiders from hiding in them.
• Minimize Moisture: These arachnids like damp environments and are often spotted in basements and bathrooms. Take steps to minimize moisture build-up in your home and yard. Fix leaky pipes or appliance leaks. Clean up water spills near sinks and bathtubs. Keeping your space as dry as possible will help to prevent spiders from moving into your home.
• Vacuuming & Knocking Down Webs: In addition to reducing attractants, you’ll also want to take steps to remove spider webs and any spider eggs. Vacuuming is a great way to remove spiders and their eggs, so incorporate this into your weekly cleaning routine. If you notice spider webs in your home, knock them down with a broom or duster. This will discourage spiders from spinning webs in that location. A cobweb brush or broom can also be used to remove webs on the exterior of your house. 

Maggie’s Farm offers insecticide sprays, dusts, and traps to help effectively control a spider problem.

Plant-Based Insecticide Sprays

Our Home Bug Spray and Ant & Roach Killer are labeled for spider control. These sprays provide contact kill and residual repellency protection. The repellent properties will help to deter spiders from entering your house. Our Wasp & Hornet Killer can be used outdoors to kill spiders on their webs or in hard-to-reach areas such as under eaves. The foaming jet spray reaches up to 18 feet. Our Yard Bug Spray can be used to create a repellent barrier around the perimeter of your house.

Application Tips

It’s important to shake the bottle and can well before beginning your application. You’ll want to directly spray spiders to kill them. You can also spray near entry points or areas where spiders tend to hide to help repel them. Our Home Bug Spray can be applied outdoors near window and doorframes, corners and edges on the underside of covered porches, overhangs, garages, and sheds. Spray our Yard Bug Spray around the perimeter of your house and the lower portions of the foundation to stop spiders from entering your home. When using our Wasp & Hornet Killer, hold the can upright and aim the spray nozzle at the web. Press the button firmly to spray, contacting as many spiders as possible.

Insecticide Dusts

Insecticide dusts are an effective solution for spiders. Our Spider & Insect Dust and Bed Bug Killer dust can help to control a spider infestation. Our Spider and Insect Dust is formulated using plant essential oils. It kills and repels spiders and will remain effective for up to 6 months. Our Bed Bug Killer dust is a non-repellent, desiccant dust that causes death by dehydration. It will remain effective for up to 10 years when undisturbed, providing long-lasting control.

Application Tips

You’ll want to apply dusts to areas where spiders like to hide and spots where they can enter your home. Apply the dust in cracks and wall voids, behind and along baseboards, underneath or behind appliances, and under cabinets. Attics and crawl spaces can also be treated with a dust. You can use the puffer bottle or a paintbrush for applications. Thoroughly treat the areas, but remember that only a light, visible film of dust is needed.

Traps

Our Spider & Insect Trap can be used around your home to help control spiders. It utilizes a pesticide-free glue board that works 24/7 to capture spiders and crawling insects. The station is easy to use and helps to keep children and pets from accessing the glue board. Its translucent design makes it easy to see when to replace the glue board.

Application Tips

Peel the protective paper off the glue board and place the glue board in the bottom of the station, sticky side up. After closing the station, you can place it close to where you have noticed spider activity. Focus on areas where spiders enter your home or where they are likely to harbor. Position the station on a level surface near doors and windows, in garages, basements, and outbuildings. Every three months or when the glue board is full of spiders, you will need to replace it.

Keeping spiders out of your home requires a two-step approach—eliminate attractants and use the right pest control products.