Common House Spiders and How to Get Rid of Spiders in House
When you spot a spider in your home, it can be a downright freaky experience, especially if you have a fear of creepy crawlers. Their unpredictable way of moving, their sticky webs, and their hunting methods are way too gruesome. That’s why it’s understandable why many people cringe at the sight of a spider on the wall. What should you do if you start to notice spiders in your house?
Spider pest control and management is an ongoing effort, especially if you have spider infestations.
This article is all about house spiders – What are the common types of house spiders? Are they dangerous? And how can you get rid of them? So, let’s get started.
Common House Spiders – Types of House Spiders
Most common house spiders are not a threat to humans. They might bite in self-defense or when provoked, but their bites are usually harmless. The table below will help you to identify some of the common types of house spiders in the United States and the threat they can pose to your health.
| Name
|
Appearance | Habitat
|
Threat |
| American House Spider | Yellowish-brown color with brown spots and dirty white abdomen | Usually found under furniture, in closets, in barns and in basements | Relatively less threat to humans. They bite only when threatened |
| Long-Bodied Cellar Spider | Brown or dark orange with a light stripe on the sternum | Found in areas with high humidity and moisture, such as basements, barns, crawlspaces, sheds, bath traps, closets, etc. | Not known to bite and hence are not a threat to humans |
| Brown Recluse | Light to dark brown in color with violin-shaped markings on its back | Found outdoors in debris and woodpiles and indoors in attics, closets, and crawlspaces. | Biting is rare, but their bites can be painful and can produce open, ulcerating sores. Symptoms include restlessness, burning sensation at the site of the bite, difficulty sleeping, and fever |
| Sac Spiders | Light yellow or beige-colored oval body | Found near the ceiling or high along the wall | Harmless to most people, but can cause swelling and slight inflammation at the site. People with spider bite allergies or sensitivities may need a treatment |
| Jumping Spiders | Compact in shape, black in color with short legs, and covered with dense brightly colored hair or scales | Found around windows and doors, under stones, tree bark, decks, bushes, fences, and the outside of buildings | May bite in defense, but their bite is non-poisonous. |
| Wolf Spiders | Hairy, dark brown with paler markings or stripes with long, spiny legs | Found along walls and under furniture. Outside, it is found under stones, leaves, firewood, and other debris | Rarely bites unless provoked |
| Hobo Spider | Brownish color with no markings | Found in dark areas of the basement or under the fireplace woodpile | Can bite, but not dangerous. Some people may experience irritation at the site of a bite |
| Daddy Longlegs | Round body with very thin, long legs | Found in damp places, like crawlspaces, basements, and garages | Do not have venom glands. They pose no harm to humans |
| Yellow Sac Spider | Pale yellow or beige in color with two front legs longer than the others | Found along baseboards, around spaces where ceilings and walls meet, and behind picture frames | Can bite, and the venom is mildly poisonous. People with pre-existing diseases or compromised immune system may need hospitalization, but no fatal incidents have been recorded. |
| Orb Weaver Spiders | Brown or grey with smooth or spiny abdomens | Found on decks or outside the house if there is lighting outside | Although they can bite, they are no threat to humans |
| Grass Spiders | Resembles the brown recluse, but they have long spinnerets at the end of the abdomen, which the brown recluse doesn’t have | Found around the foundations of homes, but can be found inside the home | Can bite, but there are no reported cases of medical significance |
| Black Widow | Black and shiny with a red hourglass-shaped marking | Found around woodpiles and other undisturbed areas | Bites rarely, but the bites are dangerous. Females are aggressive when their webs are disturbed. Symptoms of a bite include sweating, increased blood pressure, fever, and nausea |
How to Get Rid of Spiders in House
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Call the professionals at Take Care Termite and get pest control done
This is the easiest way to take care of spider infestation. Take Care Termite’s expert technicians will identify the source of spider infestation and use special techniques to not only get rid of spiders but prevent their re-entry into your homes.
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Check areas in your house for spider infestations
Spiders don’t like to be disturbed, so they’ll hide in places that are unlikely to get your attention. Some of the places where you’ll find the spiders are:
- Piles of old magazines and newspaper
- Corners of the rooms
- Heaps of laundry left on the floor
- Open storage boxes in closets and basements
- Closets full of things you rarely use
- Under leaky kitchen and bathroom sinks
- Houseplants
If you notice spiders in these areas, clean them thoroughly. Remove the spiders, cobwebs, and egg sacs, if any.
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Follow a cleaning routine to make your home less inviting to spiders
When you clean your home regularly, you do not only get rid of cobwebs, but you also let the spiders know that they are not welcome. Some of the cleaning methods you can use are:
Weekly Cleaning Routine:
- Vacuum wall to wall.
- Remove clutter from the floor.
- Move items on countertops and clean behind them.
Monthly Cleaning Routine:
- Dust ceilings and light fixtures.
- Clean beneath your bed.
- Move smaller furniture and dust and vacuum behind it.
- Remove firewood piles, compost piles, garden bags, and general clutter from near your property.
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Rethink lighting in your home
Insects love light, and spiders love to feed on insects. You’ll see spiders wherever there are insects. If you want to get rid of spiders, give a thought to the lighting in your home. Use lighting in a way that is less attractive to the bugs (insects) that spiders feed on. Some of the lighting changes you can make to get rid of the spiders are:
- Reduce the amount of outdoor lighting.
- Replace existing lights with yellow lights or sodium vapor lights.
- If you must have brightly lit outdoors, then place the light source (the bulb) away from doors and windows.
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Place sticky traps indoors and use spider repellents
Although sticky glue traps are commonly used for rodent and cockroach control, they work on spiders too. Place the traps throughout your home in heavy spider traffic areas such as basements, attics, garages, closets, etc. Along with spiders rats and mice are also commonly found in garages and basements. Make sure to take the necessary steps to get rid of mice and rats in the basement and garage.
Also, use spider repellents to drive the spiders out of your home. Spider repellents emit a scent that the spiders dislike, thus making your home unpleasant for them. Use these repellents in areas around your home where you suspect spider infestation.
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Move the bins
Bins attract houseflies, and spiders love feeding on them. Moving your bins away from your house and keeping them closed at all times are effective ways of keeping spiders away from your doors and windows.
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Seal all openings to prevent their entry
Whether it’s a crack in the foundation, in the walls, around the pipework or window, seal all entries to prevent the spiders from entering your house.
Once inside the house, the house spider sets up its web and begins to feed. When both male and female spiders enter the house, they begin to lay eggs in the web. Once the eggs are hatched, the spiderlings look for other areas of the house to weave their own webs. Thus the cycle continues to cause a full-blown spider infestation.
Are House Spiders Dangerous?
Most of them are not. More than 3000 species of spiders are identified in the United States, and out of them, only about 60 are known to be dangerous. Spiders are scared of humans and bite only when they are threatened. Even if they bite you, chances are the spiders won’t inject the venom. Spiders use venom for hunting and not for self-defense. However, there are two species of spiders found in the United States: Black Widow and Brown Recluse.
How Do Spiders Get in the House?
The common house spiders are not big in size. They can easily squeeze through to get inside the house. Some of the areas through which the spiders can gain entry into the house include:
- Cracks and holes in the exterior walls or siding
- Cracks in the foundation
- Holes in window screens or any space in the house
- Space below the bottom of the door and the ground
- Boxes, and other numerous items that are brought inside the house from the outdoors
Take Care Termite’s spider exterminator services fully exterminate the spiders, remove the infestation, and prevent their re-entry, ensuring a complete spider control program for your property. Call us today!