Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Keeping spiders out of your house
• Part 2 of 3: Using reliable control methods
• Part 3 of 3: Using folk remedies
• Tips
• Necessities

Most spiders love to live outside, but it is all too common to see some spiders walking indoors that have found their way in during their search for food or a safe place. Spiders are easy to control by keeping them out of your home. However, if they've already crept in, there are several proven and unproven methods you can use to scare away or kill spiders. This article describes some common control methods you can use against spiders the next time you experience them indoors.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Keeping spiders out of your house

1. Close your house. Fill holes and cracks that run from the outside in to prevent spiders from finding their way in.
   • Use sealant to fill large gaps in closed doors and windows. Also apply sealant around wires, cables, water faucets and electrical parts. These all run outwards.
   • Replace or repair window screens with cracks or holes. Spiders can easily enter your home through even the smallest holes.
   • Cover ventilation ducts and the chimney with fine-mesh fly screens.
2. Leave your outdoor lights out. Outdoor lights will not attract spiders, but they do attract other pests that can be a tasty snack for spiders.
   • For a similar reason, you should avoid allowing light from indoor lights to shine through windows. You can do this by hanging opaque blinds or curtains in front of your windows.
   • Consider replacing your lamps with sodium lamps. Sodium lamps are less attractive to insects and they attract fewer food sources for spiders.
   • In low numbers, non-aggressive spiders can even be useful as they trap biting, harmful insects in their webs.
3. Remove plants, shrubs and trees from around your home. Consider moving shrubs, trees, creepers, and other plants from the areas around your house to the other side of the yard if you have a serious spider problem.
   • Plants, shrubs and trees are good hiding places for spiders and therefore they are attracted to them. When spiders have to look for warmth or new food, they crawl out of the vegetation into your house and enter through cracks.
   • Also, get rid of bedding, stones, leaves and other garden debris from around your home.
4. Keep your home tidy. In a clean and tidy home, there are fewer hiding places for spiders, so they are less likely to stay if they do crawl inside.
   • Do not leave food scraps open and exposed anywhere. Crumbs will attract other insects such as ants, which in turn attract spiders.
   • Sweep and vacuum the floor regularly. Wipe down the worktops and tables, and do not leave dirty dishes for longer than a few hours.
   • Clean up as much clutter as possible. Old newspapers and piles of dirty clothes are good hiding places for spider species that thrive in the dark.
   • Use plastic storage boxes. Spiders have a hard time climbing into airtight plastic storage boxes, unlike cardboard boxes.

Part 2 of 3: Using reliable control methods

1. Vacuum up spiders and cobwebs. Vacuum egg sacs and webs when you see them. This is one of the easiest ways to get rid of spiders.
   • This method works best if you are trying to get rid of some spiders. It may not be very efficient if you have a large spider population in your house.
   • You can also use a broom to remove webs.
   • Don't kill the spiders, take them outside instead if you can. Spiders are very useful insects for humans, and they are quite noble creatures once you understand them.
   • You are not likely to catch webbing spiders that spend most of their time on the ceiling with sticky traps. Sticky traps, however, are very effective for catching spiders that live on the ground, such as jumping spiders and house spiders.
   • Lay the adhesive trap flat to prevent it from rolling up.
   • Discard the sticky trap when you have caught some spiders with it.
   • Note that this is not very effective against eggs and webs. You should therefore probably use this method in combination with other techniques against spinning.
2. Use a long-acting insecticide. Spray all corners and cracks with a commercial pesticide containing a pyrethroid of any kind.
   • Follow the label directions carefully to avoid accidentally poisoning yourself, a family member, or a pet.
   • Understand the limitations of long-acting insecticides. These poisons will only work if the spiders walk through the chemicals after you spray them. The agent will have no effect on spiders that avoid it.
3. Call a professional pest controller. If you are suffering from a major spider infestation and the measures you have taken yourself do not solve the problem, a pest controller may be able to help by using a stronger chemical pesticide.
   • Be aware that some professional pesticides are so strong that you will have to leave your home for a few days until the product wears off.
   • In general, repellants or bringing out spiders are better techniques than killing them. If you can handle it, pick up the spiders using a paper towel or jar and take them to your garden. This will prevent you from getting even more vermin into the house.
   • If you are concerned about 2 or 3 spiders, a broom will do the trick to gently sweep them out of your house.

