Us and the Spiders
Can you feel it? Walk into any Home Depot or Lowes and you’ll see people sitting on the patio furniture and looking at the bedding plants. Yes, we still have some night time temps in the 30s, but it won’t be long before the days warm up and we get outside after the long winter.
Why do so many people have a phobia about these eight-legged critters? They are beneficial. They eat other insects and they very seldom bite – contrary to popular belief. Be that as it may, a lot of you just don’t like them. So here are a few tips to keep them away.
- Your best friend just might be a broom. Regular sweeping of the eves outside, and the ceiling room corners inside, discourage web building. If someone constantly knocked down your home you’d move too.
- Pay special attention to your landscaping. Spiders live in trees and bushes. If you have branches touching your home you have a bridge for spiders and other pests to find their way inside. Cut them back.
- Clean your gutters. This is good advice for a number of reasons but it’s one less place for spiders to hang out close to where you live.
- Vacuum behind your furniture. Spring cleaning should include moving big pieces and getting the dust and debris out. Dark secluded places make a great home for arachnids.
- And finally check your summer shoes for stowaways. It has been a long winter for the spiders, too. They have been hiding somewhere and shoes are often an overlooked possibility. You can get a big surprise when you put your bare foot into that Croc!
