Spiders

[Mike Berrevoets]

My shop is full of spiders and I'd like to get rid of them. This is Michigan so they are small and not real scary or a threat of any kind but they are a nuisance.

I spent a night this week trying to vacuum up all the webs that are filled with sawdust. Even sucked up a few live runners with the shop vac which was oddly satisfying. Although I didn't empty the shop vac so maybe they are all out again....

In addition to the spiders I see lots of earwigs.

Is is there a product I can use or some kind of trap that actually works?

[Charles Wiggins]

Te two things I have used that seem to work best are Ortho Home Defense and Spectacide Triazicide, but never in the shop. Both are clear liquids so they're messy.

[Joe Mioux]

I don't mind spiders as they eat insects.

To answer your question...sticky traps should work

[John K Jordan]

Is is there a product I can use or some kind of trap that actually works?

A friend of mine sets off "bug bombs" (insect foggers) in his pottery studio then vacuums up the dead spiders. He said there are far more dead spiders than he ever imagined based on the live spiders and webs he saw. This biulding has very high ceilings, prob 16' or more so he sets off several at once. I haven't asked him how often he repeats this. Note that foggers will leave a reside on every surface so some things might be best covered.

JKJ

[Ben Rivel]

I use Ortho Home Defense around my whole house and along the base of the walls in the shop/garage. I battle Black Widows mostly. I have no idea why I get them so often but I usually kill about 2 a week or so. Once in a while I get huge wolf spiders which look like 3-4" tarantulas but those are pretty rare. When I keep up on spraying every week or every other week they and every other bug are usually non-existent, but when I stop they pretty much immediately come back. I actually do spider checks pretty much daily looking to kill any larger spiders I see as after the first time I reached for a brand new Bessey Parallel Clamp I had left on the floor of the garage and finding a good sized Black Widow living in the handle I freaked out and have been hunting them ever since!

Couple other things Ive learned:

- Painting the walls makes spiders like them less. For some reason, maybe its harder to cling to or they dont like the smell, but it made a huge difference where they would make webs once I started painting the drywall in the garage. Just used white drywall primer paint. Made the garage look a lot nicer too.
- Spraying with a weak consumer poison like Ortho Home Defense isnt really that effective on spiders, why it does work I have found through some interesting testing is by killing their food supply (other bugs) as well as poisoning that food which they then eat and then kills them slower from the inside. But spraying that Ortho directly on them takes a lot longer to kill them than it does other bugs.
- Absolute best quick killing agent Ive found for any kind of spiders is that cheap black can wasp spray from Lowes that sometimes goes on sale for $1/can. That stuff is amazing to watch it work on both wasps and spiders AND it has the awesome advantage of shooting so far you can get the in corners you cant reach or before they have a chance to run and hide in some crack you cant get to. I buy that stuff in a case of 12 when it goes on sale. (LINK (http://www.lowes.com/pd/Ultra-Kill-Wasp-and-Hornet-Killer/3030370))
- I have also learned that sealing up the places they like to hide and live makes it much less likely they will even stay in the place. Seal all the tiny cracks along the base of the wall or door frames or holes in drywall etc with caulking, put up baseboards and caulk them to the ground, seal around windows etc. Eliminating as many crevices for them to take shelter in helps a lot.
- And lastly, they have to be coming in from the outside, so spray the Ortho stuff outside the shop and also work to seal up doors that lead outside. Close gaps around garage/rool up doors or under side garage doors etc.

Hope some of that helps.

[Jim Becker]

Where there are spiders...there is spider food. That's their job!

Before you resort to chemicals, try just normal cleanup and ... if you can find one or three ...some Osage Orange "fruit" which is a natural deterrent for spiders. Mint oil can sometimes help discourage them, too.

[John K Jordan]

Where there are spiders...there is spider food. That's their job! Before you resort to chemicals, try just normal cleanup and ... if you can find one or three ...some Osage Orange "fruit" which is a natural deterrent for spiders. Mint oil can sometimes help discourage them, too.