Part 3 of 3: Using folk remedies

1. Control spiders with the help of horse chestnuts. Place some horse chestnuts in every corner of your house and in all places where you often see spiders.
   • Chestnuts, walnuts, and osage fruits appear to have the same effect.
   • Little is known about why this method repels spiders and there is no scientific evidence or explanation to explain or support this solution.
   • Some people believe that horse chestnuts contain a certain type of harmful chemical, the scent of which repels spiders. You can therefore think about poking holes in the chestnuts or cutting them in half to release the fragrance.
2. Spray the house with peppermint oil. Fill a regular spray bottle with water and mix in 15 to 20 drops of peppermint oil. Spray this in all cracks and corners in your house.
   • The rationale is that spiders don't like the smell of peppermint oil and will run the other way when they smell it. So peppermint oil is most effective when you spray it where spiders might be able to enter your home.
   • To get a stronger effect, you can pour undiluted peppermint oil onto a cotton ball and tuck it into a crack or other possible hiding place.
   • If you don't like peppermint oil, try eucalyptus or tea tree oil. These oils seem to have the same effect as peppermint oil and you can use them in the same way.
3. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around your home. Spread a thin layer of this powder in cracks, corners, windows and basements. Sprinkle it on any place where you suspect spiders are hiding.
   • Diatomaceous earth or celite is made from naturally formed fossils of diatoms or diatoms, tiny creatures that live in water. It is safe for both humans and animals.
   • When a spider walks across the diatomaceous earth, it will cut into its body causing bodily fluids to leak out. The spider will eventually dry out and die.
   • You can also protect your home and prevent spiders from crawling in by sprinkling diatomaceous earth around your home.
4. Control spiders with vinegar. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray this on all the places where spiders live and also spray it on all the spiders you see walking.
   • Vinegar contains acetic acid, which is thought to burn and kill spiders as soon as they come into contact with it.
   • You can also place small saucers of vinegar in dark corners to keep spiders away. The scent alone can be enough to repel them.

Tips

• Spiders are more likely to enter your home in the winter, so thoroughly clean your home once or twice a week during the winter months.
• Fill a vaporizer with peppermint essential oil and spray it all over your house.
• If you don't want to use vinegar, the scent of lemon or eucalyptus can also help get rid of the spider problem.
• Spiders don't like tobacco and lemon. So if the problem gets worse, you can use lemon juice or water you have soaked in tobacco to keep them away.
• You can also use eucalyptus branches from the hobby store to repel spiders and other pests. Place these strongly scented branches under your furniture.
• Remember, spiders are actually very tame, even though they often seem scary. If you don't disturb them, they won't bother you either.
• Consider getting a cat if you love animals. Cats are hunters by nature and many felines that are kept as pets instinctively target small pests, insects and spiders that have made their way in. Note that this is not a smart move if you are dealing with very poisonous spiders, but these are almost non-existent in our country.
• Know that there are no dangerous or poisonous spiders in the Netherlands. In our country, the large river bank spider does occur, whose bite is very unpleasant for people. However, this spider species is quite rare.
• Spiders are about the best "pests" you can have in your home. They kill a lot of other insects that spread disease or that can be harmful to humans. However, if you have a lot of spiders in the house, this clearly indicates that something is wrong and you probably have a lot of other insects living in your house. The spiders wouldn't enter your house if there wasn't a lot of food for them to eat.
• Pyrethroids are chemicals that are largely made from pyrethroids. These plants belong to the genus Chrysanthemum. Most household pesticides contain pyrethroids. Some common pyrethroids are bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, permethrin, and tetramethrin.
• Long-range atomizers are generally not very effective against spiders.

Necessities

• Kit
• Insect screens
• Sodium lamps
• Vacuum cleaner
• Sticky traps
• Long-acting insecticides
• Horse chestnuts
• Peppermint, eucalyptus or tea tree oil
• Atomizer
• Water
• Vinegar
• Diatomaceous earth