How to fight and remove spiders from an apartment and a private house

14.07.2019

The web is the result of the creativity of spiders crawling into the house; it serves them to catch insects: flies, cockroaches, ants. When deciding how to remove spiders from your home, you need to know the reasons for their appearance and carefully familiarize yourself with effective methods of elimination.

Cobweb laces hung in the corners of a private house or apartment are a dubious decoration that housewives try to remove in a variety of ways. To be fair, it should be noted that the small representatives of the arachnid family that fill our apartments are safe for humans.

Another thing is that the attitude towards them is not the same: some are afraid of nimble arthropods, others are unpleasant in their appearance. Hanging threads filled with dried insect corpses definitely look unsightly. How should you get rid of spiders?

• Why did spiders appear in the house?
• Getting rid of spiders
• Stopping spiders from entering your home again

Description of spiders

These are obligate arthropod predators belonging to the class of arachnids. They feed mainly on insects, although there are species that hunt small animals. Science knows only one herbivorous species - the horse that eats acacia greens.

The size of spiders varies greatly: the smallest representative is no more than 4 mm in length, and the limb span of the largest can reach 250 mm. Their body consists of a cephalothorax and abdomen. There are usually 8 or 6 eyes on the head, rarely - 2. There are special warts on the stomach, thanks to which arthropods weave a strong and elastic web. Digestion in spiders occurs outside the intestine: the predator injects enzymes into the prey and after a couple of hours sucks out its juices.

Spiders, unlike insects, have 4 pairs of legs. The forelimbs of males are equipped with bulbs. This is a kind of sperm storage for fertilization. After mating, many of them sacrifice themselves to the “lady”. Females are larger than their partners and live longer because they need to raise offspring.

When meeting a person, arthropods try to find shelter, avoiding contact. Predators attack only if they sense a threat to their lives.

Spider Body Size and Structure

The body size of an animal depends on its gender. An adult female grows up to twelve millimeters in length, a male up to eight millimeters. Taking into account the distance between the legs, this size increases to twenty millimeters.

Tarantula spider on a man's hand

A characteristic feature of this species is the brown marking that resembles a violin. It appears in mature individuals, but is sometimes noted in young spiders. The recluse spider has six eyes, unlike other arthropod species that have eight visual organs.

At rest, the animal’s paws, devoid of spines, are thin and long, evenly distributed on the sides. In case of danger, the front legs are pulled under the body, the side legs are raised, and the hind legs are straightened.

The paws and lower part of the body are uniformly colored, without spots or stripes. On the bends of the joints of the legs, pigmentation is lighter compared to the main one. The color of the animal's body depends on its habitat and environmental conditions, from brown and dark brown to completely black.

The abdominal cavity of the hermit beetle is covered with fine hairs that look like fur when viewed under a microscope.

Types of spiders that live in human homes

As mentioned earlier, there are approximately 40 thousand species of spiders in nature. But no more than a dozen seek to settle at home:

Harvesting spider

This is one of the most common “taken to life”. Its distinctive feature is its long legs up to 50 mm. Oval or round body, 2-10 mm in length, most often brownish in color. This species is popularly called the centipede. People are used to being around him and are almost not afraid.

Centipedes do not weave the usual cocoon for eggs, but tie them with several threads according to the principle of a string bag. After each eaten victim, they complete the web, so it does not have a clear structure and looks chaotic.

The visual organs of these arthropods are located in 3 on both sides of the head. Another pair of small eyes is in the middle. The height of the abdomen of the harvest spider when viewed from the side exceeds the size of the body.

Gray and black spiders

Their body color is monochromatic: black or gray. In this regard, arthropods received appropriate names. They love dry, warm places, so they tend to come indoors with the arrival of autumn. The size of the male of these creatures does not exceed 15 mm in length. At the same time, the female can be 2 times larger.

Gray or black spiders weave a small structured web on which they wait for prey, almost without leaving their nest. They hunt small insects that get into the room.

The lifespan of these species is about 2 years. They rarely reproduce at home, leaving offspring only at the end of the life cycle.

Interesting fact: only hatched gray and black spiders immediately resemble an adult.

