Many species of spiders prefer to settle near humans, including in country houses. They do not cause harm to garden crops, but they perform an important function: they destroy flies, bedbugs, aphids, leaf rollers and other insects. Despite this, most people cannot stand the sight of spiders and are afraid of being bitten, so they prefer to get rid of them by all known means. Let's try to figure out what species live near people and how to remove them from your summer cottage.
What species can be found at the dacha
Spiders are predators, representatives of the animal world.
In summer cottages they are found everywhere: both in residential buildings and in nature. The table contains information about spiders that prefer close proximity to humans:
| View | Description |
| Black or gray house spider | A ubiquitous species. Lives in trees and almost does not reproduce at home. Often found in rooms where it enters through open windows and vents. The size of the female reaches 3 cm, the male – 1.5 cm. |
| Harvester, long-legged or moss-legged | Lives in the garden (often on the external walls of houses), but with the onset of cold weather it moves indoors. It has a brown oval body up to 1 cm long and long legs. Prefers to live next to windows, feeding on midges and flies. |
| Hobo Spider | Lives on the street, but is also found in houses, getting there through open doors and windows. It has a brown color and dark stripes on long powerful limbs. The bite of such a spider causes pain and an allergic reaction. |
In the garden there are all the species listed earlier, as well as other arthropods: wasp spider, wolf spider, etc. Almost all of them are harmless to humans, but they can bite if they feel threatened.
Spider bites are most dangerous for children and people with weakened immune systems.
We get rid of them in a private house
To get rid of spiders, you need to create conditions for them in which they cannot exist and reproduce. To do this, the following measures should be taken.
Clear out the attic and basement
Most spiders get into the basement first and then scatter throughout the house. Your task is to create the most unfavorable conditions for them. To do this, just update the whitewash on the walls and ceiling. Arachnids cannot stand the smell of lime, so they avoid such premises for a long time.
Expert opinion
Mityuk Stefania Bogdanovna
As for attics, in dachas they are used to store old things. Dryness, twilight, warmth, absence of people - all this attracts spiders and causes them to actively reproduce. To get uninvited guests out of the attic, you need to do a thorough cleaning and throw away everything unnecessary.
Destroy other insects
Spiders come to those houses where there is food. By destroying flies, mosquitoes, ants and cockroaches, you will deprive uninvited guests of food and force them to leave the premises. To combat insects, you can use folk remedies and household chemicals. A universal fumigator will be a good help in this matter.
Clear the area around the house
The easiest way for a spider to get into a room is to move there on objects and plants located near the building. Therefore, the space near the house needs to be cleaned: remove weeds, fallen leaves, building materials, and abandoned objects.
Clean up the house
The cleaner the house, the less often spiders appear in it, so cleaning is an integral step in getting rid of arthropods. The first thing to do is vacuum all horizontal and, if necessary, vertical surfaces. Particular attention should be paid to cracks, corners, baseboards and secluded places behind furniture.
Sometimes spiders make nests at the bottom of beds, inside sofas and armchairs. Another way to remove cobwebs is to use a mop wrapped in a damp cloth or gauze.
After cleaning, you need to throw away the debris from the vacuum cleaner and the cloth that was used to collect cobwebs. It is not advisable to leave all this at home or in the yard, because the spiders will scatter throughout the area, and new individuals will hatch from the eggs.
Block all possible access routes
To prevent the spider from getting into the house, you need to inspect all the openings leading inside: seal the cracks along the windows and doors, repair the ventilation grilles, install mosquito nets, and seal the pipe openings.
Chemicals
To radically combat spiders in the house, chemical agents are used:
"Raptor"
Spray against crawling insects with instant action and long-lasting effect. It has a distinct mint scent and is applied to areas where spiders gather, their routes of movement and habitat areas (cracks, baseboards, spaces between walls and furniture). The distance between the bottle and the surface to be treated should be about 20 cm.
Joker Bun
A universal drug that destroys all types of insects. The aerosol is sprayed onto the floor, walls, corners, crevices, furniture and other places where spiders can hide. Before treatment, windows and doors are closed, people and animals are removed from the premises. Half an hour after spraying the product, the house is thoroughly ventilated.
"Bros"
Aerosol for the control of arthropods. Used in private homes, utility rooms and outdoors. When sprayed, it leaves microcapsules on the surface that stick to spiders and destroy them. The effect of the drug manifests itself within 3-4 hours and lasts up to 3 months.
Diatomite
A powder that is made from natural fossils. It has high absorbent properties, so when it comes into contact with an arthropod, it literally sucks all the moisture out of it.
