Is It Good or Bad to Have Spiders in Your House?

Given how common they are and how frightened people tend to be, you may be wondering, are spiders good or bad inside our homes? It’s subjective; spiders are good for catching other pests in your house, but bad if they carry disease.

Spiders are one of the most common household pests with about 2 out of 3 Georgia homes hosting spiders at least once a year. Interestingly, the fear of spiders is one of the most prevalent phobias in the United States.

Spiders deliver many benefits to both our ecosystem and inside our homes. For example, spiders like to feast on pesky insects, like roaches, aphids, moths, and earwigs, which help keep their population in check. This also helps alleviate the spread of diseases and the destruction of our farmland crops. Norman Platnick, a leading arachnid scientist at the American Museum of Natural History cites, “If spiders disappeared, we would face famine.”

Are Spiders Good or Bad? 3 Ways Spiders Help Indoors

1. One of spiders’ greatest deeds is the fact that they eat other insects. In fact, one spider can eat 2,000 insects in one year. Spiders like to feed on roaches, mosquitoes, flies, and moths.
2. Spiders can get rid of other spiders. Spiders like to battle, and if they come face-to-face with each other, they will fight, and the weaker spider will be eaten. This is the reason why you may see a small spider population slowly overtaken by a larger spider host, such as a long-legged cellar spider (aka a daddy longleg). In addition, the long-legged cellar spiders are known to kill Black Widow Spiders.
3. Many household insects and pests carry diseases. Spiders feed on insects, like fleas, cockroaches, flies, and mosquitoes, that can transmit diseases to humans and our household pets.

Spiders are extremely beneficial creatures to our ecosystem, but there are still many reasons why we want to keep indoor spiders at bay.

3 Reasons Why the Presence of Spiders in Your Home May be Concerning:

1. Poisonous or Not, Spiders Do Bite: Most of the spiders found in the United States are not poisonous. In fact, there are only two species of spiders found in the US that are poisonous: the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse. However, non-poisonous spiders can still bite you and your family, leaving welt-sized abrasions on your skin. Spider bites can be painful and irritating and could lead to serious harm if not medically treated. Keeping spiders out of your home lowers the chance of being bitten. To learn more about poisonous spiders in Georgia, read our blog.
2. If You Have Spiders, It’s Highly Likely You Have More Bugs: Spiders feed off other insects, and they are very keen on knowing where those insects are and how to trap them. Think of spiders as a warning sign that other bugs are inhabiting your home. If you are seeing an abundance of spiders in your home, you are probably not seeing an even bigger population of pests. It’s important to get spider control for your home if you see spiders or other insects inside your home.
3. Spider Webs Don’t Lend a “Kept Appearance”: Have you ever walked into a home that hasn’t been lived in in a while and seen spiderwebs in all the nooks and crannies? Spiders build webs no matter if they are in or outside, and those webs can lend an unkept and unattractive appearance to any home. Webs can be a pain to remove and clean up. They can also leave smudge marks on painted surfaces and upholstered furniture.

Follow these effective spider control tips to prevent spiders in your home:

• Keep your home tidy! Make sure to clear your sink at night, wipe down counters, and make sure countertops and floors are crumbs-free. A 15-minute nighttime clean can make a world of difference when it comes to getting rid of spiders in your home.
• Don’t leave food out that will attract other insects, which can in turn attract spiders.
• Vacuum spider webs on a regular basis.
• Seal any cracks in your home and prevent entryway from insects.
• Don’t keep plants or vegetation directly against your home.
• Store firewood away from your home.

The Best Way to Handle a Spider Infestation

These spider control tips will help to eliminate and prevent spiders, however, the best way to get rid of spiders or handle a spider infestation is to hire a qualified pest control specialist to ensure the infestation has been properly dealt with. While spiders are definitely beneficial, there are still many reasons to keep them at bay inside your home.

Spider Pest Control in the Southeastern United States

With over three decades of necessary skills and experience to treat your spider infestation correctly, you can depend on our experienced spider control pros to ensure your spider infestation will be properly dealt with. 

If you are in the Southeastern United States and need spider control or prevention services, call the pros at Lookout Pest Control for a free estimate.