Hobo Spider

This species received its name due to the lack of a permanent habitat. He does not build a web, being in constant motion. The tramp is brown in color with black and beige speckles. Its body is no more than 10 mm long, and its legs are 25 mm.

This species of arthropod hunts on the move, quickly attacking its prey while jumping. It injects the poison immediately and eats the prey on the spot. The hobo spider does not stay in the apartment.

White spider

The body of a female spider of this species can reach 15 mm. Males are much smaller. The common white spider is a frequent visitor to residential areas. He has a large web that gives away his presence.

Attention! The white karakurt spider lives in the southern zone of Russia, whose bite is poisonous and can cause intoxication.

Jumping spider

It has a specific structure of its limbs, thanks to which it jumps and moves even on a vertical slippery surface, like on a window. Small claws and hairs on its legs allow it to cling. His 8 eyes are located in a special way - in 3 rows.

The jumping spider is the only herbivorous spider known to science. He rarely lives indoors. This creature is most often carried into an apartment on clothing.

Almost any species of arthropod living in a given region can enter human habitation.

Interesting fact: spiders living at home are, in most cases, born there and never leave the premises. If you let such a resident out into the street, he will die.

Description of species found in the apartment

There are no more than a dozen species of domestic spiders. They hide from people in dark corners and are completely harmless. They can be distinguished by the appearance and structure of the canvases.

Spider Harvester

It is characterized by a small body and long thin legs. As children, many of us thought that they hunted large insects, but this is not entirely true. It feeds on beetles, mosquitoes, midges, flies and other small insects. Helps control the spread of pests in your home. At the same time, its web is not sticky, it is woven haphazardly (that is, it does not look like a web from pictures, but simply like a chaotic interweaving of threads). He does not poison his victim, she simply gets entangled in his web and dies.

Steatoda Large

Small arthropods (6-10 mm) are black or dark brown. Females are slightly larger. There are characteristic spots on the stomach. Males are white and females are reddish. They feed on small insects. They are characterized by a sticky web, but it is almost impossible to find them during the day. They hunt at night, and when they bite a victim, they release poison to immobilize it. However, the venom of one spider is not enough to cause serious harm to humans. However, allergy sufferers are advised to take antihistamines in case of a bite to avoid possible allergic reactions.

Amaurobid spiders

Amaurobiid is almost never found indoors. Most often, individuals of these spiders live in basements and on balconies. Its web has a funnel-shaped structure. The web is not sticky at all. It feeds on insects. When prey gets caught in the web, it jumps out and drags it to a shelter. Amaurobiids are usually ginger-colored and can range from 8 to 15 mm in body size. The main feature of these spiders is secrecy; from Latin their name is translated as secretive.

Hobo spider

A fairly common long-legged house spider. Small translucent body with black dots, brownish-gray long legs. Eats insects and their own species. Poisonous, but only to small insects. For humans, the venom of this spider is harmless and cannot cause harm. There may be a slight burning sensation and slight redness at the site of the bite for a few minutes. Usually they do not stay long in one place; after consuming a victim, they change their place of hunting and residence accordingly.

Spider in the attic

Quite a large representative of house spiders (body length 12-18 mm). The color is dark brown. The insect's body has lighter markings with three spots on each side. Legs are hairy. Spiders of different sexes practically do not differ from each other in appearance. Poisonous, but not dangerous to people and pets. Spiders of this species behave absolutely non-aggressively, do not attack themselves and can bite only for the purpose of self-defense. It waits until the prey gets caught in the net, jumps out and attacks it.

White karakuta spiders

Homebody spider

The house spider has an elongated body. Adult color ranges from dark orange to brown or beige. Legs are striped. There are two boring black stripes on the chest. The belly is mottled brown, beige and grey. At night he hunts flies and mosquitoes.

The house spider weaves its web using a funnel. Threads of cobwebs spread to different corners of the room. When another insect gets caught in the web, it jumps out and pulls it into the funnel, where it eats. This is not an aggressive species. If the grid is not broken, it hides in it, but if it is damaged, it comes out. In case of danger, it can bite, but the bite is painless for humans.

What types of domestic arthropods are dangerous?

