Spiders are one of those pests that are often more helpful than they are harmful because spiders feed on other insects, eating as many as 2,000 bugs in a year. Many of the bugs spiders feed on are unwanted pest species in Northern Virginia, such as cockroaches and flies that can spread disease while the majority of spiders are not venomous.

As long as you are not afraid of spiders, having one or two around your home can give you some no cost, eco-friendly, and hassle free pest control, giving you a good reason to leave the spiders you find in your home alive. But before you stop killing spiders completely, you will need to know at which point spiders can go from a helpful pest to a problem.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Spiders in Your Home

It is normal for every home to get a few spiders throughout the year. You can kill them or carry him outside if you dislike the idea of sharing your home with a spider. The exception here would be poisonous spiders, which Gainesville and the surrounding area has two – the black widow and the brown recluse which you should always avoid or kill to prevent a painful and potentially harmful bite.

Otherwise, you can generally leave spiders to themselves. Spiders prefer to live on their own and are often territorial. If there is limited food for them to eat, spiders will keep their own population under control for the most part.

Spiders can start to become a problem when their food source begins to grow. In other words, when you have another type of pest problem, such as a cockroach infestation, there are now enough bugs in your home to support many spiders and you might find yourself dealing with an infestation. A large number of spiders is a problem because:

• Pest Infestation – When you have spiders, you also have some other type of pest around your home serving as food for the spiders. In many cases, this pest population will grow faster than the spiders can manage them.
• Spiders Can Bite – Although only a black widow or brown recluse spider bite is venomous, any spider bite will be painful and more spiders mean you or your children are more likely to get a bite.
• Cobwebs – Spiders make webs to help them move and catch their prey. The webs will gather dust and start to look extremely unattractive, requiring regular cleaning to keep your home looking neat.

For homes in Gainesville or the surrounding area that are seeing more spiders than they want to or have noticed an increase in spiders, ExtermPRO can determine the source of the problem and what pest control steps are necessary to remove spiders or other bugs. We can also ensure that the spider population stays continuously under control with our ongoing bi-monthly and quarterly pest control. Learn more about spiders in Gainesville and our spider control solutions by contacting our team.