Spiders can be unwanted house guests for many Houston homeowners. To prevent spiders from moving in and taking over your home, it is crucial to understand what brings them inside in the first place.
Common Houston Spiders
In your Houston home, you may encounter one or more of these common area spiders. While most of these spiders are harmless to humans, they are still not the most welcome sight:
- Garden Spider: The garden spider is typically bright yellow in color and prefers to hang out around your property or in your yard. It may make its way inside occasionally but is generally harmless.
- Wolf Spider: A large spider that can look terrifying, the wolf spider has a tannish body with two dark brown stripes on its back. They will generally hide from humans and will only bite if provoked.
- House Spider: House spiders come in various shapes and appearances and are generally harmless to humans besides being unsightly and filling your basements, garages, and attics with webs.
- Black Widow: Black widows are shiny black with a red hourglass marking on their abdomen. They prefer to live low to the ground and create sticky, dense webs. The bite from this spider is medically dangerous.
- Brown Recluse: Another medically dangerous spider, the brown recluse, has a brown body with a dark, violin-shaped marking on its back. They tend to prefer more secluded hiding areas.
These spiders will enter your home through cracks and gaps in windows, doors, foundations, and underneath broken weather stripping. They will generally enter your home in search of food, so if you have a major spider problem in your home, then chances are you also have another pest problem that is serving as the spiders’ prey.
Spider and Pest Prey Prevention Tips
A plethora of spiders in your home typically means that they are in pursuit of pest prey. Follow these prevention tips to keep both spiders and their meals out of your Houston home:
- Seal up any potential entry points around your home to keep pests out. This includes gaps and cracks in the windows, doors, and foundation of your home. You may also want to replace a broken window or door screens and damaged weather stripping or door sweeps.
- Seal up all trash and food waste tightly and promptly dispose of it, as the aroma of food and trash is very tempting to most pests.
- Keep your yard clear of debris and the grass trimmed low. This reduces the number of hiding places spiders and other pests have in your yard, deterring them from seeking shelter on your property. You should also store firewood at least 10 feet away from your home.
- Moisture is a draw for both pests and spiders. Locate and eliminate leaks both inside and outside of your home.
- Regularly clear out all clutter around your home, vacuum, and dust. This removes potential hiding places for all manner of spiders and pests and can help you in dewebbing your home. Make sure to clean in corners, under heavy appliances, and in secluded areas such as garages, basements, and attics.
Effectively Eliminating Spiders
The best way to handle a pest infestation and get rid of all the spiders in your home is to call the pros at All-Safe Pest & Termite. The experts will determine the scale of your problem and offer you safe, effective solutions. We use a high-quality approach to pest management. Call us today or contact us online.