There must be a lot of spider food in my barn! It looks like one of those haunted houses set up for Halloween. My vet was kneeling in a stall working on a little goat when she looked up and around and said in almost a whisper "This is my worst nightmare." The spiders never bothered me but after that I have the hired help clear out some of the worst of the webs with a broom if I know the vet will be inside.

I love seeing the intricacy of spider webs, especially on my morning walks around the farm when the dew makes them stand out. It's easier then to avoid a big spider crawling across the face after accidentally walking through a web!

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JKJ

[Bruce Page]

Except black widows, I always had a live & let live policy with spiders in the shop. If they get too out of control I'll spray with Ortho's Home Defense.

[Mike Bigfoot]

Not Ortho, here is a link to the stuff the professionals use... After battling insects for years (ants ect) back in 2012 I found a secret weapon, its called demonwp. mix with water, spray where you have insects , the water evaporates & leaves crystals that stay put for a looong time. I just ordered a second batch after 4 years. I use this to kill bad bugs but be careful, it can kill good insects like crickets & such, also It will kill shrubs & even trees. I use it mostly outside but will use it inside if needed, kills spiders, roaches, moths, crickets, everything! http://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/demon-wp-insecticide . You can call & speak with the person that answers, they are extremely helpful & maybe they have a better solution for your problem. . I just received 8 envelopes of the demonwp which makes up 8 gallons for $15, worth every penny. They used to sell it by the pound but recently stopped because people were mixing it too strong.
Get this stuff & you will see instant results for a looong time. view the link & read the reviews, save the link because its very useful. This is the ingredient you want 40.00% Cypermethrin. Amazon has it too, just read the reviews.

[Prashun Patel]

I also welcome spiders. They scare me but I let them be, mostly.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Personally, I'd rather have spiders than insecticides.

[Erik Loza]

Not related to a woodworking shop but an interesting story. My mother-in-law used to have a cabin out in east Texas: "The Lakehouse". Anyhow, she would leave out those sticky traps (pretty inhumane, if you ask me...) for rodents and it was my job whenever we went the the lakehouse was to change the traps. There would be a mouse once in a while but what those traps mostly caught were Brown Recluse spiders, and lots of them. Sometimes, a half dozen on a trap. This was the case for years and I never mentioned to my wife or to my MIL, because I didn't want to freak them out. We had great times out there and it's the country, after all. However, I never allowed clothes to be left on the floor and always shook out my shoes before I put them on. We never had an issue and I assume those spiders were eating other insects, themselves. Live and let live whenever you can...

Erik

[Rich Riddle]

I like the sticky traps. Down here we have the brown recluse and they love little niche areas. A friend nearly lost a leg in a shop when messing around with a wood stack (wearing shorts) and one bit her. They are dangerous. Not sure if you have them up in Michigan or not.

[Ben Rivel]

Not Ortho, here is a link to the stuff the professionals use... After battling insects for years (ants ect) back in 2012 I found a secret weapon, its called demonwp. mix with water, spray where you have insects , the water evaporates & leaves crystals that stay put for a looong time. I just ordered a second batch after 4 years. I use this to kill bad bugs but be careful, it can kill good insects like crickets & such, also It will kill shrubs & even trees. I use it mostly outside but will use it inside if needed, kills spiders, roaches, moths, crickets, everything! http://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/demon-wp-insecticide . You can call & speak with the person that answers, they are extremely helpful & maybe they have a better solution for your problem. . I just received 8 envelopes of the demonwp which makes up 8 gallons for $15, worth every penny. They used to sell it by the pound but recently stopped because people were mixing it too strong.
Get this stuff & you will see instant results for a looong time. view the link & read the reviews, save the link because its very useful. This is the ingredient you want 40.00% Cypermethrin. Amazon has it too, just read the reviews.
Thanks for posting that! Just ordered a few packets, going to give this stuff a try and compare it to the Ortho Ive been using. This stuff sounds a lot better for insect control as well as safer for humans.

