Spider Control Secrets from the Pros

"I don't like spiders and snakes . . . and that ain't what it takes to love me . . . the way I wanna be loved by you."

So you want to protect your loved ones from creepy-crawlies. This is laudable enough. But read on before you launch into full-on death-to-everything-in-my-house mode.

Most spider-control calls are inspired by the sight of a single spider. It astonishes me how much fear these small invertebrates are responsible for. Most of this fear is irrational. A number of unfortunate myths about spiders survive to this day:

My Lesion is a Spider Bite.

People blame every suspicious mark on their bodies on spider bites. Look, folks, spiders aren't running around seeking people to bite. People aren't spider food. Spiders bite people entirely in self-defense (ignoring for the moment the exuberantly aggressive Asian tarantulas). Folks unwarily pinch spiders against their skin while dressing (as is often the case with the brown recluse) or place their fingers into hidden areas while moving old stacks of lumber (as is often the case with black widows). There isn't much you can do when something thousands of times your size is squishing your body . . . except to bite.

Furthermore, if you've got multiple lesions, you almost certainly have not been bitten by a spider. What, you think they have some kind of vendetta against you? If you foolishly insist to your physician that you've been bitten by a spider, when you have no such proof, you predispose your doctor to making an incorrect diagnosis. Believe you me, they don't need this kind of help. Other diagnoses, such as Lyme disease, may be overlooked, to your potentially fatal detriment. Yes, it can, and yes, it does happen.

I Can't Just Ignore a Spider!

Sure you can. Too infrequently, homeowner education classes fail to mention that most inexpensive of all pest control techniques: tolerance. A single spider is not an infestation. Sometimes a spider is just a spider.

Residual Insecticides Work Well Against Spiders.

Spiders walk on tiny tarsi, making the probability that they will contact and pick up residual insecticides much lower than that for insects. Species that sit and wait in webs rarely travel, thus making exposure impossible anyway. Stick to insecticidal dusts in areas inaccessible to people, and resign yourself to directed applications everywhere else (which may include the use of a vacuum cleaner!) There is no substitute for being thorough.

They'll Always Find a Way Inside.

Many exterminators get away with doing next to nothing and getting credit for spider control in homes where spider entry is unusual, because the homeowner's perception is that the spiders no longer came in after the exterminator left. This may well have been the case without any treatment at all (remember, I said that one spider is usually sufficient to inspire a call!) This underscores how effective exclusion can be. In older homes, exclusion may be impractical, granted; in newer homes, entry should be a great deal more difficult for spiders.

Insecticides Are the Only Effective Control Measure.

The most difficult situation to contend with is the home with the attached garage. Garage doors rarely seal well around the edges, frequently allowing even creatures as large as mice easy entry. Try poking your finger through the area where the bottom of the door and the side of the threshold meet - you can probably push your finger all the way through. Spiders will frequently follow edges, so glueboards are your best friend here - place them next to the wall on either side of the garage door.

And those glueboards that claim to be "prebaited?" Nonsense. That's just food coloring thrown into the glue. Just do a search for spider pheromones, and you'll see that this research is in its infancy.

Don't forget, your vacuum is a great bug-fighting tool, too.

Yes, pest control can suck!