99% of spiders are poisonous, but their domesticated representatives have small fangs and a fragile structure. The arthropods that have settled in the apartment are not aggressive and timid. They have a well-developed instinct of self-preservation, which dictates that they run away from danger rather than attack. An accidental bite from a house spider is harmless to humans. It is recommended to treat the wound with hydrogen peroxide or alcohol for prevention.

Attention! If the bite site is swollen and red, you need to consult a specialist!

Spiders that pose a mortal danger to humans are not found in Russia. Including in the wild. But the bite of some species that live in hot climates can cause allergic reactions. For example, black tramps and white karakurts are dangerous. Even if they were accidentally brought from the southern regions to the middle zone. The wounds from them are comparable to hornet vinegar: painful, leaving itching and burning, redness of the skin. In some cases, they can cause necrosis.

Another illness that spiders provoke is arachnophobia. People suffering from this disease are afraid of arthropods of all types and sizes.

Reasons for appearance and favorite habitats

Spiders can take up residence in any home. Getting into it by accident through:

• cracks in walls, floors or ceilings;
• open windows, doors;
• clothes, soil, plants brought into the house;
• furniture and other items that were stored outside.

Arthropods are delayed if the conditions for their existence are favorable:

• comfortable temperature without sudden fluctuations;
• there is a food base;
• suitable level of air humidity: heat-loving arthropods settle in dry living spaces, such as the bedroom and kitchen; others prefer the bathroom or balcony.

The favorite places of these creatures are windows, corners of rooms, dark areas of the room, for example, behind the sofa or under the bathtub.

In a private house, spiders live in the basement, attic, veranda or gazebo.

Most often, predators remain in poorly cleaned rooms, where there is a lot of food for them: flies, bedbugs, cockroaches and other small insects.

Causes

The main habitat of arachnids is nature. Human housing attracts them due to suitable conditions and the availability of the required amount of food. Arthropods feed on other insects; their presence in an apartment or house indicates neglect of cleaning. Insects live in corners, in the floor, niches, and on mezzanines. They rarely come out, so they remain alive.

Surely, you are at a loss as to why and how these insects appeared in your house (or apartment).

Important: When cleaning, special attention should be paid to hard-to-reach places; this is where insect nests are located.

Spiders enter your home in different ways. These could be cracks in the floor, doors, windows, or attics. They move on people's clothes and from windows. At risk are apartments located near bushes, garbage dumps, and old destroyed buildings.

It is known that spiders often build webs in rooms with high humidity: in bathrooms, kitchens, etc.

Benefits and harms

House spiders can be both harmful and beneficial. The owner of the house decides for himself whether to fight unexpected guests or leave them alone.

Arthropods living indoors do not form populations, leaving small offspring at the end of the life cycle. This is due to the fact that in apartments you can rarely find an abundance of food for these creatures. The advantage of having a spider in the house is the destruction of unwanted insects.

But a lot of dust and remains of pests accumulate on spider webs, which does not decorate the room. It also happens that arthropod predators actively weave webs in the corners of rooms and even reproduce. In this case, it is necessary to take measures to get rid of spiders in the apartment.

Is it good or bad?

On the one hand, if spiders appear in an apartment, they are capable of destroying the pests living there. On the other hand, the networks they weave, and the very sight of many-legged creatures, can please few people. In advanced cases, there can be so many cobwebs that the home takes on a neglected, uninhabited appearance.

Spider-Man is certainly more afraid of him than he is of them. Arthropods will never hunt or specifically attack people. The spider flees from large opponents.

Important! Any spider living in the house, regardless of size, can bite. All types of spiders inject venom. It is not capable of killing a person or pet because its concentration is very low, but spider toxins can cause itching and allergies, especially in young children, allergy sufferers and people with weakened immune systems.

How to get rid of arthropods?

Before you start exterminating spiders using special means, it is recommended that you try to get rid of them yourself:

• carry out a general cleaning of the room, collecting all the cobwebs with a damp cloth. To penetrate hard-to-reach places, use a stick with a cloth moistened with water wrapped around it. You can use a vacuum cleaner;
• get rid of small insects - the basis of the diet of spiders;
• if there are a lot of arthropods, they most likely hatched at home. You need to find a nest and collect all the creatures. Since they scatter very quickly when a person appears, it is best to use a vacuum cleaner. As a last resort, use a damp cloth. A broom and dustpan are bad helpers in this matter.

