The pesticides used in traditional, ongoing pest control are typically very effective against all household pests including ants, roaches, centipedes and spiders. While no pesticide can prevent 100% of pests due to the many possible entrance points that pests can use to come into a property, most of the time you can dramatically reduce pest populations with professional pest control.

But some homeowners do find that, while they may not see ants and other pests, they do keep seeing spiders. This can be especially frustrating because, of all the pests, spiders are the one that homeowners tend to fear most. Pest control is very effective, but spiders are also some of the toughest pests to address.

Why Are Spiders So Difficult?

There are many reasons that spiders are more difficult to eliminate than other pests. One reason is that spiders do not typically use a single entrance point. They can come in through any hole, anywhere on a property, including those in your roof, attic, crawl space, and beyond.

Spiders also have unique biological processes that protect them from pesticides:

• The bodies of some spiders are capable of metabolizing some poisons, allowing them to essentially digest the pesticide before it has a chance to harm them.
• Spiders have waxy cuticles on their exoskeletons that can protect them from pesticides, preventing it from entering their body.
• Not all spiders travel in an easy to target way. For example, while many pests like to travel in the corners of baseboards, some spiders will crawl any direction they please. Since they need to come into contact with the pesticide in order for it to harm them, they may accidentally be able to avoid it.

Spiders are still harmed – and usually killed – by common pest control pesticides. But there is a chance that you’re going to keep seeing spiders depending on the species of spider, the age of your home, and more.

What Do Pest Control Companies Do?

If spiders continue to enter your property, your pest control company may address this in one of several ways:

• Different Pesticides – There are other pesticides, like neonicotinoids and desiccants that can be used instead, to see if these may help address the spiders not affected by pyrethroids.
• Different Locations – Your pest control company may need to treat additional locations, like your attic or crawl space, to prevent pests from entering.
• Sealing Holes – Spiders enter through small holes on your property. Sealing as many of these holes as possible can decrease the frequency of spider invasions.

The approach that we have to use depends considerably on where you’re seeing the spiders, how many, and what factors could be causing them to enter. But there are other approaches we can take.

Why Not Start With Those Treatments?

Many customers wonder why we don’t simply start by using those treatments. The answer is a bit complex, but the pesticides that are typically used in ongoing pest control are the ones with the least environmental impact and maximum benefit to pest populations. Remember, we do want to eliminate ALL pests, not just spiders, and so we have to choose the solutions that have the broadest benefits.

But if you are still seeing a lot of spiders, these are some solutions that can help. If you’re looking for pest control in Gainesville, contact us today to learn more.