Regularly Seeing Spiders At Home? Pay Attention—it Could Be A Sign Of A Bigger Problem

Spiders are far from what most people would consider a friendly visitor to their home. Many people dislike spiders. For some, it is the legs and the eyes; for other it's the webs. Whatever the reason, they are generally not considered welcome guests in a living space. But maybe they should be. It may be true that there are some spiders that are dangerous to keep around, such as widows and recluse spiders, but there are actually several beneficial spiders you may not want to kill in your home. Why? Because they could be keeping an even bigger problem at bay: insects such as flies, cockroaches, fleas, moths, and ants. 

It is common to see a few spiders in your home every now and then. After all, you can't keep everything out of your home. Sometimes they are carried in on clothes or from outdoor items. However, if you start seeing webs gathering or regular visitors crawling around, they may actually indicate a problem with other insects in your home that could be causing more harm than the spiders that are actually keeping things under control. 

Spiders generally enter homes in search of the three necessities of life: food, water, and shelter. However, if you notice a growing population of spiders in your home, chances are they are there because of an abundance of food. The only question that remains is, what is the food source? There are countless common types of bugs you don't want living in your home, due to the damage they can cause. In some cases, you will see the spiders hanging around more often than the insects because the spiders are doing their job to control the insect population.

Some of the most common insects that invade homes include moths, flies, ants, beetles, termites, fleas, and cockroaches. While it is a good idea to identify the types of spiders living in your home, it can be even more important to track down their food source. Look for signs of insect activity around the house. It can also be a good idea to check the spider webs to see if you can find evidence of what they are feeding on.

Spiders may be undesirable, mostly because people don't like them and they leave webs around the house, but they don't actually cause a lot of damage. The insects they are feeding on, on the other hand, could mean serious home damage, or worse, health concerns. Insects that cause damage include moths, ants, termites, and cockroaches. Moths generally damage fabrics, but ants, termites, and cockroaches can do serious damage to wood and other structural damage. Insects that pose health risks include flies, fleas, and cockroaches.

After you identify which insects your spiders are feeding on, use appropriate pest control methods to remove them as quickly and effectively as possible. You will also want to make sure you look for the areas in the home that are susceptible to letting in both insects and spiders, such as cracks and windows. Once you have gotten rid of the food source and sealed points of entry, there is one chore you need to do regularly to keep spiders away from your home. It is important to clean up spider webs around the house whenever you see them, which should be enough to keep spiders at bay.