After the work has been done, you should try to get rid of arthropods using folk remedies.

Traditional methods of fighting spiders

There are many proven folk methods that can be used in the fight against arthropods. So, for example, knowing what spiders are afraid of, you can scare them away from their homes. In particular, pests cannot tolerate strong odors. To get rid of them, you need to use available means with pronounced aromas:

Acetic acid

Dilute 9% vinegar with water in a 1:1 ratio and spray the spiders’ favorite places with a spray bottle: corners of rooms, window sills, hard-to-reach areas (behind the bathroom, behind the sofa, etc.). If there are no small children or animals in the house, you can place small containers of solution in the corners to repel new arthropods.

Lemon and other citrus fruits

Pour boiling water over the lemon or orange zest, let it cool, and spray the room with the resulting solution using a spray bottle. Another way is to place the dried crusts in the corners.

Essential oils (peppermint, citrus, eucalyptus, tea tree)

Dilute 15-20 drops of essential oil in 1 liter of water. Using a spray bottle, treat the favorite places of spiders and the ways they enter the house: baseboards, thresholds, window frames, ventilation, crevices and cracks.

Horse chestnuts or walnuts

Crush and scatter around the perimeter of the room. You can also steam and treat the room with a spray bottle.

Herbs and spices

Scatter ground pepper, cloves, etc. in the corners of the room, behind the bathtub, behind the furniture. The strong smell will make the spiders leave.

Sheep's wool

A piece of wool, yarn or sheepskin item will also repel these creatures.

Chemicals

Getting rid of spiders may not be so easy if you live in a private home. Basement or attic conditions may be quite suitable for propagation. Chemicals will come to the rescue.

Attention! Before using a chemical, you must carefully study the instructions and precautions.

Aerosols:

• Raid is a well-known brand whose manufacturer guarantees getting rid of not only insects such as ants and cockroaches, but also spiders. Moreover, the first uninvited guests may appear no earlier than six months later;
• Raptor is an aerosol for fighting insects. The manufacturer also guarantees freedom from spiders for 2-4 months;
• Aerosol against spiders bros - will destroy for 3 months not only arthropods, but also their egg laying;
• Dobrokhim FOS – destroys spiders and insects with a 100% guarantee. At the same time, it is safe for people and other animals;
• Joker Bun – has no odor and effectively fights insects and spiders.

Aerosol is the most effective and fastest-acting form of chemical repellent against arthropod predators, since they are most often sitting on webs rather than running around the house. The person performing the procedure must be protected by a mask and gloves. Before you start processing the apartment, you should remove all people and animals from it. Close doors and windows tightly while spraying. Upon completion of work, leave the room for 30 minutes or more until the insecticide has completely dried. Then ventilate well and carry out general cleaning. If necessary, repeat the procedure after 5-7 days.

Dust "Clean House"

It is a powder in 50 g bags. One package is designed for 10 m2. The main advantage of the drug is its low cost. But in order to permanently remove spiders from the house, you will have to use it in combination with other means.

Chalk “Brownie” or “Mashenka”

Looks like regular school chalk. Most often used to control cockroaches. Not the most effective means for killing spiders, since they rarely move around the apartment.

Chemicals are highly effective, but their use is not always possible: for example, there are small children or animals in the house. If you cannot get rid of spiders at home using safe means at hand, you can use repellers and traps.

Ultrasonic repellers

RCDs are special devices that produce sounds at such a frequency that the human ear is unable to perceive them. Insects and spiders find such sound waves unpleasant, so they tend to leave the area. You can buy a repeller at a hardware store.

Glue trap

Most often it is a small puck with 2-4 entrance holes, a sticky bottom and bait inside. Or regular adhesive tape on a thick base. They are placed in corners, behind cabinets and under furniture.

You can save money and get by with regular double-sided tape by sticking it in places where spiders run.

Recommendation: Glue traps are effective in combination with other methods. It is preferable to use them in addition. On their own they are not able to cope with large numbers of arthropods.

