Understanding what attracts spiders can help you keep these often-unwanted guests out of your home. While most spiders found indoors are harmless, many homeowners prefer to prevent them from entering their living spaces. Knowing what spiders are attracted to is key to effective prevention.
How Spiders Enter Your Home
Spiders are adept at finding their way into your house. They can easily slip through obvious openings like doors and windows. Their small size also allows them to exploit tiny cracks, gaps, and unsealed holes in your home’s foundation or around utility entry points. Even air vents can serve as an entry point if not properly secured.
Environmental Factors and Spider Attraction
Several environmental factors contribute to what attracts spiders in the house.
Weather Changes
Weather fluctuations are a significant driver of spiders indoors. Spiders have adapted to indoor living and generally prefer warmer temperatures. When outdoor conditions become too harsh, whether due to a sudden drop in temperature or extreme heat, spiders will seek refuge inside your home.
Presence of Other Pests
Perhaps the most crucial factor in what attracts spiders is the presence of other insects. Spiders are predators, and a readily available food source—other pests—will make your home highly appealing. If your house is teeming with other insects, spiders will likely follow.
Ideal Living Conditions for Spiders
Spiders are drawn to specific types of environments within and around your home.
Dark, Isolated, and Cluttered Spaces
Spiders prefer dark, undisturbed, and isolated areas. Common indoor havens include crawl spaces, garages, and basements. Outdoors, you might find them in sheds, woodpiles, and overgrown vegetation. These quiet, hidden spots provide easy access to food and water, as well as crucial hiding places from perceived threats. Clutter also offers desirable shelter for spiders.
Moisture and Dryness Preferences
While many common house spiders can adapt to various surroundings, some species have specific preferences. Cellar spiders, for instance, are attracted to moisture and are often found in basements and other damp areas. Conversely, spiders like the brown recluse prefer drier climates, often hiding in attics and closets. Despite these variations, many common house spiders can live their entire lives indoors.
Preventing Spiders in Your Home
Preventing spiders largely involves limiting their entry points and eliminating attractants. Sealing openings such as windows and cracks in the foundation is crucial. Placing mesh screens over vents and other potential entry points can also deter them.
Keeping your home tidy and clean is one of the most effective ways to deter both pests and, consequently, spiders. Regularly cleaning floors, reducing clutter, keeping storage bins sealed and off the ground, and clearing vegetation and brush around the exterior of your home will make it less appealing to spiders looking for shelter and food.
If you’re looking for relief from all of the spiders you keep seeing around your home, or simply require general pest control, please do not hesitate to give us a call.