When the cold weather hits, pests of all kinds enter homes in search of warmth. While rodents, cockroaches, and millipedes might head indoors for warmth, spiders don't necessarily need to escape the cold, although you may find them in your Hudson Valley home anyway. Find out what happens to spiders during the winter.

Spider

Why Don't Spiders Come Inside?

In the Hudson Valley winter, temperatures drop, and you have to bundle up or hide inside for warmth. But spiders don't have that luxury. Instead of putting on a sweater, a spider can rely on its biology to stay warm. Spiders have their own "antifreeze" system: when the weather gets cold, spiders produce compounds that allow them to survive in cold temperatures. With chemicals much like car antifreeze, spiders can handle the drop in digits.

In addition to being biologically resistant to the cold, spiders also have behavioral methods of dealing with the weather. They look for sheltered places, like under-leaf litter and tree bark, and thanks to these methods, spiders can survive a whole winter outside. Unlike other pests, spiders in Hudson Valley don't need to head indoors for heat in the winter.

Why Do Spiders Come Inside?

Even though spiders don't need heat in the winter, they still end up inside Hudson Valley homes. This is because they always need food. When all the other insects head indoors, spiders follow them in search of a meal. Many of the spiders you find in the winter were already there. In the summer and fall, the spiders may live unnoticed in the corners of your home. As time goes by, they grow larger and reproduce, and when the winter arrives, the spiders become more noticeable.

Hudson Valley Spider Prevention Tips

Besides working with a professional for residential pest control, there are a few ways in which you can keep spiders away.

All of the following tips could help you keep your home arachnid-free:

Seal up cracks. If you have cracks and crevices in your home, spiders can get indoors. Inspect your home for possible openings to keep spiders and other pests outside. For effective Hudson Valley pest control, you need to eliminate all openings that allow spiders to get indoors.
Check your screens. Over time, your screens can develop small holes. If you don't want arachnids and other pests to come inside, check your screens for holes. You can fix small holes with a patch kit, but large holes might require a complete screen replacement.
Eliminate gaps under doors and windows. The space under your door or a gap around your window could be used as a spider entryway. If necessary, install door sweeps on your doors and use caulk around your windows.
Eliminate other pests. If you have an abundance of pests in your home, you will have an abundance of spiders. Therefore, the key to spider prevention in Hudson Valley is keeping other pests out. To accomplish that goal, you should keep a clean home, as cockroaches, pantry pests, and flies all see your leftovers as a good meal. After you eat, clean crumbs away from your tables, counters, and floors. Vacuum and mop your floors as needed, or crumbs will remain. Proper food storage is also crucial: when you open a package of rice or a box of cereal, store it in an airtight container. Doing so will make it difficult for pests to access your stored food.
Secure your trash. Instead of storing your garbage in an open container, put a lid on it. Otherwise, the old food in your garbage will attract pests.

Work With A Professional

The only truly effective way to keep spiders out of your home is to work with an experienced pest control company. On your own, it's impossible to keep out insects and the spiders that follow them inside. If you need help, contact us at Pestmaster® Services.