How To Keep Spiders Away From Your Home In The Bay Area

It's not a strange thing to be afraid of spiders. In fact, spiders are one of the most common fears in the United States. This is for a good reason. Not only are these pests scary to look at, but some pose a fairly significant threat to human health. Something that can help you if you are afraid of these pests is knowledge. Specifically, it helps to know which spiders are dangerous and which are not. It also helps to know what methods work best to identify, prevent, and eliminate these local home-invading creatures. Keep reading to learn more about the different types of spiders in the Bay Area and to discover what options you have to keep these pests out of your home. Contact Bay Pest to find out how we handle these and other invasive species. We would love to share with you what pest control in the Bay Area looks like and find a solution that will quickly remove these eight-legged problem causers from your home. If you would like to learn more about spiders before you decide on professional services, here is everything you need to know.

The Role Spiders Play In Our Ecosystem

When most people think about spiders in the Bay Area, all they think about is the problems these pests cause. Although we agree that these arachnids are a big issue, we would like to take a moment to appreciate the ways spiders benefit our planet's ecosystem. You see, we were not the first pest control providers. Spiders have been helping the world with pest problems for ages. These arachnids actively hunt or catch tons of local species, including ants, beetles, centipedes, flies, wasps, bees, and cockroaches. This helps to balance out populations and, in turn, balances out the order on our planet. The only issue is that spiders themselves are pests, and allowing them to live inside your home is a recipe for problems. However, if you would like to allow these creatures to live on your property, we support this decision. A few spiders around your garden is a great way to protect healthy plant growth. Just keep in mind the closer these eight-legged pests get to your home, the more likely they will be to come indoors. For this reason, we highly recommend considering the benefits of professional and DIY spider control. We are going to talk more about your options in just a bit. For now, let's break down the problems these pests can cause and how to tell if your health is at risk.

A Spider Infestation Often Indicates A Bigger Problem

Having spiders inside your Bay Area home is never a good thing. Let's start with the most obvious problem associated with these pests. As you might know, some kinds of spiders have powerful venom that can be threatening to human health. The most notable spider to watch out for in the Bay Area are black widow spiders. It's important to be able to identify them and understand what to expect from their bites if you happen to come into contact with one. 

Black widow spiders can grow to be 1 ½ to 1 ⅜" long if you include their legs. They are generally black arachnids with bulbous abdomens, eight long legs, and red hourglass-shaped marks on their underside. They build irregular webs around a foot in diameter close to the ground and are most active at night when they spin these webs. Compared to other spider bites, black widow spider bites can be immediately painful, though they are not always felt. You may see slight swelling and two tiny fang marks. Other common symptoms of a black widow bite include chills, fever, nausea, sweating, headache, stupor, shock, restlessness, muscle cramps, spasms, and in severe cases, seizures. It is extremely important to seek medical attention if you are ever bitten by one of these dangerous spiders.

The majority of spiders here in the Bay Area do not pose a serious threat to your health. Some other species will still bite but do not carry nearly the same level of risk that bites from black widows have. That said, having these arachnids inside or around your home is often a sign of a much more serious pest problem. What do we mean by this? Consider this. Spiders hunt for pests. This is their main motivation for moving into your home. If you are seeing an influx of spiders inside your home, it can only mean one thing, other pests are around. As you might know, there are many other invasive creatures that cause much bigger problems than spiders. Cockroaches spread disease. Silverfish damage clothing. Wasps sting. We could go on. What you need is some form of pest control to stop these problematic creatures from causing you, your family, or your home harm. Let's talk about your options for DIY and professional control to help you determine what is best for you and your property.

Naturally Effective Spider And Pest Prevention Tips

If there is one thing you should keep in mind about spider control in the Bay Area, it is that controlling these arachnids is only half the battle. The real fight lies with stopping the pests they invade to hunt. Many spiders that invade homes are incredibly small and are difficult to stop through exclusion alone. For this reason, we highly recommend combining spider prevention with general pest prevention. Keeping this in mind, here are some of the best tips and tricks our team has to offer to help you combat all sorts of creatures that might want to invade your living areas.

• Walk around your home's exterior and look for gaps and cracks in its foundation. Seal up these potential pest entry points using silicone caulk or liquid cement.
• Investigate windows and doors around your home for damage and gaps around their exterior. Replace doors and windows as necessary and seal up spacing around them using things like weatherstripping and door sweeps.
• Clean up food messes and drink spills when they occur inside your home. It is also recommended that you thoroughly clean your living areas once every week and keep up with general chores like dishes, sweeping, and taking out the trash.
• Make sure all of your trash bins have tight-fitting lids and are emptied regularly. Wash cans if they get dirty. For extra protection, store trash in areas where larger pests cannot get into it.
• Reduce clutter inside and around your property whenever possible, and do your best to organize your storage and living areas.
• Use a long broom to knock down spider webs around your home's exterior. Do this regularly, as these pests build new webs fast, and removing them promptly can help dissuade spiders from sticking around.
• Store all your leftovers, pantry items, and pet food inside air-tight glass, metal, or plastic containers.
• Repair damage to pipes and fixtures inside and around your home.
• Have your gutters professionally cleaned at least once a year and repair damage to them that might lead to moisture build-up around your home.
• Eliminate other sources of moisture build-up around your home and property. 

Trying to keep up with general pest prevention is a monumental task. If you miss a gap or leave some crumbs out, bugs will try to get indoors. Thankfully, DIY is not the only option you have to deal with spiders and other local pests. At Bay Pest, we offer many amazing services to handle all sorts of invasive species. From inspections to long-term control, we have everything you could ever need to live a pest-free life. Here are some things to consider about our professional offerings.

Total Spider Control For Homes In The Bay Area

Statistically speaking, the threat of you being harmed by a spider is rather low. This does not change the fact, however, that there are dangerous arachnids in our area, and even spiders that aren't dangerous can be annoying and creepy. If you do not want to find these or other pests inside your home, you need professional help. Our team at Bay Pest offers amazing spider and pest control for members of our community. We have been in service for over 40 years. Many of our clients have been around for a long time and will happily share their satisfaction with you. To help you combat spiders, we will treat your home for a wide range of pest problems and actively knock down webs with each service visit. If you would like to know more about our pest treatments, our team is always here and ready to assist you in any way possible. We will answer any questions you have and find a service time that will best work for you and your Bay Area home.

Reach out to Bay Pest now to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in the Bay Area and say goodbye to local pests for good.