Why do spiders prefer to live in houses and apartments?
The most suitable conditions for these arthropods are damp, dark, cool places with a lot of insects. The ideal place that matches the description is a cellar or basement. But if there are a lot of spiders in the apartment, then there are reasons for this:
- Dampness. Problems with plumbing or sewerage, leaking faucets and pipes - all this will create favorable conditions for spiders. They live under the bathroom, behind the toilet and pipes;
- Unsanitary conditions. During cleaning, all hanging cobwebs are brushed away from the corners with a broom or sucked up with a vacuum cleaner. When such procedures are carried out regularly, they do not have time to weave a new web for themselves;
- Insects. All animals need to eat. If there are a lot of small pests at home, this will certainly attract unwanted residents.
There are fewer dangers for spiders in houses and apartments than on the street. Therefore, if spiders appear in the house, it means that favorable conditions have been created for them.
Interesting! Spiders easily adapt to living conditions. A few years ago, scientists discovered a new species even in the icy waters of Antarctica.
Why are there spiders in the apartment?
Insects can crawl into our homes on their own, and sometimes people themselves bring them without even realizing it.
If there are a lot of spiders in your apartment, it's probably because you haven't done a deep cleaning in a while. Spiders like peace, and if they are not disturbed for a long time, they create webs, firmly settling in the place they like.
Spiders are quite unpretentious. All they need for a normal life is a secluded place, a comfortable climate, and the availability of food. If no one touches them, then spiders are able to remain in their territory for a long time. As a rule, these insects are nocturnal, that is, they hide during the daytime, remaining motionless.
Another reason for a large number of spiders in an apartment is the availability of suitable food for them. You probably know that spiders feed on other insects - flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, etc. If you get rid of them, the spiders may soon leave your home on their own, as they will no longer find suitable food.
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Are spiders in the house good or bad?
It is impossible to say unequivocally whether spiders appear in a residential apartment is good or bad. On the one hand, these arthropods bring benefits by destroying dangerous insects. Most of those who live in an apartment do not pose a threat to humans. These are small representatives of their species that feed on midges. They fear us more than we fear them. Larger spiders prefer to weave their webs outdoors, under roofs, and in tree branches. They need more prey than flies, fleas and mosquitoes. Such individuals can wander into living quarters only occasionally.
When they see a person, apartment spiders try to hide. They do not attack or bite.
On the other hand, arachnophobia is one of the most common types of phobias. This disease affects almost 7% of the world's population. According to statistics, spiders are feared more than cars, planes and weapons.
Interesting! Not only people, but also many animals are afraid of these arthropods.
For people who are afraid of spiders, living in the same apartment with them is not comfortable. And if there are many such neighbors, then this will cause inconvenience to anyone.
Reasons for spiders appearing in the house
Their natural habitat is nature. How do they appear under the roof of a house? Crevices are the place through which spiders enter the home. You can also bring them on clothes.
If there are a lot of spiders in the apartment and they entwine all the corners, then they feel good here. It’s worth thinking, why? The spider will only be in the place where it gets food - flies, cockroaches and other small parasites.
The reason may also be an old house, in which spiders start in the attics, and then move to other rooms.
Harvesting spider
Description of the species found in the apartment
House spiders number no more than a dozen species. They hide from humans in dark corners and are completely harmless. They can be distinguished by the appearance and structure of the web.
Harvesting spider
Characterized by a small body and long thin legs. It is not poisonous and does not bite. Its web is not sticky. The networks are woven in a sloppy and disorderly manner. The victim, falling into such a trap, simply becomes entangled and cannot get out. It feeds on beetles, mosquitoes, midges, flies and other small insects. Helps regulate the number of pests in the apartment
This is interesting! If a haymaker is grabbed by the leg, he will throw it back to escape. But a new leg will not grow.
