Year-Round Spider Prevention Tips For Texas Homeowners

You've probably noticed that we have spiders in Texas. Those creepy arachnids do quite well here. We have ground spiders, wolf spiders, orb weaver spiders, jumping spiders, crab spiders, and the list goes on. But of all the spiders that can get into your Texas home, venomous spiders are the worst. As we talk about year-round spider prevention today, we're going to pay special attention to brown recluse and black widow spider prevention.

Spring

When insects start becoming active in your yard, spiders are going to become more active as well. Spring is an important time of year for pest prevention. For this first season, we're going to give a list of ways you can begin to reduce pests and the spiders that eat them even as they emerge from hiding.

Venomous spiders may use holes in your yard to hide in. If you do an inspection of your yard and fill the holes in, you'll be removing potential harborage points for these spiders.

Spring is the time for spring cleaning. If you create piles of debris in your yard, especially organic debris, these piles can become homes for spiders, especially venomous spiders. Don't let piles sit for too long in your yard. And be sure to wear gloves when moving objects around in your yard.

If you'll be establishing a garden this year, be sure to place it away from your home. This will help to keep spider populations low near your home, where they can accidentally find a way in.

Do an inspection of your outside walls and fill in any gaps, holes, or cracks you find. Repair any damaged screens. Install door sweeps on any exterior doors that don't have one and make sure all of your rubber weather stripping is making a good seal around your doors.

If you have exterior white lights, consider replacing those bulbs with yellow, insect-resistant bulbs to reduce insect populations and the spiders that eat them. 

Summer

This is the time of year when all the pests in your yard are most active. Take greater caution when you're outside. If you need to get under a deck, porch, patio, staircase, or some other external structure, examine the void with a flashlight first. These are prime hiding places for venomous spiders.

Fall

When leaves fall in your yard, they create conditions for pest activity. Keeping on top of raking up your leaves in fall and also winter, will help to reduce insects and bugs in your yard. This will work to reduce spiders as well. Bugs that crawl under leaf litter are particularly inviting to venomous spiders.

Winter

In early winter, before it gets too cold, you're probably going to do some pruning. If you prune, your pruning efforts have the side benefit of reducing spider populations. Spiders and the bugs they eat do well in damp environments. Trimmed bushes and shrubs provide good airflow in your landscaping and help to dry topsoil quickly. When you water your plants, you'll be giving your plants what they need without giving pests what they need.

What You Get When You Invest In Residential Pest Control

Insects and invertebrates are food for spiders. When you have routine pest treatments, it has a direct and indirect impact on spider populations around your home. It also works to bolster your efforts to protect yourself and everyone in your home from spider threats. Here are a few examples:

• Do you have a lot of plants? If you do, those plants are naturally attractive to insects and the spiders that feed on insects. Routine pest treatments leave a residual on your vegetation that works to directly eliminate insects, ticks, fleas, and some spiders.
• Do you have lots of rocks and hiding places in your landscaping? Insects that hide under rocks and in the spaces between rocks will be reduced by routine pest treatments. And spider will have a much harder time finding a bite to eat in your landscaping.
• Do you have lots of exterior lights? You won't have to worry as much about turning those lights off at night when you have routine treatments to help with pest control. That means greater security for your home and your property.

Residential pest control offers many benefits both direct and indirect. If you don't have a professional pest control plan in place, reach out to us. We'll help you get control of all the pests that are a concern for you.