Spider Control in Fremont, CA

Why garages and sheds collect spiders

A garage is sheltered and often holds stored items, while a shed holds tools, tarps and cardboard. Both hold insects that spiders feed on, so a spider has a reason to stay once it arrives.

A garage door that opens daily lets insects in, and a light near the door draws them into the evening. A spider that builds a web in a corner waits there for prey, and the corner becomes its home. Clearing the web without changing the light or the gap usually means a new web within weeks.

A shed with a gap under the door or along the roof line lets in insects in the same way. Stored boxes and folded tarps offer hiding places, and the technician looks at the shed as a whole rather than only at the corner where the web is.

Does clearing webs solve the problem?

Clearing webs tidies the space and shows where the spiders are, but it does not stop them while insects are still arriving. Egg sacs must be removed too, or the young will hatch and the population will grow.

A broom or a vacuum clears a web in a few seconds, and the spider often moves to a new spot close by. The clearing is useful for seeing the spiders and for cleanliness, and it works best when the insects that draw the spiders are reduced at the same time.

Egg sacs are attached firmly to walls and ceilings and can hold many young. They are lifted and bagged whole, and the technician records how many were found and where, so the next visit can check the same spots.

How outdoor lights and gaps draw spiders

Outdoor lights and gaps attract the insects that spiders follow. Changing the light and sealing the gap reduce the draw, and both are simple changes that stay in place.

A bright white light next to a door draws many insects in the evening. A warmer or shielded light gives off less of what insects seek. The technician suggests where a light could be moved or changed, and the homeowner decides.

A gap at a window frame or a door sweep is a route for the insects. The sealing is recorded with the frame it belongs to, and it is the change most likely to reduce the number of spiders over a season.

Spiders and bites

Most spiders found in homes are not a medical concern, and bites are uncommon. A bite with spreading pain, fever or a reaction should be assessed by a doctor, and a concern about a particular species should go to a health professional.

This site does not name the spider species in California, so it does not say which spiders might be a concern. A technician who finds a spider they cannot identify will say so and will not guess at it.

A person who has been bitten should seek medical advice. A photo of the spider, taken safely, helps the doctor. This page does not replace that advice and does not describe the venom or the bite of any species.

Working under a deck and in a crawl space

Spiders collect under decks and in crawl spaces, where the cover is good and insects gather at the edges. The visit checks those spaces with a light and clears the webs and sacs carefully.

Under a deck, a web is often found where the joists meet the ledger or the posts. The technician clears each web and checks the joint for a gap that lets insects into the space. Where a crawl space is entered, the webs in the corners of the foundation are cleared the same way.

The homeowner is asked to keep the space under the deck free of stored items, since those give spiders cover. A tidy space is less attractive, and the report says what has been cleared.

A spider problem in a room that is used for storage often follows the stored items rather than the walls. The technician asks the homeowner to move the boxes away from the wall and onto a shelf, and the report records which boxes were moved. A room that is kept clear of cardboard and folded fabric is much less attractive to the spiders that hunt there.