Large steatoda
Small arthropod (6-10 mm) black or dark brown. Females are slightly larger. There are characteristic spots on the abdomen. Males are white, females are reddish. Food: small insects. The web is sticky. They hunt at night. Steathode is poisonous. However, the poison of one individual is not enough to seriously harm a person. Still, if you are bitten, you should go to the hospital.
Amarobiid spider
You can hardly find amarobiids in residential premises. More often he lives in basements and on balconies. Its network has a funnel-shaped structure. The web is not sticky. It feeds on beetles and insects. When the victim gets caught in the web, it jumps out and drags him into the shelter. Amarobiids are red in color and reach 8-15 mm in size. It does not attack itself, but in defense it can bite.
Phalangoid folkus
A fairly common long-legged house spider. Small translucent body, brown-gray long legs. They eat insects and their own kind. Poisonous. But their poison is not dangerous for humans. There may be a slight burning sensation at the site of the bite.
Attic spider
Quite a large representative of house spiders (body 12 - 18 mm long). The color is dark brown. The sternum has a lighter marking with three spots on each side. Legs are hairy. The male and female are practically no different in appearance. Poisonous, but not dangerous to humans and domestic animals. Not aggressive. It can bite only in self-defense. The net is not sticky. It waits until the victim falls into the web, jumps out and attacks it.
House spider
The house spider has an elongated body. The color of an adult varies from dark orange to brown or beige. Legs are striped. There are two dull black stripes on the cephalothorax. The abdomen is motley - brown, beige and gray. Hunts at night for flies and mosquitoes.
The house spider weaves webs with a funnel. The threads from the web spread out to different corners of the room. When another insect gets caught in the net, it jumps out and is pulled into the funnel, where it is eaten. Not an aggressive species. If the web is not broken, it hides in it, and if it is damaged, it runs away. In case of danger, it can bite, but the bite is painless for humans.
Hobo spider
The tramp differs from its relatives in that it does not weave a web. He constantly wanders from place to place. When a tramp sees a victim, he quickly attacks it and injects it with poison, and then eats it. This species is small in size - less than a centimeter in length. The back is brown, with black and light spots. The venom of this arthropod is not dangerous to humans.
Routes of entry into human habitation
There are several options for where spiders come from in your home:
- with air currents. The barely hatched spiders, along with the air, enter the apartment through an open window or door;
- on a person or animal. A new neighbor can be brought into the house on clothes, shoes, hair or animal fur;
- cracks. A very small gap in the walls, floor or ceiling is enough;
- ventilation and chimney.
Should you be afraid of spiders?
All spiders are predators. The exception is the jumping spider, which feeds on acacia greens. Many of these pests are poisonous. But only a few species out of more than 40,000 are dangerous to humans. They live mainly in Australia and America. The most poisonous and deadly is the “black widow”.
In our region you can find only one poisonous spider - karakurt . You can recognize it by its bright red spots on its black body. The bite is accompanied by sharp pain. To avoid sad consequences, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Other species cannot harm humans. Their bites are no worse for people than the common wasp. And house spiders won’t cause any harm at all. For many, the mere sight of these creatures is unpleasant, while others keep them as pets and sincerely admire the beauty of these creatures.
If you are bitten by a spider unknown to you, you should immediately go to the hospital. First aid for spider bites.
A little about folk signs
There are many folk signs associated with these insects. Since ancient times, people have monitored house spiders and, based on their behavior, predicted important events that awaited the family.
Here are a few of them:
- if the spider crawls down, expect problems. It is much better if it creeps up - this is a profit;
- seeing a spider in the morning promises bad news; in the evening, on the contrary, it promises good luck;
- A large number of cobwebs under the bed for unmarried people promises new love acquaintances. A married couple needs to be more attentive to each other’s desires;
- if he crawls over money, expect unexpected financial income;
- The luckiest spider is white. Black is considered a bad omen and brings bad luck.
