Indoor Spider Control and Spider Traps

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"Wandering-Type" Spiders

brown recluse spider

Most spiders spin a web and stay close to the web for much of their lives. A few don't spin webs or don't stay close to the ones they do spin. These spiders are more active hunters and tend to "wander" into homes more often than the less active types.

The term "wandering spider" is not a taxonomic classification but rather refers to this more active, hunting behavior. Two wandering-type spiders in particular, the brown recluse spider and the hobo spider, are noteworthy because they may also be venomous.

Sticky Spider Traps

Sticky spider traps are generally considered to be the best way to reduce the number of wandering-type spiders in homes. Not only are traps effective but since they contain no pesticides they are very safe to use.

Sticky traps are very simple, consisting of a cardboard tube that is partly coated inside with a sticky material. The spiders wander into the tube at one end, but never make it out. Traps are inexpensive but can also be home-made (see Making Sticky Spider Traps). Place traps along walls where spiders tend to move and behind furniture. Replace traps when they become full of debris.

Foundation "Perimeter" Treatment

If you are finding more than just the occasional spider indoors, or you are especially sensitive to them, consider treating the exterior of your home with an insecticide barrier. This barrier will slow the movement of wandering-type spiders from outside to inside. To establish the barrier you'll need to spray a 6"-12" band of insecticide on the house foundation starting from where the siding ends to the top of the soil (this is sometimes called a "perimeter spray"). Onslaught Microencapsulated Insecticide (see brown recluse spider at our main LivingWithBugs site for details) is a good choice for this application because the microencapsulation makes it long-lasting compared to non-encapsulated insecticides.

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