Walking through cobwebs is an unpleasant experience for anyone, but walking through is definitely worse. Arizona is home to a plethora of spiders, and sometimes they find themselves bunking in the darkened corners of our homes. In reality, spiders are amazing for the environment; eating pests and keeping insect populations from getting out of hand is their specialty. Walking up on one skittering across your kitchen floor, though, is a whole other story.
There are thousands of worldwide, but thankfully you won’t find nearly that many in Phoenix and most won’t even darken your doorstep. There are a few more commonly found spiders that may try to cross your threshold, though:
- Jumping Spiders – small, stocky, and hairy; can be black, gray, or brown; do not make webs
- Wolf Spider – size ranges vastly, has been called tarantula’s baby brother; hairy, light brown with dark brown and dusty gray stripes; do not make webs
- Brown Recluse Spider – smaller, around ¼ – ½ of an inch; light brown with a dark fiddle-shaped marking behind their eyes; webs are often hidden
- Black Widow Spider – larger, can grow up to 1 ½ inch; black, hairless, with a colored marking on the underside of their abdomen; erratic looking webs
Even though spiders are important to the natural cycle of our ecosystem, they can still be very dangerous to have in your home if they’re the wrong ones. Jumping spiders and wolf spiders aren’t dangerous pests, but brown recluse spiders and black widow spiders can be deadly house guests. So how can you keep them outside?
Step One: Home Repairs
is to make sure there are no entry points for them to squeeze through. Over time, homes settle and acquire some lovely cracks and holes in the exterior walls and foundation. Materials age and crumble, unforeseen circumstances such as weather and dead branches cause exterior damage, and water pipes break and create water damage. Routine home maintenance will remedy all these problems, though:
- Replace worn-down insulation around door frames and windows
- Seal up any cracks in outer walls and foundation
- Fill in any gaps around outdoor-leading pipes and wires
- Fix leaky pipes and repair any water damage
- Make sure the roof and trim are intact and airtight
Step Two: Outdoor Maintenance
Yard clutter will attract lots of different pests to your Phoenix property, and spiders happen to love having lots of different pests to feed on. They also love yard clutter because it provides even more enticing shelter. Keeping your yard cleared of any debris, leaf piles, and mulch piles will significantly . Store firewood away from the perimeter of your home, keep tight-fitting lids on all of your outdoor trash cans, and always keep your trees and bushes trimmed nice and neat.
Step Three: Stored Boxes And Furniture
There are times when spiders don’t invade on their own. and black widows are often accidentally introduced to Phoenix residences inside storage boxes or clinging to furniture that has been left outside. To reduce your chances of an unexpected hitchhiker, check every box before you bring it inside, and thoroughly inspect any furniture before adding it to your home décor.
Step Four: Your Local Pest Professionals
Sometimes, spider invasions happen no matter how much we try to prevent them. It doesn’t mean we’ve failed; they’re super sneaky and very crafty critters. Even so, trying to get rid of them on your own isn’t just frustrating, it’s also dangerous. Store-bought pesticides are filled with harmful chemicals, and they’re usually not even that effective against spiders. These kinds of infestations are best left to the professionals.
If you’re looking for relief from a spider infestation, there’s no company better suited to care for your Phoenix property than Green Home Pest Control. As a family-owned and operated company, we know that your family is the most important thing in your life, and that’s why we only use the best organic and plant-based pesticides in our treatments. Fighting with spiders can feel like a losing battle if you’re doing it alone. Get in contact with us today to start discussing your .
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