Spiders in the home, advice from the professionals

Thursday 31/08/2023

So, Spiders! Nearly all UK spiders are completely harmless, so if you aren't bothered by them then leave them alone and help catch any annoying flies. There are some big spiders that will start using your home and garden to reside in as the seasons turn. The common garden spider is one many dislike because it naturally looks quite menacing with its highly patterned abdomen and distinct angular legs. These spiders like to build large webs and sit bang in the middle of them so you will find a lot of them in your garden, often sitting at your eye level. Another commonly hated spider is the giant house spider, with a leg span up to 7.5cm they aren't hard to miss. The males come out in autumn hunting for females and are most active at night.

What to do?

If you really do want to get rid of spiders in your home, then lets give you some do's and don'ts.

Don't let them in. Simple yet often ignored for most household pests think about open windows, small openings, vents, cracks, broken seals. Blocking up the holes with a sealant or using an insect mesh.

Spider repellents? There is no scientific evidence that spiders are repelled by conkers, herbs, essential oils, fake spiders, dish soap. Anything like this is very anecdotal, some one told someone who posted it online. Often lead you to wasting your money and ironically attracting other pests into your home.

Clean. Yes it's boring but the cleaner your home the less liveable for insects, both for spiders and their prey keeping them sustained. Really get into those nooks and crannies when you clean and you don't have to use special cleaning chemicals, a bit of soapy water regularly will go a huge way in pest prevention. Your hoover is a mighty tool, use it to remove webs, capture spiders in hard to reach places and remember to dispose of the contents promptly!

Spider Killers - non chemical. There is no way to stop 100% spiders getting into your home, but what can you do when they are in? Cryo pest killers are a chemical free, pet and child safe solution to kill a spider in seconds. See it, spray it, done.

Spider killers - chemical. For an instant kill look to liquid spray pesticides. some will even leave a residual chemical on surfaces to continue killing bugs for the next few weeks. If you really have a problem and it's not just the odd 1 in your home then you'll need to look at chemical pesticides. With spiders living up high, your best solution is to use a smoke generator which will disperse insect killing chemicals into all cracks and crevices and will deal with all crawling and flying insects in your home with one fell swoop.

Spider Traps. So you hate spiders but you don't actually want to kill them. Using a spider grabber to capture these bugs and place outside is a friendly solution.

Professionals: A professional pest controller deals with all and any. If you want to really ensure your home is pest free, then a professional will have all the tools, chemicals and experience to ensure a thorough job. You can find pest controllers in your area that are insured and audited here, just pop in your postcode.