Cleaning the premises

It is enough to maintain order in the apartments: make sure there are no cobwebs, dust and small insects. In multi-storey buildings, spiders are not frequent neighbors. And when they appear, it is enough to know how to drive away arthropods using folk remedies.

In private homes, the likelihood of encountering an arthropod is much higher: there is a nearby area with vegetation, perhaps a basement or attic - their favorite places. It doesn’t matter whether the house is wooden or brick. But the “age” of the building and its condition play a role. These animals cannot stand the smell of paint and varnish products and will never come into the room after renovation.

When cleaning, pay special attention to hard-to-reach places. Conduct an audit of old items and clothing. This is especially true for country houses where people do not live all year round. The basement and attic also need to be tidied up. This is where spiders breed their offspring.

The cellar is humid, dark most of the time and empty of people. These conditions are suitable not only for life, but also for reproduction. To control the number of spiders in the basement, you need to clean it from time to time:

• empty the premises of all items and conservation;
• remove debris, dust, cobwebs from the floor, walls and ceiling;
• wipe the shelves with a damp cloth soaked in an aqueous solution using any folk remedy (for example, lemon or vinegar), wipe them dry;
• Ventilate the cellar regularly. On the shelves between the cans of preserves, place nuts and lemon zest in the corners;
• arthropods cannot stand the smell of lime - if possible, whitewash the walls of the cellar with it.

The attic should be well ventilated, dried, cleared of cobwebs and treated with any of the insecticides listed above.

Traditional methods

We suggest considering several options for traditional methods of getting rid of insects.

Lemon juice

Spiders don't like the scent of lemon, so the juice is widely used to get rid of them.

Walnut

As a folk method of eliminating insects, all parts of the nut are used. Therefore, you can take branches, fruits, leaves or even nut peels and place them in places where pests live.

horse chestnut

The chestnut is cut into several pieces, which are placed in the corners where insects are most often seen. Thanks to the specific aroma of the fruit, spiders will leave their place of residence.

Herbs and spices

You can poison these annoying guests with spices and herbs. Place cloves, pepper, and basil in the habitat of arthropods along window structures. Spices will drive away spiders with their specific smell.

Ground red pepper

Ground red pepper in tandem with vinegar is a very effective substance that repels spiders.

You will need:

• 15 g pepper;
• 60–75 ml vinegar;
• 0.5 liters of water.

Mix all ingredients and spray the room with a spray bottle.

Flowerpots with lavender

Place pots of dried or fresh lavender flowers in your rooms, add the plant's essential oil to a cotton ball, and then place it in the dust bag of your vacuum cleaner. The dissipating aroma during cleaning will repel insects.

Interesting! You can add the plant extract to baking soda, and then sprinkle it on carpets and upholstered furniture for 20 minutes. This procedure will eliminate insects, help remove dirty stains on furniture and disinfect it.

Fragrant esters

Eucalyptus or peppermint oil is a very effective, and most importantly, simple means of repelling pests. Dissolve 20 drops of ether in 1 liter. water and spray the room with a spray bottle, paying special attention to baseboards, window sills and doorways. You can also soak cotton sponges in the solution and push them into the cracks through which spiders enter the house.

Tobacco

If there is tobacco in the house, it can also protect against spiders. Scatter the dry fraction in the corners of the room. In the open space around the house, you can plant a plantation of the plant and also scatter a small amount of tobacco around the house. This event will protect the premises from unexpected guests.

Cat

This pet can not only catch mice, but will also provide support in the fight against spiders. So, there is nothing better for cats than to hone their skills on small insects that accidentally get into their homes.

Ground cinnamon

For humans, cinnamon smells amazing, but for spiders this aroma is very unpleasant, so when it appears, the insects take flight. Sprinkle the spice in the suspected habitats of the pest and add new portions as the smell dissipates.

Pyrethrum

This drug is considered proven in the fight against spiders. The product is safe for both humans and animals. Along with this, the substances included in its composition are harmful to insects.

Citrus

The most effective representatives are lemon and orange. Directions for use:

• Fresh fruits are chopped and placed in the corners of the home.
• Citric acid is mixed with water and all rooms are sprayed.

Boric acid

If there are a lot of insects in the house, including cockroaches, they can be poisoned using a proven product such as boric acid. This substance should be scattered in baseboards and near cracks.

