Sun spiders are one household pest that can scare you out of your house at first sight.
However, deterring them is relatively easy, especially when all its attractions are out of sight.
These attractions are insects that serve as their source of food.
You are in the right place if you’ve got a sun spider infestation. In this guide, we will discuss some ways to keep them away from your home.
Sun spiders naturally enjoy hanging around anywhere there is an abundance of insects like roaches, bugs, beetles, etc. So, to deter them, the first thing to ensure is to eliminate insects from your home.
Afterward, below are other things you can do:
- Keep your environment clean
- Seal all cracks and openings through which sun spiders can crawl
- Trap them with a sticky card or board
These are some foolproof strategies. We discussed these and a few more in detail in the guide.
In the following sections, we will discuss six sun spider-deterring strategies and how to deploy them to keep sun spiders away.
Also, we will answer some common questions about sun spider infestation in homes.
6 Ways To Keep Sun Spiders at Bay
Sun spiders are naturally nocturnals. They only crawl out in search of food during the day, which makes it difficult even to find them once they get into a house.
Below, we will consider eight practical strategies that can help keep them at bay:
1. Maintain a Clean Environment
Maintaining a clean environment is a preventive measure, not because a dirty house attracts sun spiders. On the contrary, a dirty environment attracts insects. Insect, in turn, is what attracts sun spiders.
Sweep and thoroughly clean under furniture to clear up unseen dirt that can attract these insects. Rid the basement of ashes when it is not in use and close it up if possible.
Restrain from leaving dishes overnight in the sink. Dirty dishes attract nocturnals like roaches which is an attraction to sun spiders. Wash off dirty dishes immediately after use, and clean up food spills and droppings.
Also, do not pile up dirt in the trash can. Sun spiders can even hide under them without your knowledge. Empty trash cans as often as they get full so you don’t secure an apartment for pests.
Funnily enough, some of these insects found in the home live in hidden places like under the sink, basement, wardrobe, and bed. So, you should always visit these places and clean up regularly.
2. Inspect Gardens or Farms Around the House
Sun spiders are known for hiding under shrubs or plants in gardens and farms. For this reason, it would be best if you normalized regular clearing of weeds on your farm.
Sun spiders are also good at hiding underground. So, look out for holes in the garden and fill them up.
Also, construct a wide drainage in the farm so water can freely move out. The reason is that stagnant water also attracts insects.
With frequent farm inspections, you can spot the hiding insects quickly and take prompt action against them.
3. Set Traps
As with other household pests, you can adopt trapping to prevent sun spider invasion. Sun spiders have no wings. Thus, they will only crawl into the house.
So, you can set traps at strategic points like under the chairs, bed, the basement, and other places they are likely to pass through.
If you are wondering what trap to use, you can get a sticky card or board and place a dead roach or beetle around it.
The dead roach will attract them to crawl to the sticky board. The sticky substance on the board will hold every sun spider that crawls over it.
Depending on the severity of the infestation, you may need to leave the board in the infested area for two or three days.
Afterward, you can remove the trapped sun spiders and dispose of them. Alternatively, you may dispose of the board with the trapped sun spiders.
4. Kill Them
Another way to keep sun spiders away is to kill anyone you find around your house.
Sun spiders are lone hunters. So, if you kill one, you can be sure there can’t be more than one or two more in the place. They only stay together to nurture their young.
As such, even if you see one around your house, there is a 99% chance it is the only one around. Thus, you can easily get rid of the ones in your home quickly.
After ridding the sun spiders infesting your house, it can take a long while for another to come. The reason is that sun spiders do not really like staying in homes.
5. Rid the House of Insects
As mentioned earlier, sun spiders enjoy staying around insect-infested areas. If your home is full of insects like roaches, there is only so much you can do to keep them at bay.
Even if you successfully deter them, they will keep coming back as long as the insects in your home are still there. When you rid your house of insects, the invading sun spiders will leave on their own.
Contrary to public opinion, sun spiders do not bite humans. They are only after roaches, bugs, and other creepy insects in or around you. The presence of these insects in your house then increases their chances of entering your home.
So, you either rid your home of insects or make room for sun spiders to do it for you.
6. Seal Up Cracks and Open Entrances
In pursuit of their prey, sun spiders can find their way into your home through visible cracks or holes in the wall.
They can also pass through open doors and windows. So, ensure that doors and windows are shut, especially at night.
To keep these crawling arachnids away from your space, ensure that all the cracks on the walls, windows, and door frames are closed.
You can seal the broken door and window frames with caulking if there are any broken ones.
Conclusion
Handling a sun spider infestation isn’t an arduous task.
First, identify and remove what attracted them to your house. The most familiar culprits to watch out for are roaches, bugs, and other household insects. For this, you can use sticky cards or boards.
Afterward, seal all potential entry points like cracks. Also, watch out for holes in the door and window frames.
Another follow-up strategy is clearing weeds on your farm and constructing wide drainage to rid all stagnant waters.
More importantly, ensure your environment is clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Poisonous Is a Sun Spider?
Sun spiders are not poisonous at all. Although they look like scorpions, they have no tails of poisonous stingers like scorpions. Their pedipalps which seem like stingers, are only for holding down prey.
What Do Sun Spiders Eat?
Sun spiders are carnivores. They feed on other weaker insects such as bugs, beetles, roaches, and other arachnids. You can also find them feeding on lizards and reptiles like snakes.
Are Sun Spiders Good To Have Around?
The presence of sun spiders in your home can rid it of unwanted pests and insects as they feed on them. However, you have to decide if it is worth the risk.
