House Spider Prevention Tips Every Homeowner Should Know

May 31, 2018

In: Spiders

Most people aren’t fans of having to share their homes with spiders. Some spiders, while creepy and cringe-worthy, are harmless and other spiders are downright dangerous. It’s important to be able to tell the difference between a common house spider and a more harmful spider like a black widow or brown recluse. You’ll want to be able to easily identify various spiders and understand how to get rid of them from your home. There are certain things you can do to try to keep spiders out of your home and professional pest control services that can help protect you and your family.

There are many types of spiders found in New England. Some of the most common are:

• House Spider – The term house spider can refer to many types of spiders and while they are harmless, seeing spiders in your home can be worrisome. 

• Black Widow Spider – Black widow spiders are one of the easiest to identify with the black round body and red hourglass marking on the underside. Venom from a bite can be toxic to children and the elderly but otherwise is usually just painful but harmless.

• Brown Recluse Spider - Brown recluse spiders are less than an inch in size, the brown recluse has six eyes and is often confused with general house spiders.

How to Tell the Brown Recluse and House Spider Apart

One spider that people worry about is the brown recluse, however, this spider is found mostly in the south and isn’t a big problem in New England. House spiders can often be confused with the brown recluse and frighten people, but you can tell them apart if you look closely. The house spider is generally hairy or fuzzy and has eight eyes. If a house spider is moving, they tend to move quickly. The brown recluse on the other hand, looks smooth and hairless, has six eyes instead of eight, and when it moves tends to do so slowly and deliberately.

How to Get Rid of Spiders

While you can see that a house spider is typically not harmful, people still don’t like sharing their homes with any type of spider! There are a few things you can do to eliminate spiders in your home. Remove all cobwebs and spider webs from both inside and outside the home regularly. Get rid of clutter in basements and attics that provide good hiding spots. Clean up all yard debris like rocks, construction material, and unused structures and organic materials like decaying logs, leaves, and wood piles that make nesting sites.

Even with the best home prevention strategies, it is often nearly impossible to control spiders on your own. The professionals at American Pest Solutions can help you with a year-round pest prevention services that will not only help with spiders but will put a barrier around your home to help prevent other pests. While treating your home for pests, American Pest Solutions will remove spider webs from your property at no extra charge. An inspection of your property and a treatment plan will help give you ongoing protection from a company that has a 100-year history of pest control experience.