Aerosol against crawling and flying insects with instant action
The product is sprayed directly onto the spiders for 1-2 seconds, after which the room is ventilated for half an hour. It is recommended to use the spray with open vents or windows.
Expert opinion
Mityuk Stefania Bogdanovna
Personally, boric acid powder helped me get rid of spiders in my dacha. After cleaning the premises, I prepared a solution of 1 sachet and 1 liter of warm water, moistened a rag with the resulting liquid and walked over all the places where there had previously been cobwebs. In order for arthropods to leave the house, this treatment must be carried out every week.
Folk remedies
If you don’t have chemicals and pharmaceuticals at hand, you can use folk remedies:
Vinegar
Combine vinegar with water in a 1:1 ratio. Use for spraying corners, baseboards and other “problem” surfaces.
Vinegar essence
Use for rubbing baseboards, windows, doors and other surfaces on which arthropods can move.
Aerosols based on essential oils
Buy essential oils of tea tree, eucalyptus, cedar, mint, geranium, lemon balm or lemongrass at the pharmacy. Add 15 drops of the product to a spray bottle filled with water and shake. Use to spray areas where spiders may live.
Proven ways to get rid of spiders
- Remove spider webs, visible eggs, and insects themselves using a vacuum cleaner. This method is very effective if there are still few pests in the house. You can also use a broom or broom for these purposes, but the spider itself can easily escape, which is especially true for small individuals.
- Place glue traps in dark corners, behind furniture, in closets, and near windows and doors.
- Apply a long-lasting insecticidal spray into cracks and corners of the area. Follow the instructions on the product packaging to ensure your own safety and to avoid harm to others, including pets.
- If there are an excessive number of spiders in your home, call professional exterminators. Keep in mind that professional pesticide products are very poisonous , so you will have to leave the premises for several days.
Important! Fumigators that spray a compound into the air are usually ineffective against spiders.
How to get rid of it in the garden
If arachnids have chosen bushes and trees, it is worth thinking about what exactly attracted them to the site. In most cases, these are a variety of pests attracted by organic debris or bright outdoor lighting. You can eliminate the cause by installing yellow-light sodium gas-discharge lamps and clearing the area of anything that can serve as food for insects (last year's leaves, tops, rotting fruits and vegetables).
The next step should be to destroy the nests, which look like small balls shrouded in cobwebs. By doing this, you deprive the spider of offspring and prevent it from reproducing.
It is recommended to wear thick rubber gloves when destroying nests: the arthropods guarding the oviposition are quite aggressive and can bite.
Folk remedies
It is not recommended to use chemicals to exterminate spiders in the garden, as it is expensive and has a detrimental effect on the pollination process of plants.
The optimal solution would be to use folk remedies:
Mint and lavender
In order for spiders to leave the territory, it is enough to plant any of the listed plants on it. If desired, flowerpots with mint and lavender can be placed around the entire perimeter of the site.
Chestnut
Collect horse chestnut fruits. Break or pierce them to intensify the smell. Place it on the site.
Tobacco
Boil 4 liters of water, add a pack of smoking or chewing tobacco. Infuse, strain through a sieve or cheesecloth. Take 200 ml of the prepared product and add 100 ml of lemon-scented dishwashing gel. Mix thoroughly and pour into a spray bottle, treat the area. Do not use near beds where tomatoes are growing.
Folk remedies
- Plants. Horse chestnut can act as a natural repeller. Place several fruits in areas where insects are most common. It is believed that walnuts and the fruits of orange maclura (inedible orange) also have a deterrent effect. There is no scientific evidence of the effectiveness of this method, however, according to folk practice, these plants emit an odor that is unpleasant for spiders.
- Essential oils. Pour a solution of water and 15-20 drops of peppermint oil into a spray bottle. Treat all cracks and corners in the house. Spiders cannot tolerate this smell and will definitely leave your territory. You can moisten cotton balls with peppermint oil and fill the gaps through which insects enter. If you are intolerant to peppermint, use eucalyptus or tea tree oil, which have a similar effect.
- Vinegar. Pour a one-to-one solution of white vinegar and water into a spray bottle. Treat all the places where spiders are with the resulting spray, and also spray every insect you see. Acetic acid is harmful to spiders, and they die as a result of contact with it. As a repeller, you can place containers of vinegar in dark places. If you don't like the smell of vinegar, you can use lemon instead.
This is also interesting: How to get rid of arachnophobia? Or how to overcome your fear of spiders
What not to use for fighting
Do you fight spiders on your property or in your house?
Not really
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.
- Adhesive 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.
- Use to deter 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.”
