Help me defeat a spider infestation!

February 13, 2009 2:27 AM

I live in a 15th floor condo. We get tons and tons of spiders on our balconies, windows, everything. Right now it's winter, so there are no spiders, only their little cocoons, which are everywhere. How can I get rid of these cocoons before they hatch, and hopefully disuade the spiders from coming back?

I'd prefer not to use anything (overly) toxic, as I have small children.
I have to sweep the spiderwebs practically every day in the summer, or I can't use our balcony. And, right now there are so many little spider cocoons I'm afraid of what's going to happen when the weather gets warm and they hatch.

Is there something I can spray on the cocoons so they won't hatch? Will scraping them off with a stick or something do the job?

Even if I get rid of the cocoons, is there something I can spray on my windows and balconies that will help keep spiders off?

posted by zachawry to home & garden (16 comments total)

Just removing the cocoons will be enough. Each one will contain a batch of eggs which will hatch into hundreds of little spiderlings; wiping away the coccoons takes away both the eggs and their protective environment - anything left is unlikely to survive.

If you're squeamish about touching them, a vacuum cleaner with one of those little brush attachments will usually do the trick just as well.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 2:33 AM on February 13

Spiders are considered beneficial arachnid (type of insect), eating stuff that you probably can't see and are far worse than the spiders. Most are harmless to man. It's just phobias that get us wanting to kill them instead of learning how to cohabit with them in peace. Maybe instead of just wanton destroying the cocoons, you could relocate them to a place in a garden. Maybe some will survive the move and still have some benefit to mankind and the ecosystem.
posted by watercarrier at 2:38 AM on February 13

Watercarrier, I'm not scared of spiders. I actually like spiders. I just don't want my balcony full of spiderwebs.
posted by zachawry at 2:48 AM on February 13

If you have that many spiders, what on earth are they eating? :)

(Maybe you need to fix that too?)
posted by devnull at 2:49 AM on February 13 [1 favorite]

If you have that many spiders, what on earth are they eating? :)

Spiders.
We have nasty huge dark brown spiders in the housie where the freshwater pump is located in the garden. Their number stays the same all the time, while they keep hatching cocooning and whatnot. They may be beneficial arachnids but they have no manners at all.
posted by Namlit at 3:35 AM on February 13 [1 favorite]

They're being fruitful and multiplying. Seems like the natural thing to do. If you want to rid your home of spiders and do it humanely - here's the way.
posted by watercarrier at 4:25 AM on February 13

Vacuum 'em up. I love spiders and I think they're beautiful, magnificent creatures. There are also umpteen squillion of them and the effect of your actions on the spider population as a whole will be statistically indistinguishable from zero.

Note 1: I love how the Firefox spellchecker flagged "squillion" but is okay with "umpteen".
Note 2: I love the phrase "statistically indistinguishable from zero".

posted by DWRoelands at 5:07 AM on February 13

You will never have an infestation of spiders - they just follow the food. I'd say get rid of the eggs you find, but work on getting rid of the food source or they'll be back.

If it's the webs you don't like, get yourself some daring jumping spiders for next year. They make a living eating other spiders and don't spin big webs. They're also about as smart as you can be when your brain is the size of two grains of salt.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 6:22 AM on February 13

If you want to spray something, "Ortho Home Defense Max", available at your local hardware store, works wonders. You spray every 6 months around the perimeter of your house, and it has almost completely eliminated pests for everyone I know that's tried it. Safe for pets (and I assume children) after it dries.
posted by RobotNinja at 6:24 AM on February 13

If you've got a light on the balcony, you're probably attracting yummy flying bugs. Nothing spiders like more than catching said yummy flying bugs in their webs.
posted by jerseygirl at 8:02 AM on February 13

Is there something I can spray on the cocoons so they won't hatch?

I find that spraying burning propane on them usually does the trick. Not advised for flammable surfaces.

If you have caught them before the point where they are disgorging loads of tiny spiders, it might be easier to just put the things in the trash.

I´ve had a number of spider bites. They have been worse than any other bites I´ve ever gotten. I do not fear them, but my attempts at peaceful negotiations have failed. They can be pretty, but so are many other animals that I don´t want in my house.
posted by yohko at 9:08 AM on February 13 [2 favorites]

Used to have the same problem and am somewhat ashamed to admit I used to set them on fire. I couldn't stand the thought of them exploding and releasing their payload in the trash or chute or whatever. *shudder*
posted by Iteki at 9:10 AM on February 13

Another vote for vacuum. Then remove the vacuum bag, place it in a plastic bag, tie it tightly shut, and immediately put it outside. I like spiders too, but there's a limit.
posted by chowflap at 9:34 AM on February 13

If the spiders are prospering in that area, there must be something plentiful for them to eat, presumably other insects. If you get rid of the spiders, you'll have to cope with the others, whose numbers will be even greater.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:06 AM on February 13

Break out the creme brulée torch and roasting those cocoons.
posted by elpiconeroalcognac at 10:33 AM on February 13

nthing the source of food. i had an apartment that had the same problem. i worked hard to significantly reduce the population, and quickly discovered that i had moths.
posted by lester's sock puppet at 1:24 PM on February 13