With Halloween in a couple of weeks away, it’s a good time to talk about spiders.

I’ve heard a number of complaints from people around the country seemingly being overrun by them, particularly when the weather started to cool off after a hotter than normal summer.

Getting rid of spiders is a tough topic because even though they might give you the creeps, they’re more beneficial than they are harmful. I’m all for any creature that feasts on flies, mosquitoes and other annoying insects. We need everything on our side that we can rally.

Poisonous Spider Species in the United States

Unfortunately, there is a point at which a spider’s presence is a bit much. Even though I received a nasty bite from the aggressive hobo spider years ago while stacking wood, there are few truly dangerous spiders in the United States. Unfortunately, we have two of them: the brown recluse and the black widow in our area. I never thought much about them until Helen, the boys’ babysitter, let me know there was a black widow on the porch one day.

Yikes. I squished that one.

Thankfully, both of these tend to hang back in dark, undisturbed places and would rather retreat than attack. They live under porches, in garages and in the dark nooks and crannies. This doesn’t mean they won’t bite if squeezed or provoked.

Hobo spiders, on the other hand, will look for a fight. They have a greater tendency to bite if youre too close. When it happened to me I simply picked up a log. The bite was sharp, causing me to throw down the wood and stomp on the culprit. When I called the poison control center, the officer asked me, What did it look like? I told her, Its brown and is now flat. That wasnt good. My finger swelled, and it was terribly painful. But unlike the venomous bite of a black widow or brown recluse, it didnt ulcerate and become a bigger problem.

Cleaning to Avoid Spiders

The first step to minimize the spiders around the home is to clear away shrubs, perennials and stacks of wood around the house. Climbing vines are another prime hiding spot for spiders, and usually give them an easy migration path to the cozy indoor environment when the weather turns chilly.

Since spiders go where the food source is, using the yellowish sodium vapor lights since they dont attract night flying insects quite as much as incandescent bulbs, can help cut down on the numbers. If theres nothing to eat, theres not much reason to hang around.

On the inside, cleaning is equally important to prevent unused dusty places for spiders to hide. They particularly like basements, crawlspaces and attics to set up house. Be careful if youre moving boxes in one of these places. You might want to wear gloves to be safe.

Spider Traps and Sprays

Any insecticide that will kill other insects will knock out spiders. A book or shoe is just as effective, although some spiders are big enough to make a crunching noise. Thats never good. You can also place the yellow sticky traps (found at many hardware stores and greenhouses) along the perimeter of the room or in dark, unused places. These will catch errant spiders and let you know what species frequent your house.

You can use products such as Delta Dust (Deltamethrin) that lasts up to 8 months to deter spiders from entrances around the foundation, electrical outlets or water spigots. In addition, its useful to spray Cobweb Eliminator to dissolve existing webs, and eliminate new ones. Spritz prime areas every 2-3 months to prevent spiders from setting up shop.

Like I said, for the most part spiders are helpful to have around the garden. But when you have to worry about young children, or have a particularly prolific year, there are a few tricks you can try to keep them at acceptable levels.

The photo is copyright of snowleopard1 from istock.