Spiders
The August Pest of the Month

When you call pest control to take care of a spider problem, you might be surprised to learn why they spray insecticides. Spraying insecticide is effective at controlling spiders, but it isn’t actually used on the spiders. Confused? 

Insecticides work when a bug walks through or touches it and then ingests the chemicals. Pests like ants will clean their antenna using saliva and a hook on their feet, which is how they would ingest an insecticide. Spiders don’t have antennae, and they don’t even have feet like most insects. Instead, they walk on the tips of little claws on the ends of their legs. This means they aren’t going to walk through it. 

Spiders also don’t eat their victims like other predatory insects who could ingest the chemicals from the surface of other bugs. Instead, spiders inject venom which breaks down the victim’s insides so the spider can suck out the fluid. So if spiders are so good at not ingesting insecticide, how does insecticide help control spider problems? 

Spiders are an indirect control pest. That means when you fix the pest problems that surround the spider problem, you also fix the spider problem. 

Just like keeping your grass cut short helps manage rodent populations, there are things we can do to help manage spider populations. When we apply insecticide in affected areas, it eliminates the insect population that spiders are feeding on. When the spider’s food supply runs out, the problem will go away. 

Spiders reproduce differently than most other insects. They have a strong survival drive, making egg sacs that often contain hundreds of eggs. They choose when to produce offspring based on available food resources. That means if the food supply is low, they generally won’t overproduce. Having too many new spiders creates competition for limited food resources. 

When insecticide treatment eliminates the food resources, it can stem spider reproduction. Removing spider webs will also make a serious impact because they can only make about three webs without a meal. If webs are removed before they can catch any other insects, the spider population will go away quickly. 

By keeping things clean inside and outside the home, you can take steps towards reducing the spider population on your property. 

If you are experiencing a Spider problem in Puyallup or the surrounding areas, and need extra help with them, please give Independent Pest Solutions a call for a free estimate