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Black widow spiders are one of the most venomous spiders found in North America. With their shiny black bodies and the well-known red hourglass marking on the female black widow, these spiders often hide in dark, undisturbed areas.
While black widow spider bites are rarely fatal, their venom can cause severe pain, cramping, and discomfort, requiring medical attention in some cases.
The best way to avoid a black widow infestation is through proactive spider control. Here are six effective tips to keep them away from your home.
Key Takeaways
- Black widow spiders get inside through small cracks and gaps, so sealing entry points helps keep them out.
- Cleaning your home and storage areas removes hiding spots and makes it harder for black widow spiders to stay.
- Getting rid of insects takes away the black widow’s food source and helps prevent them from moving in.
- Calling a pest control company is the best way to handle a black widow infestation if they keep coming back.
1. Seal Entry Points
Black widow spiders often enter homes through small crevices, gaps, and cracks around doors, windows, and baseboards. Inspect your home’s exterior for any openings and use caulking to seal cracks in walls, foundations, and around windows. Installing door sweeps can also help prevent spiders from slipping inside.
Since these arachnids prefer dark hiding spots, blocking their access to crawl spaces and storage areas can greatly reduce the chances of an infestation.
2. Keep Your Home and Storage Areas Clean
Cleaning up clutter is an essential step in black widow control. These spiders prefer undisturbed areas such as attics, closets, and basements where they can spin their spider webs and lay egg sacs.
Regularly using a vacuum cleaner for dusting and organizing storage areas will eliminate hiding places and make them less inviting for these arachnids.
Pay special attention to dark corners, under furniture, and along baseboards where these spiders may settle.
3. Remove Potential Food Sources
Black widow spiders thrive in places where they can find food. They primarily feed on insects such as cockroaches, crickets, and even scorpions. If you have a problem with other pests in your home, you’re more likely to attract black widows.
Keeping your home free from common insect infestations through pest control measures can help eliminate their food source and reduce their presence.
4. Declutter and Maintain Your Yard
Outdoor clutter like firewood piles, wood piles, and overgrown vegetation can create the perfect hiding spots for black widow spiders. Keep your yard well-maintained by trimming bushes, cutting grass, and removing debris.
Store firewood piles at least 20 feet from your home and keep them elevated off the ground to discourage spiders from nesting. Regularly check outdoor sheds, patios, and garages for spider webs and remove them promptly.
5. Use Natural Repellents
With its strong scents, peppermint oil has been shown to repel certain spider species, including some relatives of black widows.
To make a DIY spider repellent, mix a few drops of your chosen essential oil with water and spray it around entry points, baseboards, and storage areas.
While this may help deter spiders, oils like tea tree oils alone won’t get rid of this spider species and should be used alongside other preventive measures.
6. Call a Pest Control Company
If you’re seeing multiple spider webs, egg sacs, or frequent sightings of black widow spiders around your home, it’s time to take action.
At Simple Pest Management, we specialize in black widow control and can help you get rid of black widow spiders safely and effectively. Our team will inspect your home, identify hiding spots, and provide targeted treatments to eliminate these venomous spiders.
Contact us today to schedule a service, and let us handle your spider infestation with expert care!
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