Not everyone now believes in omens, but there is one that even scientists agree on - you can’t kill spiders! And not because it will bring failure into your life. They are simply an integral part of the ecosystem. Small domestic arthropods are not dangerous to humans. At the same time, they catch harmful and bothersome insects such as mosquitoes and flies.
Advice! If you still want to get rid of the spider, you can simply take it outside.
Signs and superstitions associated with spiders
- If spiders appear in your carefully cleaned house, expect changes.
- A light spider rising upwards brings good news; a spider descending downwards brings unexpected and not very pleasant news.
- A spider sitting on clothes means profit.
- In the rays of the morning sun a web is weaving - expect pleasant surprises and gifts; at sunset - there will be a little work.
- Seeing a red spider means big money.
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How to get rid of arthropods?
If you notice only one spider, you can carefully take it outside. The house spider is not capable of causing harm to humans. But what to do if there are a lot of spiders, and this has become a problem? In this case, both chemistry and folk remedies will help in the fight against them.
5 ways to permanently get rid of spiders in an apartment and private house
Chemicals
The chemical industry is represented by a huge variety of all kinds of means to combat unpleasant residents. These include sprays, solutions, and traps.
The most popular drugs are the following:
Butox-50
One of the most popular means for combating arachnids. When working with the drug, you should wear gloves and a mask. Close windows and doors tightly. Butox-50 quickly causes paralysis and death of spiders.
How to use:
- For 10 liters of cool tap water – 30 ml of the drug. This amount will be enough to treat a room of 100 square meters.
- Treat the room.
- Leave the room for 20-30 minutes. After this time, ventilate the room and carry out wet cleaning.
Spray Raid
The chemical industry does not stand still. More and more new means are appearing. Sprays occupy a leading position in this series. The most popular is Raid. The instructions are quite simple - close the windows and doors, spray the spray on the spiders and in their habitats at a distance of 20 centimeters. You need to work in a mask, gloves and protective clothing. After cleaning the area, wash your hands and leave. After a while, ventilate the home well.
Dobrokhim FOS
This product is used to combat all types of insects, spiders and ticks. The drug causes paralysis and rapid death.
Instructions:
- For one liter of water - 10 milliliters of the drug.
- Spray in dark corners, under bathtubs, on windows and ceilings. It’s good if the product gets directly on the spider.
- Leave the windows open and leave the apartment for at least a day.
- Upon return, carry out wet cleaning.
Aquafumigators
According to the manufacturer, aquafumigators have a number of advantages over other means: they are easy to use, kill not only spiders, but also all types of flying and crawling insects even in the most hidden places, the active substance is distributed through steam.
How to use:
- Remove the metal container from the packaging.
- Pour the water from the bag into a plastic container.
- Place the container in a container of water.
- The action will begin in a couple of minutes.
- Close windows and doors tightly and leave for 10-12 hours.
One fumigator weighing 10 grams is enough to treat a room of 30 square meters.
Trap tablets
This product does not emit an unpleasant odor and does not require leaving the room for several hours. All you have to do is place traps around the apartment and wait. The tablets emit a smell that attracts spiders. They fall into a trap and receive a lethal dose of poison.
Folk recipes
Before using chemistry, you can try several folk recipes. Spiders cannot tolerate strong odors. Specific aromas can make them leave their home for a long time.
Here are a number of simple and effective tricks:
- Grind chestnuts into powder and scatter them in corners, under the bathtub, in arthropod habitats
- Dilute 15 drops of mint, eucalyptus or tea tree essential oil in a liter of water. Treat all corners, dark places, window sills, pipes.
- An indispensable assistant in the fight against spiders is vinegar. Mix this substance and water in a 1:1 ratio in a container and treat all places where arthropods can hide.
- They also cannot stand the smell of lemon and maclura. To make unwanted neighbors leave the house, you can cut these fruits and place them near the web.
There are many means to combat spiders. Everyone can choose the one that suits them. But to prevent spiders from returning, we must not forget about prevention.
