Help! How do I get rid of spiders???

[HayGan]

OK - it seems as if our house is becoming overrun with spiders this year. DH really wants to use the spider bombs that we have used in the past and I have to admit they were effective. My only problem with using those is the chemicals that they leave in your house. I would like to find a more effective/less chemical intensive way getting rid of these things. They are becoming a problem as both myself and my youngest DS have been bitten during the night

Anyone have any suggestions.

 

[minnie1928]

Try taking a look at this:

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/02/02jul01a.cfm

 

[imthatgirl]

i live in the woods. we get alot of spiders!! nd not just the little ones, we get big hairy haunted house type spiders.

i have found my favorite thing. home defense!!! this stuff is awesome!! in the past year(since ive found it) i have seen maybe 5-6 spiders. much better than the 5 a week i was getting!! it says to spray it every 6 months on the outside windows and doors. i sue it probably evey 2 months. i also spray some areas inside the house, but i only do that every year.

http://www.homedefensemax.com/scotts-sites/ortho-hdm/index.cfm?event=product

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

Place hedge apples in the rafters of your basement & the window wells outside. They really work for us

 

[marlynnp]

You need to figure out what other bugs you have and get rid of those too. Spiders will come back where there's food.

 

[DisneyDizzy]

I second Ortho Home Defense. Works great!

Yeah, it's still chemicals but we're talking spiders, here. And you can spray outside to keep them from coming in.

 

[cirquelovers]

We have been using spider traps because I was worried about our pets getting in the residue from sprays. They are kind of like a fly paper but you can crease them to fit against the wall or fold into a trap.

 

[Rootskate]

I had to use a bug bomb in my bedroom.

(Also known as the spider capital of Connecticut! )

Honestly, it seemed like every single time I walked in there I saw a thick black spider on the ceiling or wall. Then one day I come in just in time to see one come down on a web off of my valance right onto our bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats when I decided it was time to blow off the bomb.

Needless to say, I've only seen one since I did it!

 

[ScrapperBelle]

OK...this seems like a lot of work...but it will keep the spiders away!

Buy several large citronella candles and melt them down. Put the liquid in a bucket and use a broom, sponge, mop, brush, whatever to wipe it along your baseboards/moldings and even on the walls.

Spiders have taste/smell sensors on their feet and they do not like citronella, so they won't crawl across it.

Trust me, it works and lasts for a few months.

We only use it on the outside of our house, they like to crawl around the doors and make a mess (I guess they're waiting on the bugs that are attracted to the lights). It works great there and I have a friend who swears by it on the inside of the house too!

 

[sharonW]

What about silverfish, anyone know how to get rid of
those??

 

[2bearsmom]

I too agree with the Ortho Home defense. That is the best stuff. We rarely have a spider in the house since usning this stuff. The bottle says it can be used for silverfish too.

I found this about silverfish, no wonder I have seen them around the bathroom: Diet
The favorite food of silverfish is any matter that contains starch or polysaccharides, such as dextrin in adhesives. These include glue, book bindings, paper, photos, sugar, hair, and dandruff. Silverfish can also cause damage to books, tapestries, and textiles. Silverfish will commonly graze in and around showers, baths, and sinks on the cellulose present in many shampoos, shaving foams and so on. Apart from these cases, the damage caused by silverfish is negligible and they have no direct effect on human health beyond psychological distress to those who are frightened or disgusted by their appearance. Other substances that may be eaten include cotton, linen, silk and synthetic fibers, and dead insects or even its own exuvia (moulted exoskeleton). During famine, a silverfish may even attack leatherware and synthetic fabrics. In extreme cases, silverfish may live for a year without eating.[2] Silverfish can be found anywhere in homes including, but not limited to, garages, closets, underneath beds, couches, electrical appliances such as keyboards and generally preferring dark areas.

 

[Foladar]

ill have to keep an eye on this thread, we had really bad issues with black widows and brown widows, but we paid someone to come spray out back.. we've seen little spiders lately but we arent sure what they are, and alot of orbspinners but those don't bother me as much as the black widows we had. we're probably going to look into that home defense, so thanks for the link.'

also op, ive heard spiders hate the smell of lemon, but i havent tried it myself.

