Spider Prevention – A Recent Job & Some Homeowner Tips
By David, Owner, Guardian Pest & Termite Services
What I Walked Into
August is usually when I start getting more calls about spiders around the Greater Charlotte metropolitan area. By this point in the summer, they've had plenty of time to settle around homes, especially in garages, sheds, porches, and quiet storage areas.
Earlier this month, a homeowner called because they kept finding new spider webs around their garage door and back patio. They weren't seeing large numbers of spiders, but every few days there seemed to be fresh webs in the same places.
The home backed up to a wooded area with mature trees and thick landscaping around the fence line. The homeowner had already knocked the webs down several times, but they kept coming back.
When I arrived, the first thing I noticed wasn't actually the spiders. It was the number of insects gathering around the outdoor lighting and the amount of undisturbed space around the garage and exterior corners of the home.
The Problem
Spider activity around the Greater Charlotte metropolitan area usually increases during late summer because food becomes easier to find. Spiders settle where insects are already active, so when homeowners tell me they're seeing more webs, I usually start looking for what's attracting insects first.
During the inspection, I found webs around light fixtures, garage corners, window frames, and underneath the back porch. These are all common places where spiders can stay out of sight during the day while waiting for insects to become active at night.
Outside, there were several overgrown shrubs close to the home that created cool, shaded areas where insects and spiders could stay protected. The outdoor lights were also drawing insects in every evening, giving spiders a steady food source only a few feet from the house.
The homeowner had been removing the webs whenever they noticed them, but they always came back. That's pretty common. Removing a web gets rid of what's visible, but if the conditions stay the same, another spider usually builds in the same area.
The issue wasn't that there were hundreds of spiders. It was that the environment around the home was making it easy for new spiders to keep settling there.
The Process
I started by walking the exterior of the property because that's where most spider prevention begins.
We removed the existing webs around the garage, porch, windows, and eaves so we could clearly see where new activity would appear later if needed.
After that, I treated the common areas where spiders were nesting and focused on the exterior perimeter of the home. I also treated around the foundation, entry points, and the landscaping where insect activity was highest.
While we walked the property together, I pointed out a few things that were contributing to the problem. The shrubs near the foundation had grown close enough to touch the siding, and several outdoor lights were left on throughout the night. Both of those conditions make it easier for insects to gather, which naturally attracts spiders.
We also talked about keeping the garage organized since stacked boxes and undisturbed corners give spiders plenty of places to hide and rebuild.
Spider prevention is usually about changing the conditions around the home just as much as treating the spiders themselves.
The Outcome
Within the first week, the homeowner noticed there were far fewer new webs showing up around the garage and patio.
After a couple more weeks, the areas that had previously needed constant cleaning stayed clear much longer. They weren't finding fresh webs every few days like they had before.
The homeowner also trimmed back the landscaping, adjusted when the outdoor lights were used, and kept up with removing any new webs they found. Those small changes helped keep spider activity from building back up.
The biggest difference they mentioned was simply being able to use the garage and back patio without constantly walking through webs or wondering where the next spider would show up.
When the conditions around a property change, spider activity usually becomes much easier to manage.
DIY Advice
Before I left, I shared a few simple things homeowners can do to reduce spider activity around their property.
Knock down spider webs as soon as you notice them. Removing webs regularly encourages spiders to move elsewhere instead of rebuilding in the same location.
Keep shrubs, bushes, and tree branches trimmed back from the house. This reduces the sheltered areas where insects and spiders like to stay.
Limit outdoor lighting when it's not needed. Since lights attract insects, reducing that food source often leads to fewer spiders around entryways.
Keep garages, sheds, and storage areas as clutter-free as possible. This makes it easier to spot new activity and removes places where spiders can hide undisturbed.
Check around windows, doors, vents, and exterior corners every few weeks during late summer. Catching small signs of activity early helps prevent larger problems from developing.
None of these steps are difficult, but staying consistent with them can make a noticeable difference over time.
Professional Insight
One thing I explain to homeowners is that spiders usually aren't the first problem.
Most of the time, they're showing up because insects are already active around the property. If you only remove the spiders but don't address what's attracting them, they'll often come back.
Around the Greater Charlotte metropolitan area, I pay close attention to garages, porches, outdoor lighting, landscaping, and storage areas because those are the places where spider activity usually begins.
Treating the home is important, but reducing insect activity and changing the conditions around the property are what make the biggest difference over the long term.
Closing
Spider calls become pretty common around August as the summer starts winding down.
If you're in the Greater Charlotte metropolitan area and you're noticing more webs around your garage, porch, or patio than usual, it's usually a sign that something around the property is attracting them.
Taking care of those conditions early is often the easiest way to keep spider activity under control.
– David
