Spiders are eight-legged arachnids which are quite scary although most are not harmful however, most people have developed fear against this creatures. The thought of sleeping in a room with a spider can be terrifying. Whether dangerous or not, most people prefer a spider-free infested house and are always looking for means to get rid of them or drive them away for good. In the ultimate guide to control spiders, there are directives to follow and apply that will help you control spiders and keep your home free of this arachnids.
Types Of Spiders
Spiders are categorized in two different main groups. Web-building spiders consists of spiders which spin webs and sit there while waiting for prey to get caught in the web and feed on them. Such spider species include the red back house spider and the black house spider. The other group is the running spiders such as huntsman and white-tailed spiders which are adapted to run and hunt for prey on their own.
Common House Spiders :
Black House Spider
Image : Black House Spider
The black house spider has a robust body size with a black appearance and sometimes brown and a charcoal grey colored abdomen. Inside houses, they’ll form webs on window frames and on the walls. The female black house spider is known to stay on the web and keeps on repairing it when damaged. Bites from such a spider can be poisonous but they are not fatal.
Common House Spider
Image : Common House Spider
Most house spiders have a yellow-brown appearance and an elongated abdomen. They are harmless and they don’t pose any kind of threat to those living inside the house. Common house spiders will live high up on the wall corners, under furniture, in crawls spaces as well as inside closets.
Black Widow
Image : Black Widow
This black shiny spiders with an hourglass shape on the back, red in color are often found in wood piles and love places quiet places with minimal disturbances. The male black widow rarely bites whereas the female black widow is aggressive and will bite as a defense mechanism. If you’ve been bitten by a black widow spider, you’re likely to suffer from fever, sweating, nausea and increased blood pressure.
Brown Recluse
Image : Brown Recluse Spider
The brown recluse spider is also known as a violin spider due to the dark brown violin marking on its back. They’re usually brown in color and can either be dark or light colored. Mostly seen in the outdoor setup but may accidentally get into the house and will hide inside storage areas, under furniture, in crawl spaces, attics, closets and baseboards as well as window moldings. The brown recluse spider will only bite if it feels threatened. The bites are painful and can form lesions and you will most likely feel uneasy and find it difficult to sleep and experience fever.
Wolf Spider
Image : Wolf Spider
This is a dark brown spider with pale brown marking on its body. They will most especially stay on the floor or close by where you’ve placed furniture and along the walls. They may bite, yes however it is very rare and will do so if provoked.
Red Back House Spider
Image : Red Back Spider
A redback spider is black in color with a distinctive red color on its back and in some spiders can appear orange. They’re commonly found outside although can wonder inside the house where they’ll find a suitable habitat to live in. they form a triangular-shaped web which is quite sticky and helps in capturing prey.
You can gather more information about Common House Spider
The life Cycle of Spiders
Spiders undergo four different stages. After mating, where the male spider deposits his sperms into the female’s epigyne, the female spider retracts to a safe place to lay her eggs. The female spider will lay the eggs in a sac and then will attach it on an object such as a plant. The eggs will hatch into spider lings which are small replica of the adult spiders only smaller in size and sometimes lighter in color. The spider lings will undergo 5-10 molts in their lifetime before they become adults. Spiders will not survive long enough in the wild however, in captivity they can live for more than 2 decades. The new adult spiders will start reproducing new offspring and the life cycle starts all over again.
Read more about The Life Cycle Of A Spider
Are Spiders Harmful?
Most spiders especially those found in our houses are not dangerous neither are they harmful. The only deal with those is that people fear staying around them and with their scary appearance, they’re thought to be harmful. Spiders will bite you rarely and if they do, often is usually for defense as they feel threatened while others will run away and hide to keep off from you.
According to www.mydr.com.au
"Only 2 Australian spiders, the red back and the funnel web, pose a threat to human life. Medical treatment is usually not required for white tailed spider bites, although ice packs may relieve acute pain. Clinical experience appears to be limited with mouse spider bites, but funnel web spider antivenom could be useful in severe cases."