[Daniel O'Neill]

Not related to a woodworking shop but an interesting story. My mother-in-law used to have a cabin out in east Texas: "The Lakehouse". Anyhow, she would leave out those sticky traps (pretty inhumane, if you ask me...) for rodents and it was my job whenever we went the the lakehouse was to change the traps. There would be a mouse once in a while but what those traps mostly caught were Brown Recluse spiders, and lots of them. Sometimes, a half dozen on a trap. This was the case for years and I never mentioned to my wife or to my MIL, because I didn't want to freak them out. We had great times out there and it's the country, after all. However, I never allowed clothes to be left on the floor and always shook out my shoes before I put them on. We never had an issue and I assume those spiders were eating other insects, themselves. Live and let live whenever you can...

Erik

If you want to throw up your lunch google Brown Recluse bites. Terrible spiders. I'm not afraid of normal spiders but BR are one that I do not like.

[Erik Loza]

If you want to throw up your lunch google Brown Recluse bites. Terrible spiders. I'm not afraid of normal spiders but BR are one that I do not like.

Yeah, I'm aware, LOL. Years ago in CA, the then boyfriend of my mom got bitten on the forearm by one on a camping trip. When it finally healed, it was like a crater in his arm.

Erik

[Mike Bigfoot]

If you want to throw up your lunch google Brown Recluse bites. Terrible spiders. I'm not afraid of normal spiders but BR are one that I do not like.

Oh my, I just googled it. I have been catching these strange spiders out front of my house, they can run fast.. I show the wife, we were trying to figure out what they were just last week, I thought they were related to scorpions. I cant believe they are brown recluse spiders. I actually let one go a few months ago but killed the rest. I didn't touch them but at night they come out when the porch lights are off. THANK YOU FOR YOUR POST, I am shocked really.


EDIT: I think one of the kids trapped one in the kitchen a few years ago. Well, you know what i'm doing later today. Im spraying another gallon worth of the Demon WP around the front, back, in the garage & bushes. Im freaked out now, ha.. Im so thankful I learned something useful today. Thanks Sawmill creek :-)

[Erik Loza]

Oh my, I just googled it. I have been catching these strange spiders out front of my house, they can run fast.. I show the wife, we were trying to figure out what they were just last week, I thought they were related to scorpions. I cant believe they are brown recluse spiders. I actually let one go a few months ago but killed the rest. I didn't touch them but at night they come out when the porch lights are off. THANK YOU FOR YOUR POST, I am shocked really.


EDIT: I think one of the kids trapped one in the kitchen a few years ago. Well, you know what i'm doing later today. Im spraying another gallon worth of the Demon WP around the front, back, in the garage & bushes. Im freaked out now, ha.. Im so thankful I learned something useful today. Thanks Sawmill creek :-)

Mike, the spiders you are seeing are more than likely not Recluse spiders. Probably something harmless.

Erik

[Ben Rivel]

Oh my, I just googled it. I have been catching these strange spiders out front of my house, they can run fast.. I show the wife, we were trying to figure out what they were just last week, I thought they were related to scorpions. I cant believe they are brown recluse spiders. I actually let one go a few months ago but killed the rest. I didn't touch them but at night they come out when the porch lights are off. THANK YOU FOR YOUR POST, I am shocked really.


EDIT: I think one of the kids trapped one in the kitchen a few years ago. Well, you know what i'm doing later today. Im spraying another gallon worth of the Demon WP around the front, back, in the garage & bushes. Im freaked out now, ha.. Im so thankful I learned something useful today. Thanks Sawmill creek :-)
Before you get too worked up in CA, UC Riverside states quite adimantly that Brown Recluse spiders do not live in California. See their article on it here: LINK (http://spiders.ucr.edu/myth.html)

[Mike Bigfoot]

Mike, the spiders you are seeing are more than likely not Recluse spiders. Probably something harmless.

