When you think about pest control, you might think of someone spraying insect repellent around the entryways of your home. You might think about a roach infestation, a mosquito problem, or rodent prevention. Or, you may think about termite heat-treatment tents or raccoons being escorted out of yards in cages.
For some reason, however, most people don’t think about spiders. People accept their unsightly webs in the corners of their homes as something to be vacuumed another time, and they simply try to flush spiders down the drain when they see them in the shower. They never think about actually solving the problem. But if you understood that you really could get rid of spiders in your house for good, wouldn’t you want to?
The Spiders of Nassau County
As Nassau County property owners, we take pride in protecting our homes. So we need to know just what we’re up against if we’re going to take on the challenge of attaining a spider-free household. There are five species of spiders common around Nassau county homes:
Black Widow
About 1/2 an inch long, these black spiders are identified by the dark red hourglass on their bodies. They are poisonous to humans, but the bites rarely result in death. You’ll find them in basements and areas of outdoor clutter, like in a garage or shed.
Brown Recluse
These guys have a little bit more venom to their bite, and can be very harmful to humans. Fortunately, they’re also rarer. You can identify them by their light brown color and dark brown/black violin shape on their backs.
Wolf Spiders
This species is not harmful to humans, even though they resemble brown recluse spiders. You can differentiate it by its size (almost 2 inches in length at the most) and its rather hairy body.
Yellow Sac Spiders
These small spiders range in color from yellow to light green to tan, with the front of their head being the darkest portion. They like to hang out where your walls meet your ceiling, but will quickly drop to the floor on a string of web if threatened.
Harvestmen
Often referred to as “daddy longlegs” these spiders have a very tiny body and – yes, you guessed it – very long legs. They’ll feed on decaying insects and on plants in your home and yard, but they won’t clutter your home with webs as they have no silk-production capabilities.
Prevention Strategy
If you want to eliminate spiders, you need to understand why they want to enter your home in the first place. Typically, it’s because they want to feed on other pests. If you can stick with the best practices for limiting other pests, spiders will probably find somewhere else to be.
- Clear away your clutter: Most pests, including spiders, are terrified of open spaces.
- Keep it clean: Make sure you properly store your food and trash, vacuum regularly, and sweep away webs as soon as you see them.
- Control the moisture: Pests thrive on damp and dark spaces of your home, so always check for leaking pipes and moisture building up in low-traffic areas like basements and behind appliances.
These are, in fact, the best practices for spider prevention. However, that doesn’t mean they always work. If you want to get spiders out of your home for good, you need the experts. Contact the professionals at Parkway Pest Services for more advice or for assistance on keeping spiders off your property. Life is better without spiders in your home. Learn more about our home pest control and commercial pest control services.