Spiders remain persistently active all year long in southwest Florida. If you’re seeing spiders on the lanai, you can bet you’ve got them in your house, too. Proper identification, eradication, and preventative measures are essential to managing a spider problem in and around your home.
Why Spiders Hang Around All Year Long in Florida
Some spiders bite, some cause allergic reactions, and others are deadly. Even if you’ve got a more harmless variety of spider tinkering around, do you really want to live with them scurrying around your Florida Gulf Coast home?
The warm, humid weather of Florida allows for many different spider species to remain active throughout the year. In fact, there are 58 species of spiders common to the Sunshine State. Without a deep frost such as happens in the northern states, all those spider species can easily maintain their nests on your property.
Many people ask: If the weather outside is so wonderful for spiders, why do we find spiders inside the house?
You’re not going to like the answer to that question.
Spiders invade your home because there are other insects inside the home that make a tasty meal for the busy spider. Spiders follow their food source (insects). If there is insect activity inside your home, spiders invade your space in order to build new webs to capture those insects.
Why are spiders so difficult to get rid of?
Again, the Florida weather makes it ideal for spiders to thrive. Likewise, the inside of your home provides a constant, comfortable atmosphere for the spider. Once they’ve followed their instinct to a food source inside your home, if that source of food is not controlled, the spider has no reason to leave your house!
Getting rid of spiders is only successful when you have also identified and gotten rid of their food source: another insect.
What’s the solution?
A thorough pest inspection and pest control maintenance plan is successful to keeping spiders (and their favorite food) out of your home.
Florida’s Most Common Spiders
Of the 58 species of spider that thrive in Florida’s climate, there are a dozen or so that are more common–and that means you’re more likely to see them around your property.
Most Common Venomous Spiders Found in Florida
- Brown Recluse Spider (Loxosceles reclusa)
- Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus)
- Northern Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus variolus)
- Red Widow Spider (Latrodectus bishop)
- Southern Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus genus)
Learn more about venomous spiders in Florida.
Most Common Domestic House Spiders (non-venomous)
- American House Spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum)
- Daddy Long Legs (Opiliones order)
- Domestic House Spider (Tegenaria domestica)
- Jumping Spiders (Salticidae family)
- Southern House Spider (Kukulcania hibernalis),
- Yellow Sac Spiders (Cheiracanthium genus)
Learn more about domestic spiders in Florida.
If you don’t know much about spiders, don’t attempt to capture and identify them. You might think you are boxing a harmless spider, but many venomous spiders have “twins.”
In this picture, can you identify the spider that is poisonous and which is a harmless spider?**
Abandon the DIY method of trying to exterminate spiders. Leave spider identification and eradication to the professional technicians working for Drive-Bye Exterminators. We can quickly identify the type of spider infestation you are dealing with and completely eliminate any threat the arachnids–and the pests they are feeding on–pose to you and your family members.
** The spider on the left is the venomous, dangers Brown Recluse. The other spider is a Hobo Spider.
What Can I Do to Keep Spiders Out of My Home
Step one to keeping spiders out of your home is to have a routine pest control maintenance plan for your home and property. Everything else you do will support the targeted, science-based treatments that the pest control company is applying to the problem. Some of the things you can do to help keep spiders and their food supply from nesting in your home include:
- Vacuum Carpets and Floors Regularly
This includes spaces beneath furniture, underneath tables, and the insides of cabinets. - Remove Webs
Search for webs regularly and remove them when they are spotted. - Seal Entrypoint Gaps
Check around pipework, under doors, around molding, and look for holes or dents where spiders can enter the home. - Clear the Clutter
Remove compost piles, wood piles, and other forms of clutter from your yard. Inside your home, do not stack boxes on the floor or against walls. Spiders will use these areas for shelter. - Deter Other Insects
Create an unfriendly environment for the insects that spiders feed on. - Ventilate Properly
Good ventilation in crawl spaces, garages, and attics will prevent the moisture build-up that attracts spiders.
What Pest Control Services do I most Need to Get Rid of Spiders?
Drive-Bye Exterminators offers a complete suite of inspection, control, and removal services that will provide you with relief from a spider infestation. Our team of technicians are well-qualified and possess expert knowledge pertaining to the lifecycle and habits of spiders.
The team at Drive-Bye Exterminators can provide you with the following spider removal services:
Targeted Spider Treatment
A variety of targeted treatment options are available to to eradicate spiders. These include flushing treatments, web treatments, and insecticide sprays. Each has it’s place in targeted treatment–a decision that is best left up to the pros at Drive-Bye Exterminators.
Monitoring Spider Activity
We can install insect activity monitoring units that will trap spiders in places they are most likely to hide.
When you hire Drive-Bye Exterminators, you can rest assured that we are ully compliant with all laws and regulations set forth by the state of Florida.
If spiders are a nuisance at your Pinellas County home, contact us now for a free estimate on the services needed to eradicate the pest problem. Afterall, you don’t want to share your sunbathing space on the lanai with a bunch of creepy spiders!
Resources
Insect Cop website
Insect Identification website