Erik


This is the exact spider I have been seeing 100%. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_recluse_spider or http://www.poison.org/articles/2014-oct/brown-recluse-spider-bites It has fuzz on the rear end & the two fangs near the mouth area & the color is identical. I personally spent 2 hours the other day trying to identify what it was & because of my area (south west US) Hi Desert I was looking at scorpion species. I have always wondered what the brown recluse spiders looked like but now I know from experience. Ill photo the next one I run across, I will be hunting tonight.



EDIT: okay, I may be seeing "desert recluse spiders" but they contain the sane venom as the brown recluse but the color is slightly more pale....Interesting none the less.

[Erik Loza]

Mike, Brown Recluse are a secretive and shy species. You will never see one out during the daylight and they actually are not fast nor aggressive. I've seen hundreds of them and to the lay-person, there are many, MANY other spider species in California that are of similar shape and size, but are not a recluse. Just like folks killing harmless snake species because "they were 100% that it as a Diamonback", I would hate to see somone indiscriminantly spray pesticides all over their yard in an effort to kill something that isn't there, meanwhile killing all the beneficial spiders that are there. Again, I essentially lived with Brown Recluse spiders for weeks at a time, over a course of years, and cannot remember one incidence of envenomation in that area. If they really wanted to be biting humans, wouldn't it be happening all the time?

Erik

[Mike Bigfoot]

Thanks Erik & Ben. You are correct, not a brown recluse here is oak hills, ca Hesperia, ca Apple valley, ca but I found out the hi desert does have *desert recluse spiders & thats what I have been seeing, same venom as other recluse spiders. No big deal I suppose. Ok, I wont spray. I just did it recently (a light spraying) so I should be good anyhow. So happy to finally identify those interesting spiders. Sorry, didn't intend on hijacking this thread, lol

[Alan Lightstone]

If they really wanted to be biting humans, wouldn't it be happening all the time?

Erik
Actually, in South Florida, I see several Brown Recluse spider bites in the OR. Nasty stuff, never ends well. They truly cause impressive damage when they bite you.

One of my worst nightmares, actually...

[John K Jordan]

Mike, Brown Recluse are a secretive and shy species. ... If they really wanted to be biting humans, wouldn't it be happening all the time?

I read that a sure way to distinguish brown recluse from some other similar spiders is to count the eyes (best with a strong magnifier or a microscope). Here's one link:
http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Brown-Recluse

I thought people were bitten by brown recluse not because the spiders were aggressive but because people put their hands in, under, and behind things where the spiders are. A bit like the way people often get poisonous snake bites by reaching behind a log or rock. Or maybe like getting stung by a foraging honeybee (you have to pinch or squish it.) A friend of a friend was bitten and lost a big chunk of flesh.

JKJ

[Bruce Page]

My oldest sister sat on one in SE Missouri. She lost a good chunk of her upper thigh. I'm glad we don't have them here.

[Leo Graywacz]

Yup, mostly let the spiders be. I get some Wolf Spiders in the shop and they can get pretty big. When the leg diameter gets about 2" then they need to watch out for me. I don't like them that big. Other then that I enjoy them and their bug eating habits. Keeps the bugs outta my finishes.

[Allan Speers]

If you want to throw up your lunch google Brown Recluse bites. Terrible spiders. I'm not afraid of normal spiders but BR are one that I do not like.

I got bit by one about 35 years ago, while gigging in Texas. Pain like you can't believe.

I hate spiders more than I hate chipmunks!

Luckily, Brown Recluse don't live where I live. I can't imagine living in Australia. They seem to have the world's highest concentration of just about everything that wants to kill you.:eek:

[Anthony Whitesell]

As mentioned, the spiders are eating something. First go after that, then keep the webs to a minimum (shop vac does work wonders). Without the webs, they can't catch food and die off on their own. But if you haven't gotten rid of their food source, you may have a second problem.

P.S. Some spiders will eat spiders, including their own breed.