Spiders, Honestly

Most spider calls aren't really about a single spider. They're about a family that doesn't want to walk into a web crossing the back door every morning, or find one tucked into a shoe on the porch. Here's the honest version of what's usually going on, and what actually helps.

House spiders and wolf spiders

The two we see most around Kenmore, Bellevue, Bothell, and Kirkland are house spiders and wolf spiders, along with a range of other spider types that turn up from time to time, some more familiar than others. House spiders tend to stay put once they've built a web somewhere quiet, like a corner of the garage or behind furniture. Wolf spiders are the ones that startle people, because they don't build webs and hunt instead, moving fast across the floor or a patio at night.

Nests on the outside of the house

This is the part that actually keeps spiders out, and it's the part most people skip. Spiders don't just wander in from nowhere, a lot of activity indoors traces back to nests built right on the exterior of the house, tucked under eaves, around light fixtures, behind shutters, or in a woodpile stacked against the wall. Taking those nests off the outside of the house does more to reduce what you're seeing inside than any amount of spraying indoors ever will.

Interior and exterior treatment

A proper spider job treats both. Inside, that means addressing the spots spiders already favor, quiet corners, closets, basements, and garages. Outside, it means removing nests and treating the areas around the foundation, eaves, and entry points where spiders are building and where their food source, other small insects, tends to gather. Skipping either half leaves the other half to start the problem all over again.

A family concern, not just a nuisance

For a lot of the families we work with, this isn't really about being squeamish. It's wanting to know your kids aren't going to run into a web on the way to the car, or reach into a corner of the garage without checking first. That's a reasonable thing to want handled, and it's the reason most spider calls come in during the same stretch every year, once the weather turns and spiders start moving toward shelter.

What helps most

If you're seeing more webs than usual, or more spiders indoors than feels normal, it's worth a look at what's happening on the outside of the house before anything else. Alex has been treating homes around the Eastside for over 30 years, inside and out. Call AB Pest Control at (425) 205-1603 for a free phone estimate.