Five Easy Spider Control Tips For Your Boston, MA Home
Spiders are among the most common land-dwelling animals on Earth. There are around 45,000 different spider species in the world – that we know of. Spiders are so diverse and adaptable that there are probably plenty of spider species on our planet that have yet to be discovered by humans. In fact, spiders are so common that the myth that you’re never more than three feet away from a spider in your whole life persists decades after it first began (even though it’s impossible to accurately measure how close or far everyone is from a spider at any given time).
Still, even if a spider is more than three feet away from you, the chances that there are several hundred living in your Boston house are pretty good. While you’ll never get rid of every last spider in your attic and crawlspace, there are some things you can do to make sure you aren’t living with an exorbitant number of eight-legged roomies.
Are The Spiders In My Home Dangerous?
Fortunately for those living in the continental United States, there aren’t any seriously lethal spiders in the wild. There are very few spiders with a medically significant bite (meaning their venom is strong enough to cause severe symptoms). Most of the spiders you’re likely to encounter in our area are not capable of inflicting a bite worse than a bee sting. You might experience mild pain or swelling if common house spiders bite you in the Boston area, but you’re unlikely to be in danger of anything worse than that.
The one exception to this rule is the northern black widow. This spider is the only spider in Massachusetts with a medically significant bite. Healthy adults are likely to experience passing illnesses from a black widow bite. Still, vulnerable populations – including the elderly, children, and pets – could be in mortal danger from the venom of this spider and should receive emergency medical attention immediately after being bitten. Fortunately, bites from the northern black widow are rare. They’re not aggressive and prefer to avoid contact with people.
How Do I Keep Spiders Away From My Property?
Spiders don’t eat the things humans do, and they don’t need moisture from our homes. They can also find shelter and survive the winter without human help. That means the main spider attractant in your home is other pests. If you have an infestation of spider prey – like roly-polies, crickets, ants, roaches, silverfish, and more – the spiders will come running. That means you need to take measures not just to deal with spiders themselves but to get rid of the things that spiders eat as well:
- Seal off cracks and holes in your home’s exterior. This will block spider and spider prey entry points.
- Cover trash cans to mask their smells and avoid attracting things like ants and roaches.
- Keep all pantry foods in airtight containers to prevent spider prey as well.
- De-web often. If spiders lose their webs every day, they’ll find a different place to build them.
- Clean clutter to eliminate hiding spots for both spiders and their prey.
If all else fails and you see more spiders in your home than you’d like, give us a call at Urbanex. Our state-of-the-art pest control techniques and tools can not only eliminate any spider infestation in your home but also get rid of the other pest infestations attracting them. So call us at (270) 743-9513 or visit our contact page to schedule your home pest control service today!
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