deter spider - DIY Chatroom

Red Squirrel · 09-23-2009, 02:54 PM

My house/yard seems to have lot of spiders. I see constant webs everywhere and occasionally a spider. I had it sprayed professionally and it helped quite a bit, but I'm still finding lot of new webs in my crawlspace and some in the basement.

What is something pet friendly I can do in the crawlspace to deter or kill spiders? I was thinking of putting duct tape with sticky side exposed, think that would catch them? What about leaving small cups of dish soap or something, would that help? I have a cat and while she does not really go in the basement I don't want to use anything that could be bad for her, if I do let her down.

Also what are common places that spiders can get in by? The foundation is fairly crack free and has been parged on the outside so think I got that part covered. What about drains, do they swim through weeping tile drains sometimes and come out?

ARI001 · 09-25-2009, 10:15 AM

As long as there is a food source there will be spiders. I use Bayer yard treatment in the yard. It cuts down on a lot of the bugs around the house and is safe for kids and pets once dry. Cut out and replace damaged caulk, look for points of entry around the house and seal them off as best as you can. You will never totally eradicate spiders from the house. They can come in undetected when you enter and exit your home even if you somehow did manage to seal off all other points of entry. Glue traps will catch wondering spiders and are safer than pesticides. Outside spray a perimeter around the structure ( Not with the Bayer) at the location of the starter strip for the siding. Spray around doors, windows, and penetrations. Use a broom to knock down existing webs.

Red Squirrel · 09-26-2009, 01:42 AM

I'll try the glue traps. Though would duct tape or vapor barrier tape work just as good? Or would it not be enough? Reason I ask is that it would be easier and cheaper to stick some like, everywhere. I can cut small squares then tack them around corners.

Never even thought of checking for entrances from outside, easier then trying to find them from inside. I'll have to find a day it's not raining and look around. I got some parging done so chances are most of the entry ways are now blocked, so I may just need to kill existing spiders as I go. I find lot of dead flies so my previous sprayings are working, just need to remove those flies as they are food sources.

A while back before I cleaned up the crawlspace, there was a pile of bricks with empty beetle shells. The spiders were sucking the juices right out of em and leaving the bodies.

Was a beetle graveyard in there.

chrisn · 09-26-2009, 05:32 AM

Probably better to have the spiders around as opposed to what they are eating.

DangerMouse · 09-26-2009, 07:56 AM

too true, chrisn!

fact: throughout your entire life, you are rarely more than 3 feet away from a spider!

i use basil run through a fine screen to make a powder and sprinkle that where i do not want spiders.
to stop cobwebs in high corners, etc. i use a mix of white vinegar and lemon juice and water in a misting bottle.
re-apply as necessary.

DM

Red Squirrel · 09-30-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse

too true, chrisn!

fact: throughout your entire life, you are rarely more than 3 feet away from a spider!

i use basil run through a fine screen to make a powder and sprinkle that where i do not want spiders.
to stop cobwebs in high corners, etc. i use a mix of white vinegar and lemon juice and water in a misting bottle.
re-apply as necessary.

DM

Hmm I'll give that a try. I know I can't kill them ALL but if I can at least deter a good part of them away it would be great. I already removed lot of food sources so that probably helped. I also noticed benifect really deters them when it's sprayed directly on one, but not sure if it would work if it's already applied to the ground.

Lordofthepests · 10-02-2009, 03:32 PM

Do not spray spiders. This causes insects other than spiders to die off too. The best method to fight spiders is to get rid of the pests they feed on. Moreover, get rid of their webs.

Please do not Spam this site with links to your web page

Daniel Holzman · 10-02-2009, 04:47 PM

My basement has lots of spiders, who live on the insects down there. I have learned to appreciate the spiders. We have deal, I don't eat the insects they live on, and they don't bother me.

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey
Along came a spider
And sat down beside her
So she ate that too....

I suppose that is the alternative, however note that in North America there are two poisonous varieties, the brown recluse and the black widow. so don't eat them.

Red Squirrel · 10-02-2009, 08:02 PM

I heard dandy long legs are very poisonous too but they can't bite through our skin, but are deadly if eaten.

My main issue with spiders is I have a small phobia of spider webs. I don't get night terrors over it or anything, but they just overall creep me out (the webs, not so much the spiders) so I clean them out with the shop vac as much as possible but if I can eliminate most then that's even better. Of course there will always be some, but if I can avoid this, this and stuff like this from happening again, I'll be happy.

I'm also concerned about my cat possibly eating one. She sure likes to eat bugs. Her favorite summer feast is a nice big house fly. I've seen a couple earwigs here already I'm sure she'll like to crunch on one of those if she finds one.

Red Squirrel · 10-07-2009, 10:38 PM

Another thing I was thinking, I usually have a rather active spider inside my sump, can spiders dig? Maybe they are getting into the weeping tiles then entering that way. Is this a possibility? If yes I can maybe screen off the sump and it may keep them from coming out. Though it could be the spider came from another area and went inside instead.

Also does air movement help deter spiders? Before I moved in I had an industrial fan on inside the crawl space blowing in an angle as to try to get most of it, and on the other end was the dehumifier. I had done this to try to get the air to circulate enough so that air from all corners go through the dehumifier. I think the new webs started after I shut off that fan, but that also coincides with my basement demolition which I spotted at least 3 spiders that I was not fast enough to kill.

I'll give the suggestions above a try though and see how it works out, but any other suggestions are welcome too.

Red Squirrel · 10-08-2009, 01:43 PM

I tried duct tape strips around the areas I seem to get the most spiders. I caught two bugs. I think they're roaches, but not 100% sure, I only checked quickly and it's a dark corner, I'll have to get a pic. Looks like armadillos but about the size of a fly. So now I have an idea of what I may be dealing with: a food source. Need to get rid of those first and think I have a feeling I know where they may be coming from.

buffdadjj · 10-09-2009, 10:52 PM

I put peices of flea collar in my camper to keep spiders out it seems to work. Just a thought.

Red Squirrel · 10-10-2009, 03:53 PM

So far my duct tape is catching a few bugs. I seem to have some pill bugs. (not roaches like I thought)

I checked again today and found a HUGE brown spider. Like at least 1 inch leg span.

Edit: added pic of spider, turns out to be brown not black. Looks black to the naked eye.

Red Squirrel · 10-10-2009, 11:06 PM

I'm getting somewhere. With the spraying, duct tape, removal of new cobwebs, I managed to catch two huge spiders some random bugs to give me an idea of what I have and I even happened to spot a centipede today and it was actually able to make it's way between the cement floor and the wall! I looked more carefully and sure enough there's a very small slit, probably from the cement curing and shrinking.

So I'll put some caulking all around the basement and crawlspace as a start. At this point think I need to eliminate the other bugs first as that's what's attracting the spiders and making them stay.