Spiders are a fact of life. You'll see a tiny spider here and there if you live in South Portland. They get into your garage and hang out near your rakes and shovels. They creep around in your basement. They make webs in your kitchen window between the window and the screen. Every once in a while, a big hairy wolf spider might appear in an unexpected place, like inside the cooler stored in your shed. These are all specific examples, and some may not apply to you, but you know what we're saying. Spider sightings are common—especially if you don't have year-round pest control for your home. While we can make the case that professional spider pest control in South Portland is the best way to keep your home spider-free, you're not without DIY options. Join us as we look at common spiders in Maine, which spiders get into South Portland homes, and five effective tips to keep spiders out. We'll also explain the benefits of letting a licensed and experienced pest management professionals at Big Blue Bug Solutions take care of the tough job of keeping spiders out of your home for you. If that sounds like a plan, read on and enjoy. If you need immediate assistance with pest control, reach out to us today! We are happy to help.
The Types Of Spiders You May Find In Your South Portland Home
While there are hundreds of spider species in the state, there are basically two types of spiders. Let's look at them as outdoor spiders and common house spiders.
Outdoor spiders prefer to be outdoors. The reason for this is that they can't find a suitable habitat within a home. There are primarily two reasons why an outdoor spider would not like your home: Dry climate and no food. These spiders much prefer your garden, exterior landscaping, or the nearby woods.
House spiders have adapted to living inside. Long-bodied cellar spiders live in your cellar or basement and think of it as living in a cave. It's cool, dark, and humid like a cave. American house spiders live in your wall voids. It is a lot like living in the hollowed-out socket of a tree. Do you see how it works? Common spiders in South Portland that live inside homes can do so because our homes remind them of the places they live outdoors.
The good news is that common spiders in our area are not dangerous. We don't have any medically important spiders in Maine. There is, however, a possibility that you can have an infestation of one of these two spiders, even though they don't have populations within the state. Brown recluse spiders do well inside homes—so well that they can grow a large population. When someone moves from a state with local brown recluse spider populations, they can bring these spiders with them. It is wise to learn how to identify a recluse if you want to avoid these spiders and their bites. While they have an identifiable dark brown violin mark, you might have trouble seeing this mark clearly. A brown recluse is only slightly larger than a quarter with its legs stretched out. The body of a recluse is tinier than you might expect, and the violin mark isn't much to look at. You'll need to consider this and look for the pale tan coloration and faint greenish tint of these spiders, along with that dark violin mark.
What It Means If You're Seeing Spiders Inside
When you put your mind to keeping spiders out of your home, it helps to consider why they get inside. We touched on two reasons. Do you remember what they were? When spiders get into your home, they want to find moisture and they want to find food. Here are a few ways you may provide these for spiders without realizing it.
Moisture: There are many ways you can elevate the humidity in your home and provide water for spiders.
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A leaking faucet or showerhead can create a constant water source for spiders. It doesn't take much more than a droplet of water to quench the thirst of a tiny spider.
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Not using the fan in your bathroom during showers and baths can increase the humidity and leave droplets of condensation for spiders to drink.
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A humid basement with no dehumidifier is a perfect habitat for spiders.
When you address the issues, you make your home less inviting to spiders. It will also make it less inviting to several other common household pests.
Food: Spiders don't eat what we eat. They live on insects and other bugs. If your home has a pest problem, don't be surprised when spiders start to appear and make webs in your common areas.
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An open trash receptacle is an open invitation for flies.
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When trash sits for a week, some flies have enough time to use it as a breeding site.
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When a child leaves an apple core behind the couch or in a wastepaper basket, insects take notice.
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If you store pantry foods in their original cardboard and paper packaging, pests can get into them, lay eggs, and reproduce.
These are just some of the many ways insects and bugs may take up residence in your South Portland home. When they do, spiders have more than enough reasons to want to live with you.
Now that you know why you have spiders in your house, let's talk about what attracts spiders to the exterior of your home. Spider prevention is all about keeping spiders out. When you work to keep spiders out, it is easier to control them inside your home because you won't have new spiders replacing the spiders you remove.
Five Easy & Effective Spider-Prevention Tips
The best way to control spiders is to address the reasons spiders want to live next to your home. When you have fewer spiders exploring your exterior, you're less likely to find them in your home. Addressing attractants is step one.
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Reduce insect activity. All-natural solutions, such as keeping lights off at night, trash management, and controlling flowering weeds can impact the number of insects in your yard. Insects are drawn to light sources, unsanitary conditions, sweet food sources, protein sources, damp habitats, and organic debris.
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Reduce moisture. There is no way to keep your yard bone dry, nor would you want to do this. But addressing moisture issues helps to reduce ground saturation and lets the rainwater soak into the ground after it rains. Clean your gutters and repair any breaks in your gutter system to prevent oversaturation.
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Remove habitat options. There are many places spiders like to live. Brush piles and stacked wood are top of the list. Move these away from your exterior walls to reduce spiders. They also like to hide in humid landscape vegetation. Remove weeds and unnecessary plants, and thin your landscaping so that the vegetation stays dry. Your plants don't need dampness. They are healthier when they're dry above the soil. Plus, dry plants are resistant to spider habitation.
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Remove spider webs. Some spiders create their egg sacs in their webs. Depending on the species, an egg sac may have 300 eggs in it. That's a lot of spiders. Removing webs and egg sacs can greatly impact spider populations around your home, it also deters spiders from creating webs.
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Seal potential entry points. Spiders get into your home through tiny gaps between wood, cracks in your foundation walls, and other entry points. Use expanding foam to seal these routes. Make sure to get trouble spots, such as around pipes, wire conduits, and exterior doors and windows. While you're at it, replace weatherstripping, door sweeps, and screens as needed.
These five tips work together to reduce the number of spiders and prevent them from getting into your home. If you roll your sleeves up and do the hard work, you can bring spider sightings below your comfort threshold. When more control is needed, it is best to get year-round pest control that provides coverage for spiders. We can help you with that.
The Most Effective Spider Control In South Portland
There is no better way to keep spiders out of your home than to get ongoing pest protection. Big Blue Bug Solutions offers layers of protection. Your service visits may include most or all of the following.
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We remove spider webs to reduce spider populations.
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We apply granular treatments to control pests on your property.
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We apply a liquid barrier treatment to your exterior to make it hard for spiders to live near your home or get inside.
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We treat key areas (such as around your trash receptacles) and reduce insects, the primary food source of spiders.
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We treat mosquitoes and ticks, both of which are spider food.
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We provide recommendations to help you address conducive conditions.
Are you ready to live the spider-free life? Reach out to Big Blue Bug Solutions. We can guide you toward a pest control plan that works for you. There is no reason you should have to live with spiders.
