a brown recluse spider in a basement Waking up on a Philadelphia Sunday in the fall can be a great experience. You might get a cup of coffee and head to the garage, ready to fire up the lawnmower. It’s a first-thing-in-the-morning kind of activity because you want to beat the heat, and, more importantly, have time to get everything set up before the football game starts. With the anticipation of another Sunday fun-day on your mind, you don’t see the spider web in the doorway of the garage, and you walk right through it.

Finding yourself caught up in a spider web, unable to get every last strand off, and not knowing where exactly that spider might not be, is not the best feeling in the world. But what can you do about it? Philly homeowners know a thing or two about dealing with pests, but when it comes to spiders, we tend to let things slip. A few webs here and there may not be a big deal. However, if there was something you could do about spiders in your house, wouldn’t you do it?

Spiders In Philadelphia

There are a number of spider species that will invade your Philadelphia home. From large, yellow grass spiders to tiny, jumping spiders, we have a wide array of non-threatening eight-legged pests in our area. Aside from annoying encounters with webs and seeing them in the corners of your rooms, they don’t cause that many problems in your house.

On the other hand, there are two dangerous spiders in our area that are cause for alarm. The black widow, with a small black body and a red hourglass marking on its bulbous abdomen, can cause damage to your nervous system in the event of a bite. If you’re bitten by a black widow, it almost always requires medical attention.

The brown recluse, which is even smaller than the black widow, is identified by the dark violin shape on its back and its translucent legs. A brown recluse bite can result in severe skin damage, so they also may require you to seek some medical attention.

Spider Prevention Practices

Whether you want to keep out the more rare and dangerous spiders or you just want to avoid having your house ridden of unsightly webs, prevention techniques will be key. You should start by considering why spiders are entering your home in the first place, which is almost always to feed on other pests.

You might limit spider activity as well as other pests from entering your Philadelphia home by following these preventive measures:

Proper food and trash storage: Putting away food promptly after meals and keeping your trash secured from pests will limit their attraction to your kitchen.
Clear away clutter: Pests are afraid of open spaces and lots of exposure, so a cluttered house provides them with plenty of cover to move around safely.
Addressing moisture issues: Pests love damp, dark places like basements and behind appliances. If you keep low humidity levels and control any leaking pipes under sinks, you can create a less attractive environment for pests.

Specifically for spiders, you should sweep away any webs as soon as you see them. If spiders are making webs and constantly having them destroyed, they will get frustrated and move to another location. You should also focus on sealing up any potential entry points. Proper weather-stripping under doors and secure caulking around windows can help reduce entry points. You’ll want to check the integrity of all the screened-in areas of your home and the exterior areas. Unfortunately, even if you get everything right, you’ll probably still have to deal with spiders and other pests.

For a guaranteed approach tor a spider-free home, you should contact the professionals at Pestmaster^® Services for further advice and assistance. Our professional home pest control has outstanding results. Call us today!