Spiders in basement

[LeslieG]

We just finished our basement, and now it's pretty nice, but we've always had spiders down there. I called an exterminator to see what it would cost to spray, but I'm a little uncomfortable with it. He did say they spray the edges of the carpet by the baseboards. Has anyone had this done? Are there any home type remedies that work?

 

[musicdude]

We spray it ourselves with the big jug of outdoor bug spray. The truth is the spray doesn't kill the spiders but it kills their food supply and the spiders leave. I also have ultra sonic plug in things that keep the spiders away, I don't know if they really work or not, but I have never seen a spider on the two floors of the house where I have them. I hate spiders after being bit by a brown recluse that took months to get completely recovered from. godd luck!

 

[Jsme]

You can go to Lowe's Hardware or even Walmart and buy a Home Defense Bug Spray. It is the same stuff that our buy uses when he comes every 3 months. Just spray around the edges in every room. Then go outside and spray all around the house and the windows and doors. Our guys tells me anytime I see a spider web to knock it down. They will rebuild but if you keep it up enough they will go away. Hope this helps you.

 

[shane&jakesmom]

We use Real Kill, I bought it at home depot, they said it was supposedly the strongest stuff you can buy, without using exterminator strength. We also use glue traps (big mice size glue traps)they also work well. I hate spiders, we also make sure to sweep well around the house foundation and around windows and doors. Good luck I know sometimes they can be tough to get rid of.

 

[branv]

You can go to Lowe's Hardware or even Walmart and buy a Home Defense Bug Spray. It is the same stuff that our buy uses when he comes every 3 months. Just spray around the edges in every room. Then go outside and spray all around the house and the windows and doors.

Our foreman told us about this, said that it's what the subdivision exterminator uses for the model and spec homes. I tried it and it works great (especially with ants trailing in from outside). I'm not as diligent with it as I should be (i.e. I tend to only whip it out when we start having issues i.e. offense rather than defense), but it always works like a charm. And if you saw how many spiders we have outside in our tiny lawn , you wouldn't believe that we see as few spiders inside as we do.

 

[LeslieG]

I was just a little concerned about using the chemicals since I have young kids. They're down playing on the carpet, and I hate thinking there's bug spray on it.

 

[WillCAD]

The best combination I've found is to saturate the interior with ultrasonic units - at least one per room, since the waves don't seem to pass through walls - and use chemical sprays on all exterior access points.

I used to live in a basement apartment, and I had bug infiltration of all kinds, including spiders of many sizes and types, in my basement. Bug sprays on the exterior were only marginally effective. I started using the ultrasonic units, and virtually overnight I saw bug infiltration drop by about 90%.

I don't live in a basement apartment any more (now I'm in a third-floor unit), but I still live in a a wooded area with tons of insects and spiders. I've been using only the ultrasonic units and still gotten very little infiltration, but it's increased recently due to the summer heat, so I'm starting to add some chemical spray to the mix at the windows and other exterior access points. It's impossible for me to spray from the outside of the 3rd floor, so I'll have to settle for spraying the window frames from inside. I don't have kids or pets to worry about, so it shouldn't be a problem for me.

The trick with the sprays is to use them around any potential access point - doors, windows, cable penetrations, dryer vents, A/C vents, oil lines, and all places where wooden structure meets concrete, brick, or block. By using them only on the outside, you reduce the risk to your kids, but still give the chemicals a good chance to work.

 

[dementia412]

Ok, I cannot remember what the name is, but there is a kind of fruit you can buy in the fall that will get rid of spiders and bugs. They are very large and you would not eat them. If you go to a farmers market you may be able to find them. I know several people who swear by them, and we are planning on trying them ourselves this year. We have major spider issues, and I am terrified of the little blood suckers. I can tell myself most are harmless, but eww ewwwww! Its my major girly thing.

ps. they are called Osage oranges or Hedge Apples. I have no idea if they really work, but I'm giving it a try this year..

 

[shortbun]

Guys, please be careful of the chemical thing, especially spraying indoors where you are living. I understand you have bug issues but what about chemical issues? The chemical danger is very real.

 

[buzz5985]

I live in the NE and we think of spiders as a good bug. They eat the bad bugs.

 

[Crystal0608]

Eww, I hate spiders! I got a bite on my chest 2 weeks ago on vacation that hasn't gone away yet, but luckily wasn't a recluse.