Spider Bites Treatment
Spider bites from some species are harmless and even painless while bites from other spider species can be fatal and quite painful. Spider bites will have a characteristic local redness around the bitten area(s) which is quite itchy, painful with a reddened lump. There are a few symptoms you’ll experience from the spiders bites. You can try some home remedies but if the symptoms persist, visit the nearest health center for further treatment. First identify what spider species bit you and proceed to wash thoroughly with water and soap and add a few drops of disinfectant. Then either apply a cold ice pack on the wound or a warm cloth to soothe the itch as well as the swelling.
Learn how to treat spider bites on Dealing with spider bites.
How To Get Rid Of Spiders
The most effective home remedies to get away spider for good are in below, if you can use these methods properly you will surely get rid of those irritated spiders.
- Spiders will rarely survive indoors of there are no insects to feed on since they’re carnivorous creatures.
- First get rid of the food source spiders are relying on and proceed to implement some spider control methods.
- Regularly clean your house and sweep off any webbings on the wall or under furniture where the spider live in.
- Get rid of clutter in the closet or your bedroom as spiders love places where they can live undisturbed. Also take out boxes and bags in the basement or attic where you’ve stored your things.
- Get some natural oils, mix with water and make a repellent spray. Using a spray bottle squirt the solution on the spider infested areas and re-apply as often as possible.
- Spiders go crazy when they smell cedar, chestnuts, citrus fruit peels and tobacco near them. Purchase some of this products and place them near spider webs, around the wall and on the corners as well as dark areas such as closet, attics and basements where the spiders are likely to be hiding.
- Use of hedge apples has been there for ages and works effectively. Place them in spider infested areas only where kids and pets cannot reach as they’re poisonous and put on some protective gloves when implementing them.
- Seal cracks and crevices using caulk in the basement, near window frames and any other cracks where spiders maybe hiding.
How To Kill Spiders Naturally
- If you are courageous enough and are suffering from a mere spider infestation, you can kill them individually fast by squishing and smashing them using hard objects.
- Boric acid is among the natural substances which are used to kill insects but also work well in killing spiders.
- Sprinkle some boric acid powder (borax) on the spider webs and any other areas you suspect may be spider infested, the floors included near the walls. Spiders will trample on the powder as they walk on it and will meet their death in a few hours.
- Use of glue traps is another method you can look into for killing spiders. Place traps in strategic places such as on the floor near walls and the corners and in areas where it is dark and I rarely in use.
- Keep an eye on the traps and when a few spiders have been caught, throw it away and set the traps severally until there are no more spiders getting caught.
- Alternatively, freeze the spider. Set glass jars in infested areas and leave it open for the spiders to climb in. cap the jar and throw it in the freezer and leave it overnight. Pour some rubbing alcohol into the jar when morning comes and you can flush down the spider.
- Instead of freezing the spider in the freezer, spray the spider with hairspray. Hairsprays contain some toxic fumes which are responsible for killing the spider. Spray like you’ve never sprayed before until the spider can move no more and using a broom sweep it out.
- You might as well vacuuming them up from their webs and under furniture with a vacuum cleaner and dispose them off in seal able plastic bags after sucking them out and their harborage.
Natural Spider Repellents
Natural spider repellents are made using organic substances which spiders detest and will help in keeping them at bay. These repellents will not harm the spiders and are safe around children and pets. The most commonly used ingredients for natural spider repellents are essential oils such as; apple cider vinegar, peppermint, lavender, tea tree, cinnamon etc. or citrus fruits. To make the repellent more effective, add some spicy ingredients such as chili powder or hot chili sauce and you’re good to go for a spicy natural repellent. How to make natural spider repellents for both large scale use and for application within the house.
Here is a product which is made with some natural ingredients. To know more about this click on below image