Three reasons why spiders are useful
- They eat pests such as cockroaches, earwigs, mosquitoes, flies and moths. If you let them work, they will eliminate most insects in your home. This is an excellent safe weapon against insects.
- They eat other spiders. Meetings with rivals often end in “gladiator” fights, in which the winner eats the loser. If you have a lot of long-legged tenants living in your basement, you can see that the population initially consists of numerous small individuals and subsequently dwindles down to fewer large ones. In addition, there are significantly fewer other pests in the basement, which makes spiders great allies of humans.
- They limit the spread of diseases, as they eat many household pests, carriers of infectious and other diseases: mosquitoes, flies, fleas, cockroaches and many others.
Additionally, they live in areas that are free of toxins and clean enough that they can be a factor in the situation in your home.
Amarobiid, like other spiders, rids the home of harmful insects
How to get rid of spiders
While many of us would rather see spiders dead than alive, don't forget that he was once Arachne, albeit a mythological one, and that spiders are useful. Instead of poisoning yourself and them with chemicals, forcing them to die, hitting them with a shoe or a newspaper, it is better to catch them, which is quite easy (in a disposable cup or other container) and release them away from home, let them look for another place to live.
The appearance of spiders in the house is not their fault, and their behavior is not burdensome. And in order to prevent arthropods from living in your home permanently, you must take care of home hygiene yourself.
Controlling the Spider Population
- Caulk all cracks and openings through which spiders can enter the house.
- Make sure that garbage is not located directly near the house.
- Pack souvenirs, clothes, and small items in sealed plastic containers. Cardboard boxes attract insects, which attract spiders.
- Store wood some distance from your home to avoid bringing spiders into your home.
- Use insecticides in areas where they spin their webs.
- Control spiders' food sources, insects, with insecticides and other methods.
- Consider creating a chemical barrier around your home using a chemical suitable for this purpose.
Preventive measures
You can prevent and prevent the mass appearance of spiders in your apartment using prevention:
- fix plumbing and pipes. The house should be dry;
- seal all cracks and holes in the walls, windows, floor and ceiling;
- carry out regular cleaning. In a clean house, not only will there be no cobwebs, but also other insects that attract spiders.
It is impossible to completely protect yourself from spiders. Sooner or later they will appear in the apartment again. But if preventive measures are taken, they will not last long.
Spiders are an unpleasant neighborhood for many people, but they are part of the ecosystem and do not pose a danger to humans. Regular wet cleaning and control of harmful insects at home will be the best protection for your home from spiders.
How to fight spiders using traditional methods
Folk remedies and methods will help in the fight against spiders if the case is not advanced. The simplest method, as noted above, is to get rid of the food source of arthropods: cockroaches, midges, mosquitoes and other insects. You shouldn’t feel sorry for the cobwebs woven by predators in the corners of the house. It is better to clean it with a damp cloth, taking the spiders along with it.
In a private house, with an abundance of vegetation under the windows and in the yard, it makes sense to use boric acid in the fight against spiders. A special effect can be achieved by combining acid with a vacuum cleaner, which can easily remove all spiders, including those from hard-to-reach places.
It is believed that spiders do not like the aroma of citrus fruits, chestnuts and hazelnuts. If you place particles of products with odors they hate around the house, especially in places where they accumulate, you can achieve a deterrent effect.
Not the easiest, but effective method is home renovation. Spiders cannot stand the smell of paint, whitewash, or putty. Replacing the floor and wallpaper followed by general cleaning will get rid of arthropods for a long time and help refresh the interior.
Another folk remedy against domestic arthropods is mint. Even a small amount of a fragrant plant placed in the corners of the house will scare away spiders. You can enhance the effect with the help of peppermint aromatic oil, sprayed through a spray bottle around the house in spider habitats. The same effect can be achieved using eucalyptus or tea tree oil.