From pest wall dot com:
"How to control spiders?
For good house spider control, turning off outside lights at night can prevent spiders from entering your home. This is because at night there are hundreds of flying insects and bugs around that head. Spiders know this and they rush to the light to fed. You will mainly find spiders hiding under lumber piles, bricks, weeds and trash.
Some ways to control spiders are:
Make sure you regularly clean outdoor buildings such as sheds and garages
If you find cobwebs in your home dust them away and destroy any sacs that you find
Hoover in places such as corners of the wall, under worktops and under appliances.
Seal up all cracks under doors and floorboards.
You can also purchase a spider control kit which usually contains a spray, a powder that has to be mixed with water and traps. The kits allow you to treat outside and the inside your home and it generally works quite quickly. If you are using these kits for spider mite control, you should use it as soon as you see any activity of spider mites. This is because it will help to prevent further damage and it will minimize treatments. Most spider mite problems need quite a few treatments to eliminate the problem and this is because the spray does not kill the eggs."

I didn't know about the outdoor light thing. In my office (sm part of plant), we get a lot of spiders, ugly crickets, & centipedes. About once a month on a Friday afternoon, I spray the wall edges of all offices right before its time to go home. By Monday, there are a lot of icky things to sweep up, then I mop. The smell is gone after two days.

 

[christa112]

Well how many spiders are we talking about? Like 5 or 50? If there were a small amount of spiders I would just leave them alone, but if they were crawling all over the place then I would look into something.

 

[Crystal0608]

I forgot something- get a cat! We got one in March & though I've never seen many insects inside anyways, the cat kills them. My mama came over to feed Squeaky a couple weeks ago when we were gone and a fly got in. She called me amazed that he stopped eating & went running, jumping in the air, etc and killed the fly within minutes. Yay kitty!

 

[LeslieG]

Where can you buy these ultrasonic units?

 

[mommytoone]

We just finished our basement, and now it's pretty nice, but we've always had spiders down there. I called an exterminator to see what it would cost to spray, but I'm a little uncomfortable with it. He did say they spray the edges of the carpet by the baseboards. Has anyone had this done? Are there any home type remedies that work?

I have always used an exterminator, and we have all been home. There has never been a problem. I am sure that there are some stuff you can do your self, but I never want to do it myself. You can check Lowes, Home Depot, or call a exterminator place they may sell some stuff.

 

[kopmom]

My mil bought us the ultrasonic units from QVC and then seem to work as I very rarely see any spiders. We have a issue with small mice YUCK !!

We have a underground basement and I "think" they are getting in between the outside deck and the wall. Their is really no way to access that area since the deck butts up to the house so I have no clue how to resolve the issue, any idea's?

I HATE mice

 

[WillCAD]

Ultrasonic bug repellers can be found at a lot of places - Home Depot, Lowes, WalMart, Target, Sams Club, BJs and Costco, and lots of online vendors.

 

[nilseks]

Our lawn company offers a service where they spray the outside of the house for spiders. Probably any exterminator would offer it too. They spray all around the foundation and about 2 feet up the side of the house. I do this b/c I don't want them spraying the inside!

 

[sameyeyam]

Having survived cancer at an early age, I'm pretty convinced that chemicals are at least partly to blame. I have eliminated many chemicals from our household and have been able to find a safer, cheaper alternative to most of them.

Now, I've never used these recipes, but they're cheap and easy and may be worth a try. 1 drop of dish liquid,1 quart of water and some mouthwash. Spray on spiders to kill.

Here's another recipe, oil of cloves mixed with 50% water. Apparently spiders don't like the smell of cloves and if you spray it around the room on a frequent basis they will leave.

Many spiders don't like the smell of lavender or lemon. So get some fresh lavender and perhaps lemon essential oils.

You're going to love this one! Gather about 15 fresh spiders in a jar, add hot water to kill them, then dump into a blender and puree. Strain out any remaining big parts with panty hose. Put into spray bottle and spray the perimeter of the room, near windows, etc...New spiders will smell the dead spider spray and not want to enter. Supposed to get rid of spiders in about a week.

I have found that there are lots of homemade, safe ways to make almost everything in our modern households that we use chemicals for. However, most of them don't work quite as quickly or as well as their chemical counterparts. But for me it's worth it to know that I am not putting a lot of unnecessary chemicals into our environment or into my family's living space. They key to using non-chemical things like this is patience and persistence, keep using it on a regular basis.