What Attracts Spiders In The House - Kansas City

Spiders are one of the many pests you might encounter inside your house. You might be thinking, “What attracts spiders in the house?” The answer is a multitude of things, especially because there are many types of spiders and spider species!

A safe, nice, and warm house beats living outside during the snow and rainy seasons. Like all living creatures, spiders want to eat and drink, feel safe, and find a secure place to hide their children away from predators.

What Attracts Spiders to Your House

Spiders are attracted to various factors in their search for shelter, food, and mating opportunities. Some common factors that attract spiders include the presence of insects or other prey, warm and dark spaces, and moisture. Spiders may be drawn to damp areas like basements, crawl spaces, and bathrooms, as well as cluttered areas where insects are more likely to be found. Additionally, certain types of spiders may be attracted to specific scents or odors, such as those produced by plants or food. By understanding what attracts spiders, you can take proactive steps to reduce their presence in your home and prevent potential infestations.

Spiders Need To Eat & Drink Too

One of the primary answers to the question: what attracts spiders to your house – is the need to eat and stay hydrated.

Spiders are carnivores. Spinning webs are the primary ways that house spiders are able to catch their prey. They love to eat other insects such as flies (which are common house pets as well), mosquitoes, earwigs, cockroaches, and ants.

They get their hydration from standing pools of water, in bathtubs, sinks, or any leaking water sources (which oftentimes happen to be near the basement).

Most people would love to have fewer flies or mosquitoes in their house; however, ignoring house spiders can lead to an infestation that only an exterminator service can fix.

Indoors, spiders can live lavishly. Your house or apartment has just enough nooks, and crannies that spiders can live unnoticed, catch their food, and even stay hydrated.

Avoidance Of Predators

There are a few natural predators that spiders try to avoid. Common predators include fish, toads, lizards, birds, hawks, spider wasps, centipedes, and other spiders.

Many times, finding shelter in one’s house is the best place for a small house spider to hide. They can spin their webs, eat, and mate without fear.

Winter Months Send Spiders Indoors

An insect’s life is all about survival of the fittest. Whether you’re living in Kansas City or Texas, you’ll find that the winter months can be quite cold.

The smarter spiders will take refuge inside a home. Some will cuddle up in a pile of rocks or wood. Others will undergo cold hardening.

For a spider, the promise of warmth will send an unwanted spider into your home and lead to a spider infestation.

Homes Are Ideal Breeding Grounds

Oftentimes, both the male and female spider will live together utilizing the same web. Many spiders can produce up to 4,000 eggs and within a week, spiderlings can hatch and take over your home.

Houses, apartments, and other buildings are great breeding spaces because spiders can take care of their children without large interruptions from predators like fish, toads, birds, and other animals not commonly found indoors.

Prevent Spiders from Coming Into Your House

You can prevent spiders from coming inside in a variety of ways once you know what attracts spiders in your house.

Prevent Spiders From Getting Food And Water

During the summer months, make sure you close your doors and windows or utilize screens to keep flies and other prey insects from entering your home. Turn off water faucets and take care of leaky pipes so water doesn’t accumulate.

If you see any other pests like drain flies or moths inside your house, make sure you dispose of them so spiders can’t get to them. Spiders see these other pests as food sources.

The best way to stop a spider problem is to also keep other pests out of your home.

Remove A Spider’s Web So It Cannot Eat, Breed, Or Hide

While sometimes gross and sticky, it’s important to remove spider webs as soon as you see them. Simply use a broom or a vacuum to remove them.

Take Proactive Measures To Keep Spiders Out Before The Winter

Don’t wait for spiders to enter your home. Instead, you can call Gunter Pest Control services and receive annual spider maintenance. Other preventative measures include ordering at-home pest control or natural avoidance objects like cedar blocks, screens, and mesh for doors and windows. These will help to keep pests out all year round.

Conclusion

Spiders help to get rid of other unwanted pests. However, it is wise to rid your house of spiders immediately as they can cause large problems and attract other types of predators and pests after invading your home. Check out our blog to help identify the type of creepy crawler that’s inside your home.

What Attracts Spiders In Your House FAQS

How Do I Stop Spiders Coming Into The House?