 

[Jaycey'smom]

I agree the Ortho Home Defense is great!! We bought our home about 3 months ago and it was full of spiders and had some small ants. I sprayed the whole house and patio then did the porch and around all the windows and no spiders since. I still have to spray a room at a time for the little ants but not often. (they show up in the weirdest places too like the bathroom...what are the eating in there the TP?? ) We also use Seven dust in the yard for bugs and it seems to work as when we put it down we can see them run!! This reminds me I need more Ortho.....

 

[MousekeMommy]

Hi! We moved to "the woods" 6 years ago. I put up with fist-sized hairy wolf spiders, multi-legged hard-armored bugs known around here as centipedes (but they're probably not exactly that--but they do have pinchers and will leave a big welt on you and are next to impossible to smoosh), tons of ants, gobs of black widows/brown recluses/run-of-the-mill harmless spiders, pill bugs, japanese beetles that look like lady bugs but infest homes, wasps that like to bore into the wood decks and concrete patio, "wood roaches" that don't infest but like to come in from the patio . . . anyway, after 2 years of fighting a losing battle, we hired an exterminator for less than $300 per year (they come out monthly) and I couldn't be happier!!! No longer do I have to worry about poisoning my babies and spending $ on stuff that doesn't work . . . it has actually helped my budget to get a professional that guarantees the product/work that my dollar buys. So, it may not be the answer for everyone, but a professional exterminator was our ultimate (but not overly-costly) answer.
Sending Prayers and Pixie Dust!

 

[momof5boys]

This might seem like a weird question but are you sure you're getting bitten by spiders? How do you know? That being said our exterminator sprays around the outside of our house and inside the basement windows and along the basement walls. He said spiders are hard to kill because they have to absorb the poison through their legs so they have to walk through it. I dunno but we certainly have less spiders!

 

[Evil__Queen]

Yikes...spiders. I can't use much, because the ferrets eat roaches, spiders etc. (it's a game/hunt thing for them). I use the Ortho House Defense OUTSIDE and it seems to help, but since TS Fay, all heck has let loose here in my S. Florida home.

 

[Evil__Queen]

ill have to keep an eye on this thread, we had really bad issues with black widows and brown widows, but we paid someone to come spray out back.. we've seen little spiders lately but we arent sure what they are, and alot of orbspinners but those don't bother me as much as the black widows we had. we're probably going to look into that home defense, so thanks for the link.'

also op, ive heard spiders hate the smell of lemon, but i havent tried it myself.

oooooo hate black widows, I'm 43 now, but was bit and put in the hospital when I was 5 thanks to Ms Black Widow......nasty and scary, but back THEN things were/or looked much more grim......

 

[Jaycey'smom]

I am in central FLA and the ants are driving me nuts. They are gone for now bur I expect them to return.......lol

 

[imthatgirl]

i wanted to add something.

spiders like to live in wood, rotted wood, wood stair wells, fireplace wood..etc...
when we were having our spider problem i replaced a set of wooden steps on the side of my house. these ones were not touching my house(they are in the ground leading up to my porch). but when we removed them there must have been millions of them living in there. i know that had to have been a huge source for the spiders that were in my house. i still have a set in the back of the house leading out of my basement which i will replace with cement stairs, when i have the money. im sure there are a couple million in there too

so if you have any exposed wood near your home, either treat it or get rid of it!!!

 

[sharonW]

I too agree with the Ortho Home defense. That is the best stuff. We rarely have a spider in the house since usning this stuff. The bottle says it can be used for silverfish too.

I found this about silverfish, no wonder I have seen them around the bathroom: Diet
The favorite food of silverfish is any matter that contains starch or polysaccharides, such as dextrin in adhesives. These include glue, book bindings, paper, photos, sugar, hair, and dandruff. Silverfish can also cause damage to books, tapestries, and textiles. Silverfish will commonly graze in and around showers, baths, and sinks on the cellulose present in many shampoos, shaving foams and so on. Apart from these cases, the damage caused by silverfish is negligible and they have no direct effect on human health beyond psychological distress to those who are frightened or disgusted by their appearance. Other substances that may be eaten include cotton, linen, silk and synthetic fibers, and dead insects or even its own exuvia (moulted exoskeleton). During famine, a silverfish may even attack leatherware and synthetic fabrics. In extreme cases, silverfish may live for a year without eating.[2] Silverfish can be found anywhere in homes including, but not limited to, garages, closets, underneath beds, couches, electrical appliances such as keyboards and generally preferring dark areas.

ok, hear all of that..but any info about how to get rid of them????