Got spiders? Please help me get rid of them?

Question

Oh I hope someone can help. This year seems to have brought with it an abundace of spiders to my basement. I hate them. My neighbor suggested insect plug in appliance. I purchased one for all rooms and the basement. I think it is calling in the spiders. Last night a really nasty short, fat, brown spider seemed to be charging me across the living room floor. I scooped him up, took him outside and let him go he rushed towards the house again so i flung him up with a toewl and sent him flying. I live in Maine so I don't think we have any dangerous spiders. I have heard people state that they were bitten by spiders and had allergic reactions or irratations but not dangerous disabling effects.How can I rid myself of spiders?

Answer 1

Preventing Spider Problems

There are many ways to make your home less appealing to spiders. If there are cracks in your foundation or around windows and doors, seal them up.

Check places where water pipes and electrical lines enter your house, and caulk any openings.

Keep woodpiles and debris away from your house.

In storage areas, put boxes up off the floor and away from walls.

Seal boxes with tape to keep spiders from living inside them. In general, cleaning up clutter will mean you have fewer spiders.

Pruning vegetation away from your house and keeping the area next to the foundation clear will also make your house less attractive to spiders.

Outdoor lighting sometimes attracts insects, which in turn attracts spiders. You can move outdoor lighting away from windows and doors if this is a problem around your home.

Chemicals Are Ineffective

Using a pesticide is not a good solution to spider problems. "Insecticides will not provide long-term control" of spiders, according to the University of California, "and should not generally be used against spiders outdoors." Inside, "control by spraying is only temporary unless accompanied by housekeeping."

Washington State University Extension has a similar perspective: "Most spider problems can be solved without the use of chemicals." -http://www.pesticide.org/spiders.html

You can remove a spider from inside your house by putting a jar over it. Then slip a piece of paper under the jar so that the opening is sealed, pick up the jar, and take the spider outside.

A broom is also a useful tool for moving a spider outside.

Spider and Insect Catch and Release Tool

http://www.smarthome.com/61181.html

Answer 2

CATS make GREAT spider catchers. Other than that we use a really strong pesticide that can only be bought in rual country areas. Its for agricultral use but works fine at ridding our spider problem. We have wolf, brown recluse, and black widows. EEEEEEKKKKK!!