1. Remove webs. Regularly checking for and removing spider webs from about your house and garden prevents spiders from lurking about and reproducing. 2. Oils & candles. 3. Fill in gaps. 4. Limit lighting. 5. Cats & dogs. 6. Apply insecticide. 7. Maintain a clean house.

Why Am I Suddenly Finding Spiders In My House?

The house spider population is increasing in your home because you have the shelter they need to survive and lay their eggs, not to mention these spiders are able to feed on the other pests that have found their way inside your home.

What Smell Attracts Spiders?

The stinky smell of sweaty socks might repulse humans, but scientists now find it enthralls mosquitoes and spiders. The odor apparently helps the creatures hunt down their victims — the mosquitoes want to feed on people, while the spiders prefer to devour the mosquitoes.

What Months Do Spiders Come In The House?

Spiders usually start to come out in early September, with their presence noticeable in homes until around mid-October. After this, they tend to be spotted indoors less often.

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They may give you the creeps, but spiders are really just more of a nuisance than a health hazard. In fact, having a few spiders around your home can be advantageous as they will help to keep away harmful pests and disease-carrying insects like ticks, fleas, and cockroaches. Spiders are also extremely beneficial to our ecosystem and control the number of bugs that destroy plants and crops, which is why scientists ask us not to kill them.

Instead, safely trap them and release them outside whenever possible. Having one or two spiders in your home isn’t a big deal or cause for concern, but what happens when you start spotting spiders on a regular basis? Once spiders start to take over your home, it’s time to consider a more viable solution that can prevent an infestation. If cleaning doesn’t improve your situation, you’ll need the help of a pest control professional to remove the pests from your home and stop them from coming back. 

What Spiders Are Really Telling You

Spiders can also be used as a warning sign that you have a bigger pest problem at home. Since spiders feed on other insects, you likely already have a pest problem if you are finding an abundance of spiders inside. In this case, you’ll need the help of a pest control professional to get things under control.

When You Should Become Concerned

It is important to remember that spiders are not out to get you and they actually prefer to avoid human contact. However, if they feel threatened or become trapped in your shoe, for instance, they can and will bite you. Fortunately, there is really only one spider that you have to worry about in Canada and that is the Black Widow. The neurotoxins in their venom can cause severe muscle cramps, sweating, headaches, high blood pressure, and in rare cases, seizures and death. Thankfully, black widow spiders are not very common in Canada and only the female is dangerous to humans. You are more likely to come in contact with a garden spider, dock spider, house spider, cellar spider or jumping spiders which are harmless.

How Do Spiders Get Inside in the First Place?

Spiders first look for cracks in your doors and windows as well as other crevices and openings throughout your home. Then they move indoors in search of food (other pests), warmth, and moisture. Some spiders even make their way inside by way of plants, firewood, and in boxes that are stored in the basement or attic.

Once they’re inside they’ll start spinning webs so they can mate in the spring and summer. Each egg sac contains thousands of eggs, which only takes a few weeks to develop and hatch. Most of these spiders will only live about a year but some species can live for over a decade in the right environment.

How Do You Get Rid of Them?  

If you have noticed a number of webs or spiders inside your home, your first line of defence should be to check your doors and windows to ensure they are properly sealed to prevent spiders from gaining access through any gaps. Then your next move should be to clean your home thoroughly. Vacuuming regularly around the house, especially inside the cupboards and along the ceiling and doorways, can clear away webs, spiders, and the dusty environment that they like. You should also keep any closets, crawl spaces, and pantry areas clear of clutter and boxes that make the perfect hiding places. If these tactics don’t stop the spiders from returning, you’ll need to contact a pest control specialist to prevent the spiders from invading and mating.

How Can Pest Specialists Help?

Pest specialists can identify the specific types of spiders that are in your home, where they are entering and their common hiding spots. Depending on the severity of the problem, the technician will design a unique program for your situation. They can also put in preventive measures to stop the spiders from returning and set up recurring maintenance plans for those who live in areas that are more prone to spider infestations, such as areas that are closer to water.

If you only notice the occasional spider around your home, there’s no cause for concern. But if your home has become invaded with spiders, it’s time to call us at Orkin Canada. Our team of pest management professionals will do a full assessment to find the areas where they are entering and then remove the pests before a serious infestation can occur. We can also take care of all your other pest issues whether cockroaches, fleas, ants, bed bugs, rodents, or otherwise. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists!