There are many kinds of spiders you can discover living outdoors around your home, as well as inside in different locations. Most spiders are not harmful to humans or our pets, so, unless you have a general dislike for spiders or arachnophobia, it is often better to leave them alone rather than kill them.

However, there are a few species of house spiders that should be addressed because, if they bite you, your family members, or your pets, their bite can be very painful and may require medical or veterinarian attention. The three types of spiders you need to be concerned about are:

Funnel-Web Spiders, also known as Hobos
Black Widows (pictured above)
Brown Recluses (pictured below)

You do need to take care when approaching these spiders and attempting to remove them from the home. If you notice there seems to be an infestation of any of the three types above, you will certainly want to contact your local pest control company for assistance.

Where Do Spiders Hide?

Spiders tend to live in areas around and inside the home where they are near to their primary food sources. Some of the more common areas you could discover spider webs and nests include:

Near Lights
In Corners
Around Windows
Next to Doors
Underneath or Behind Furniture
In Cabinets
In Closets
In Boxes
In Garages
In Basements
In Small Cracks and Crevices

Essentially if you have insects and pests like moths, crickets, flies, ants, beetles, roaches, mosquitoes, or termites in areas near, under, or in the home, then it is more than likely there will be some type of spider living in close proximity.

Out of all the hiding spaces mentioned above, most spiders prefer areas that are dark and which provide protection from direct sunlight. Many species of spiders are active at night when insects and pests are also more active than during the day.

Signs Spiders Are Living Near or In the Home

Since most spiders are active in the evening hours, it is not uncommon for you to not necessarily see any spiders, but signs they have been active. If you have ever walked out of your front door in the morning and walked right into a spider web, then you definitely know there is a spider around. Fortunately, the spiders that spin these huge webs at night are harmless to humans and pets and are just looking to catch a few savory insects or pests they can enjoy instead.

Some people call these types of spiders “Garden Orb” weavers because they are great to have in your garden since they control pest populations and protect your plants. They spin their webs at night, catch their prey, eat, and then take down the web in the morning before retiring to a cool spot for the day. Then, the next night, they build an entirely brand new web.

This is truly a remarkable feat everyone can appreciate, for such a small creature, even if you are not a big spider-fan. Plus, they are a great addition for gardeners that want to grow organic fruits and vegetables and avoid using pesticides to control garden pests.

Do Insect and Pest Populations Affect Spider Populations?

There is a direct correlation between insect and pest populations and spider populations. As expected, the larger the number of insects and pests in and around your home, so, too, the more spiders you will find. The weather also plays a role in how active spiders are and their numbers.

When there are long rainy periods, this often results in an increase in mosquitoes and other insects because there can be areas of standing water left around and near homes. Areas with standing water are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pests, so their populations will increase. Due to this increase, more spiders can be attracted to areas with standing water.

On the other hand, during long periods of heat and dry spells, spiders tend to seek out dark and cooler locations, often inside the home since many insects also will use the same routes to gain access to the cooler indoors.

Tips for Keeping Spiders Outdoors

Keeping spiders out of your home can seem challenging, as there is no way you can plug up every small crack, crevice, and opening. Yet, there are several things you can do to help keep spiders away from the home and outside where they belong.

Trim trees and branches so they do not touch or overhang the home a minimum of three feet.

After it rains, make sure there is no standing water around the exterior of the home and fix drainage issues.

Trim shrubs and other vegetation back so it does not touch the home.

If you grow plants, flowers, or shrubs next to the home, schedule regular pest control services to keep pests under control and spiders away from the home.

Takedown webs and regularly clean siding and other exterior house surfaces where webs were built.

Switch to “insect repellant” light bulbs, which do not attract insects, for exterior lighting, so they will not attract spiders.

Quickly address noticeable increases in insects and pests near and in the home.

Some people also find using specific home pest control services—like one that creates a barrier around the home, so that any insect, spider, or pest that crosses this “invisible” barrier will be killed, stopping it from getting into the home—are a great deterrent. Another option is to use a combination of barrier protection and to hang a bug light far from the home to attract insects to a specific location.

Not only will the bug light help kill and reduce insects and pests, but it will also help keep spider populations under control. Plus, spiders will favor building their webs near the bug light since this will produce the highest concentration of insects around the home.

What Benefits Do Spiders Bring to the Home?

Spiders eat other insects, so they are great to have around the home to help control mosquito populations, as well as to deal with pesky house flies and other pests. The only time you do need to be concerned is if you notice the spiders you are seeing are one of the three mentioned above—black widows, brown recluses, or hobos—or in cases where you want to keep spiders outside where they belong.

Capture and Release or Kill?

If you notice one or two spiders have gotten indoors and are not one of the three more dangerous ones, you can catch the spider and release it back outdoors where it belongs. Just remember to take the spider about ten feet or so away from the home.

On the other hand, if it is one of the other three types of spiders, or the numbers inside the home just seem out of control, then you need to contact the best pest control company in your area that has experience with dealing with spider infestations, like us, here at MightyMite Termite Services in the San Jose area.

Here in California, homeowners only have to worry about brown recluses and black widows, but, if you live somewhere else, hobos could also be a problem. Just make sure to check with your nearest pest control company to find out what types of dangerous spiders are found in your city and state. You may also want to have areas where your children play treated for spiders and insects on a regular basis, just as a precaution, to keep them safe from being accidentally bitten.

If you are experiencing problems with spiders, termites, carpenter ants, or mosquitoes in and around your home, please feel free to contact MightyMite Termite Services at 408-377-3761 to schedule a free pest inspection of your home today!

After our detailed inspection, our experienced pest control technicians will provide you with their recommendations for what services and solutions would be best for controlling specific types of pests in and around your home.