The sight of spiders in the home is usually met with disgust and a quick slap with a book or shoe. Something about the sight of them can be downright unsettling. Spiders are a common household pest, but if you’re seeing more of them than usual, it could point to a different problem.

Why Are There Spiders In Your Home?

Colder weather often heralds the appearance of more pests in the home, as they’re looking for food and shelter from the changing outdoor conditions. But colder weather isn’t always the main reason why you’ll see more spiders in your home. Oftentimes, the presence of spiders means that there are other pests in your home, sometimes ones you don’t even see.

Spiders eat insects rather than human food. So chances are, if you’re seeing more of them than usual, they’re busy doing some in-house pest control of their own. Most spiders don’t bite, and 98 percent are harmless to humans. It is a good idea, however, to know what types of venomous spiders are most common in your area so that you can watch out for and promptly get rid of them.

The House Spider

One of the most common types of spiders that you will likely find in your home is aptly named the “house spider”. They often have a variable yellowish-brown and dirty white coloring with stripes that meet at an angle. Females are usually about 3/16-5/16 inch long, while males are about 1/8-3/16 inch long. A female will usually lay about 250 eggs in a small, round, brownish-colored sac in her web, and can lay up to 17 sacs of eggs in her lifetime, which can be around a year.

How to Get Rid of Spiders

Spiders often show up in places where they are not wanted, such as in bedrooms, bathrooms and family rooms, and their webs can be a nuisance. If you want to get rid of the spiders infesting your home, one of the first steps to take is to pest-proof your home so that they can’t find a source of food. You can also take a more direct approach by looking for and eradicating them specifically. Some simple ways to do this in-house pest control include:

  • Sealing cracks and holes in walls and trim
  • Keeping brush, mulch, leaves and tree limbs away from the outside walls of your home
  • Quickly remove or sweep up any food or crumbs 
  • Vacuuming frequently
  • Vacuuming up cobwebs, nests and spiders when you find them
  • Paying attention to and cleaning corners and dark, hard-to-reach areas of your home
  • Keeping window and door screens in good condition

If you’re experiencing a spider infestation, don’t hesitate to contact us. At Dodson Pest Control, we have 80 years of experience dealing with pests of every kind, and we can help you solve your spider problem.