How do you feel about spiders? When you find a creepy arachnid sitting on the drain of your shower, are you the type of person who says, "Cool! A spider!" Or are you part of the much larger group that says, "Oh, no. I don't think so!" and quickly run to grab something to kill it. While most spiders are harmless, they are usually unwanted guests. Today, we're going to offer up six quick tips that will help you keep spiders of all shapes and sizes out of your Louisiana home.
1. Reduce Moisture
Moisture is a catalyst for pest activity. Many bugs will be drawn to your property if you have moist conditions. Spiders are no exception. Most spiders prefer humid or damp locations. You can resist them by reducing moisture. You will also reduce the bugs that spiders eat.
- Clean your gutters and repair damaged gutters, splash blocks, or downspouts.
- Trim landscaping.
- Remove unnecessary vegetation.
- Fix leaky pipes and exterior fixtures.
2. Reducing Bugs
We talked about how to reduce bugs by addressing conditions that promote moisture, but bugs are attracted to more than just moisture. If you want fewer spiders around your home, you need to address the attractants that bring bugs onto your property.
- Light: Many bugs are attracted to light. Flying bugs will buzz around exterior light sources on your home or on poles. Crawling bugs will be drawn to ground lighting in your landscaping. Keep lights off and curtains drawn at night to reduce bug activity.
- Food: There are many things that bugs consider to be food. One of the most important is open trash. Make sure that you put trash bags in a covered container and keep the container as clean as possible.
- Sweet smells: Some bugs are attracted to sweet smells. Wasps are a good example. While you probably don't want to remove flowers from your yard, you can remove other things that cause sweet smells and reduce wasps, along with the spiders that eat them.
3. Remove Spider Webs
If you see webs on your home or around your yard, get rid of them. A web is a potential source for hundreds of spiderlings. One spider can lay hundreds of eggs in a web. Remove those webs with a tool and treat the tool to eliminate the eggs.
4. Remove Harborage
Spiders are always looking for places to hide. Each spider species is slightly different in its preferences, but all of them will look for locations to hide. Your goal should be to reduce harborage options.
- Fill in ground holes.
- Remove lawn clutter.
- Move woodpiles and construction materials to at least 20 feet from your home.
Seal Entry Points
Once you've taken the time to reduce spider populations around your home, it is time to think about sealing the potential points of entry spiders can use to get into your home. There are many ways spiders can get in, but here are a few key points of entry to consider.
- Space around pipes
- Cracks in your foundation wall
- Holes in rotting wood
- Holes created by wood-damaging pests
- Gaps in weatherstripping around exterior doors
- Gaps around door and window frames
6. Professional Spider Control
Trying to keep spiders out of your Louisiana home can be hard work. We make it easier by providing pest control services that directly repel and eliminate pests around your home. This makes your exterior less inviting to spiders. We also provide spider web removal to up to 12 feet on your exterior. If you'd prefer to not do a lot of work, reach out to Havard Pest Control today and take a look at our economical residential pest plans. It pays to have ongoing pest services from a professional. Get yours today.