by Angela S. Young

Created on: September 30, 2008

Rare is the person who actually wants to share a room, or anything else, with a spider. We seem to have a natural fear of them, even though they are often more scared than we are. Even if we've never experienced a spider bite, we fear them. We aren't real fond of their looks either. So, rather than just learn to live with them, we must find was to prevent them.

At one time, I stayed with my parents off and on as my mother battled cancer. Because I came and went, my room became a haven of sorts for all kinds of spiders. The wolf spiders didn't seem to like my room, but many others did. After a while, I let them go and even named them as long as they stayed away from my sleeping area. This arrangement worked for most of them. If you don't want a pet spider (or ten), you will have to take stronger measures to deter these persistent creatures

The absolute best way to prevent spiders is to keep it clean. No hidden spots, no food flying around, no uninterrupted areas to claim as home, and no spiders except for the rare exception that has yet to discover the uninviting status of your room. Make a schedule to make sure every area, even under beds and in closets gets cleaned on a regular basis and your accidental meetings will become less frequent.

Next, patch any holes that allow spiders to make their way in from the outside. This is difficult to do because most don't need big holes, but as a preventative measure, it helps. Check thoroughly around air-conditioning units and/or screens to make sure you aren't leaving an open-door invitation for spiders and the foods they love.

Then you might want to buy an electronic bug device that plugs into an outlet and emits a noise that deters many pests. These work well, but you have to remember to unplug them from time to time because pests get used to the sound.

Since spiders in your house means spiders in your room, you will want to keep the rest of the house clean and look regularly at "spider havens" such as attics, basements and seldom used closets. Don't forget to sweep out any vents on a regular basis as well.

Check screens inside and out. Spiders like to make nests there to catch their food and raise their babies. Keeping them cleaned out will deter spiders from making your house their home. Also look around your house on the outside to break up any webs or nests you find too close to the home.

While most spiders want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them, some of them, like the brown recluse spider can do serious damage if they bite you, so you want to give them the heave ho if they come in. When you come face to face with a spider, after your heart-beat slows down, spray it with something. Often hairspray will work or at least slow it down so you can squash it. In my parent's bathroom, I kept a spray bottle with pure bleach in it. Spraying them with this, while not pretty to watch, will eventually kill them. It may take more for the larger ones. With this method, you have to be careful not to allow the bleach to touch any carpet or fabrics for obvious reasons.

Unfortunately, your best bet is still to keep your house clean (or at least regularly disturb the dirt) to keep spiders at a minimum. Cats, and sometimes dogs, will chase, play with and often eat spiders and other bugs if they get in the mood, so cats help, but you will still need to make sure spiders have no place to breed and no food to eat in your home, or you will have them moving in with you at some point.

Happy spider-proofing!

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