Important! For all inhabitants of the apartment (owners and animals), such a powder will not cause harm; it is safe, unlike aerosols with a chemical composition.

Peppermint oil
This product produces a pungent odor that small insects cannot tolerate. You need to take hot water, dissolve a few drops of this product in it and spray the arthropod habitats.

Sheep's wool

Also, spiders are not happy with the smell of sheep skin, so you can safely leave a small piece of wool or yarn near the web.

Maclura or lemon

The maclura is cut into pieces and laid out around the room. This aroma repels insects.

Vinegar and water

To eliminate insects in this way, you will need to mix half a glass of 9% vinegar and the same amount of water. The prepared solution is poured into a spray bottle and sprayed on those places where uninvited guests prefer to be. When they come into contact with vinegar, they die. To prevent new uninvited guests from appearing, you need to pour a small amount of vinegar into containers, such as bottle caps, and leave them in the corners of the room.

The last tip should not be taken into account if there are small children in the house or apartment.

Peppermint essential oil

For this method, you will need to dilute about 20 drops of this essential oil in one liter of liquid. The finished mixture is poured into a spray bottle, which is used to spray the baseboards and corners of the room. Such a measure will force the pests to change their place of residence, since spiders are afraid of this smell. Instead of mint, eucalyptus or tea tree oil will also work.

Prevention of arthropods

It is not possible to completely prevent the appearance of spiders in the house, since they can be carried on clothing. To significantly reduce their chances of staying indoors, the following manipulations are carried out:

• install mosquito nets on ventilation grilles and windows;
• eliminate gaps and cracks in the floor, walls, ceiling;
• carry out regular cleaning of the premises;
• Once a week, you can drop a few drops of essential oil into the water for washing floors;
• keep an eye out for small insects. For example, midges from humidity or fruit.

Fun fact: Spiders are considered indicators of cleanliness. If there are arthropods in the room, the conditions there are far from sterile.

Stopping spiders from entering your home again

General cleaning has been carried out, available chemicals against furry settlers have been used, all corners have been cleaned, but the question remains of how to prevent the reappearance of unwanted neighbors. Experts recommend thoroughly examining the area of ​​the premises and tightly sealing all the cracks and crevices of wooden surfaces. Securely seal the outlets of communication parts (pipes, joints, drains). Check the safety of the mesh fabric around ventilation grilles and mosquito nets.

Folk signs associated with spiders

People associate the appearance of arthropods with various signs and superstitions, for example:

1. Seeing a spider in the morning is good luck, in the afternoon it means great love.
2. If a spider hangs on the web in the table area, it means betrayal.
3. A spider fell on its head - to unexpected profit.
4. Seeing a spider pulling itself up on a web is good news.
5. A cobweb over the bed means betrayal or health problems.

In Russia, most spiders are harmless. And if they appear on a plot or in a greenhouse, they are even useful, since they eat pests and their larvae. Whether to fight arthropods or not is an individual question.

First aid at home for spider bites

What not to use for fighting

When exterminating spiders, you should avoid using the following methods:

• Use of ineffective drugs. When choosing a chemical, it is important to ensure that it is intended to control arthropods. Most drugs against flies and mosquitoes can only stupefy the spider, but not kill it.
• Sticky tapes. Many arthropods live in one place, weaving webs and waiting for their prey. Therefore, catching them with Velcro is practically useless.
• Collecting spiders by hand. Some gardeners prefer to collect adult individuals in jars and then destroy them or transfer them to another place, but this method is ineffective and dangerous. To clear an area of ​​spiders, you have to risk your own health. According to pediatrician Komarovsky, an arthropod bite can be accompanied by severe pain and the development of an allergic reaction.
• Used to scare away dead spiders. There is no point in laying out the corpses of arthropods on the site, since this does not affect the behavior of their relatives.

If there are few spiders in the dacha and they do not cause discomfort, there is no need to exterminate them. In nature, arthropods perform an important function by reducing insect populations and protecting plants from pests. This recommendation does not apply to areas with large numbers of spiders. The magazine “Super Summer Resident” recommends: “when a large space is covered with cobwebs, you should contact the sanitary service.”