BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
If you’ve noticed more spiders lately, near window frames, behind boxes in the garage, lurking in basement corners, you’re not imagining it. Fall is mating season for spiders, which makes them more active than usual, and when temperatures drop, many of them make the same call you would and head inside. Of the roughly 3,700 spider species in the United States, only about 0.3 percent are dangerous to humans. The rest are, in the words of Oregon State University Extension horticulturist Brooke Edmunds, “minding their own business.”
Two things converging in the spiderverse
It’s not only the cold driving these arachnids indoors. Spiders like cellar spiders, wolf spiders, and hobo spiders move indoors as temperatures fall, and once inside, many are also looking for mates and somewhere quiet to leave their eggs. “Just like us, they’re coming inside to get warm,” Edmunds explains. “They aren’t aggressive toward people, not even the spiders.” Some females carry egg sacs on their bodies; others are hunting for corners, furniture undersides, the back of a closet, anywhere spider silk can hold a sac in place. That’s part of why fall can feel like a sudden invasion when it’s really just two instincts running in parallel.
What makes your home The Destination
Some of it is biology, and some of it is a gap in the garage door seal. If the weather strip at the bottom is worn or the door doesn’t sit flush, that’s an open invitation. Same goes for cracks along the foundation and gaps around window frames. And if your house already has gnats, flies, aphids, or termites, spiders will follow, because those critters happen to make up a great menu for our eight-legged friends.
Outside, what’s close to the house does a lot of the inviting. Colorado State University’s entomology experts recommend clearing away rock piles, wood stacks, old boards, and compost heaps from around the perimeter. Spiders go for dark, damp, undisturbed spots. Tree limbs that touch or hang near windows are another way in, and crawl spaces packed with boxes are definitely attractive to them.
How to keep them out
Caulking cracks in your foundation and making sure screens and door seals are intact does a lot. Fall is also a good time to go through basements, garages, and closets, not for tidiness, but because those neglected corners are exactly what spiders are looking for. If you’re digging into old cardboard boxes or boots that haven’t moved since last winter, wear gloves. Spiders have sometimes made a cozy home inside them.
If you’d rather not evict the ones already there, that’s fine too. They’re eating the insects you’d otherwise be swatting at, and most will move on once the season turns anyway.
Did this solution stand out? Share it with a friend or support our mission by becoming an Emissary.
