Spiders inside

Bleech. I've found 4 so far today and there were quite a few over the weekend too. I don't remember there ever being this many inside before. Are these the precursor to the ladybugs in the house? I gots the heebie-jeebies.

 

I may be off, but with the weather cooling down, its typical for spiders to find "warmer locales" inside.

I don't think that they are a pre-cursor to lady bugs, since I think they just appear magically anyway. You could hire an exterminator, but if you close to woods, there really isn't anyway to "stop" them from finding ways in. I just buy the big ole bug juice jug from costco and spray around the outside monthly, which keeps things down to a manageable level. The cats usually pick up the rest .

 

change in the weather is what drives many of them to find warmer places. Get some "Home Defense" spray and put that around your front door, door in the garage and basement.

... and which bug juice are you referring to? What is the name, you remember?

 

Home Defense sounds about right. Costco has a habit of changing brands, so I never remember the current provider (Bayer?). Its basically more than I have ever used in a year, and has a "self pumping" sprayer.

 

Ok, Home Defense spray it is. Unfortunately my cat is too lazy to chase bugs. He'll raise his head up from his nap, blink at the bug, then lay his head back down. (and yes, we're right beside woods.)

Thanks for the tips!

 

the home defense stuff is listed as safe indoors and out. I've used it in my basement and around the entire foundation of the house and it's worked great for us. I re-apply every 3 months or so to the exterior. I rarely use it inside and only if I see a spot that's got pests coming in. They say it lasts all season long but when I start seeing the critters again I usualy just do a quick walk around the house which is usually about 3-4 months. It also works great on ants and even deters wasps from nesting under our deck. We used to get those massive spiders all over the front steps and sometimes in the basement. Since I started using the home defence stuff I've not seen one.

 

we had a brown recluse in our house the other day! freaked me out quite a bit, especially as it practically ran over my foot while racing through our kitchen.....yuck!!!

 

:eww: Great..now I'm going to be paranoid & freaking out everytime I see a weird shadow

 

be careful with your spider identification... a brown recluse is a REALLY dangerous spider and should not be confused or associated incorrectly to scare people... but here is a really close-up picture:


And as you can read (on wikipedia), they are not commonly found in Virginia and are easily confused with other spiders. But Brown Recluse (rarely bite) but are really toxic.

 

I keep it outside mostly, with only "cat free" zones indoors (basement, garage, etc..). Both my cats are indoor fluffballs. According to the label, it is safe to use indoors, but you need to cover food service items and stuff, so I being the lazy guy I am just don't do the inside as diligently as I should.


This may or may not be the stuff I use (I'm enjoying the Wi-Fi at O'hare right now-so no garage access), but the comments say basically the same thing the label does about being "pet safe".

 

This is the stuff I use:

http://www.epinions.com/Ortho_Home_Defense_Perimeter_Indoor_Insect_Killer_Pull_N_Spray_Pest_Control

 

Zeratul...WARN someone before you put that up. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK:-D

 

I just don't get it folks - why would you spray anything toxic indoors or out? Back in 2000, we sprayed a pesticide along the crease where the patio meets the house, and to this day, we still find dead bugs from it. Now that's more frightening to me than any ole spider. Now compound that by spraying in the house. Just because the odor dissipates doesn't mean the toxicity is gone.

 

sorry, I had fun with that one.... I will admit I was hoping to make you jump!!!

But seriously, the Brown Recluse is a very poisonous one indeed and a friend of mine was bitten in New Orleans and had a terrible reaction.

 

What did you use???

We spray stuff and the ants are creeping back across after two months.

 

I believe the product contained diazinon. It used to be the most widely used pesticide on lawns. I'm glad it's been banned from residential use and most commercial uses. When I found out my spouse used it, I promptly got rid of it.

http://www.abcbirds.org/pesticides/Profiles/diazinon.htm

Some of the information contained at this address is out-dated.

Last spring we had an ant infestation in the basement laundry room and used the black flag ant traps. They worked like a charm.

 

Sarasmom and others--

I have posted some Natural Pest and Gardening web sites and info under the "Nature/Habitat..." thread under the post I started called "Gardening Gurus..."--enjoy!

Foodie

 

Wow glad its not just me then. We've had our fair share of the creepy critters. I've killed 6 or so in the last 3 days!

 

This past Sunday I spotted a dead Grass/funnel spider in my rec room. I find them frequently in the basement and they're usually dead. All of its legs were curled under it except for one, so I went to pick it up by that leg to dispose of it and ouch, it was alive and bit me on the fingertip. It felt like a needle prick and stung for quite some time. That was the first and hopefully the last time a spider bites me! I grabbed a fly swatter and killed it, thanked the cat for not warning me, then soaked my finger in ammonia for a bit. Then I retrieved the spider, put it in a glass jar for ID purposes later when the paramedics want to know what type of spider poisoned me. Then I went on line to identify it. As it turns out, they bite when provoked and their venom can cause flu like symptoms but usually the bite hurts more than the venom. When their legs are all splayed they can appear the size of a half dollar piece. Be forewarned. And no, I do not spray insecticides in the house. I usually remove the offending critter to the outdoors or in this instance, kill it with the fly swatter.