Itsy Bitsy Spider Home Made Organic Pest Control
April 19th, 2010 Posted in Spiders & Other Arachnids
Whoever started the song, “Itsy, Bitsy Spider” must not have seen some of the spiders crawling in my apartment. I would not call a 8-legged creature the size of a quarter itsy OR bitsy.
When you spot a spider in your bedroom, you don’t want to spray your mattress and furniture with chemicals. But you also don’t want to let it roam.
Instead, use some of these home made organic pest control methods to get rid of spider problems.
Want to learn more?
Organic Pest Control: Indoors
Once you’ve spotted a spider next to your bed, don’t panic. And definitely don’t spray chemicals around the room. There are home made organic pest control methods you should try first.
When Spiders Appear
You will usually begin to see spiders in early fall when temperatures start to drop. This is when spiders start to head toward your home for shelter from the cold.
Which Spiders Are Dangerous
Most spiders are harmless, but there are a few species you should stay away from.
These include black widows, brown recluse and hobo spiders. Their bites are rarely fatal, but still dangerous.
- Black Widows: Shiny, black bodies with a red-orange hourglass pattern on their underside
- Brown Recluse: Pale brown with long,d ark brown legs and violin shaped darker marking near their head.
- Hobo: brown with a chevron pattern on their abdomen and create funnel webs
Important note: many species of non poisonous spiders look like hobo spiders
If you see any of these, be extra cautious when using home made organic pest control. But poisonous or not, you want them out of your house.
Home made doesn’t necessarily mean you’re mixing solutions in the kitchen. Simple lifestyle changes or choices also qualify as home made ways to keep spiders out.
Here’s how:
- Keep boxes, old equipment and other unused stuff store on shelves in the garage or basement
- Dispose of trash and debris in the home
- Repair screens and weather-stripping around doors and windows
- Vacuum or sweep spiders and webs in the corners
These few cleaning tips combined with organic home pest control will take care of spiders in the home. However, if you spot any outside, you may want to think twice before squashing it.
Why Spiders Are Beneficial
In your garden, spiders can actually do you a favor. Spiders are predatory bugs, they feed on many of the insects that attack your flowers, shrubs and other plants.
However, if you spray spiders in your garden, you may actually increase the number of pests attacking your plants. Stick to home made organic pest control on spiders only if they travel inside.
Spiders are also classified as beneficial arthropods, because the survive by feeding on other insects. Some call spiders the most important biological control you can have for pests in your garden.
Now the next time you spot one on your tulips, remember it could actually be helping rather than hurting you. Be merciful and let ‘em live.
EcoSMART Options
EcoSMART provides great home made organic pest control products to use. It’s important to still maintain a clean environment, but these help as well.
EcoSMART’s home and yard pest control products work on any spiders you find creeping across your furniture.
Because the products are made from essential oils and NOT synthetic materials, they are safe around your family and pets.
The only creatures that need to fear them are those (not so) itsy, bitsy spiders.
33 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!
By Ericka Hyak on Apr 21, 2010
I have been researching natural pest control, specifically for spiders. I have been bit by black widows twice in my life and have a total anxiety attack now when I see one. I currently have a pest control company spray my house, but would like to have a more natural way of getting rid of these pests! I have 2 dogs that I worry about after having our house sprayed. I have a large gazebo and spa where spiders love to hang out, my husband and I have actually named them! It has been kinda fun sitting in our spa and watching these spiders catch their prey, kinda like our own nature channel!!
By Tony on Apr 22, 2010
I read the first article on the electronic pest control items and I have also used these products. They have not offered us any relief. I am very interested in alternatives to rid my house of spiders, ants, etc.
By Tabatha Aaron on Apr 24, 2010
PLEASE HELP ME!!! I am terrified of spiders. Especially the big, giant hairy ones that have decided to take a liking to my bed. On the floor in the bathroom or kitchen is bad enough but my bed is freaking me out. HELP ME!
By Renee Moeller on May 7, 2010
I have twin 4 year old girls one of which has been bitten my a brown recluse. Needless to say i want the spider to be gone as it almost cost my daughter her foot. At this point we have been to two hospitals and three doctors offices to get this bite treated. We have now found there they have set up house in our daughters play house and play area. Any suggestions on which of your products to use? Thanks
By DEBBIE HUGHES on May 18, 2010
Thank goodness this product is finally on the market for consumers to buy. Six years ago, when I lived in Phoenix, AZ we called an exterminator to treat our home, inside and out, for black widow spiders and scorpions, etc. Arizona has lots of nasty bugs, There was only one company in Phoenix that used organic oils to spray with. I remember the smell was so pleasant and it was guaranteed to be same for my 4 Pomeranians. It was a very expensive treatment though, guess it was because they were the only ones doing it 6 years ago. I tried to find the product on the internet at the time, but could not. NOW, I am so excited to see this product doing the same thing, but seems to be so much more affordable. What a blessing, thank you for making this available to the public. I now live in the Western mountains of North Carolina and we have lots of black widows and wolf spiders. Can’t wait to try this on my property.
By EcoSMART Zach on May 19, 2010
Renee,
I am sorry to hear about your situation. EcoSMART has a new product, a spider blaster, which is an effective and natural alternative to harsh chemicals. The formula is made of plant oils, so there will be no adverse effects on your daughters (or pets).
By Lisa Harris on May 25, 2010
Ok, I’m terrified of spiders. Some of them take my breath away. Needless to say I live in a heavily wooded area so of course I stay inside all of the time. So when I’m inside I’m looking for something to keep them out. I have seen a 2 Brown Reclusives and a Black Widow in my house. I really hope your product works for me since I also have a 9 month old baby that will start roaming oh too soon.
By Gloria F. on Jun 3, 2010
I just bought a house, and the bugs are already wining. In the last two weeks, I’ve seen a wolf spider, a cockroach, earwigs, ants, weevils, wasps, and other insects I don’t recognize. I also have, what appears to be, a large spider bite on my leg.
If you don’t already have 1,000, I’d sure love to be a tester! I want to protect my two small dogs, but I don’t want to poison them in the process!
By Brianna on Jun 8, 2010
I’ve been in my house for almost a year now but it’s an old house and has plenty of nooks and crannies to have little bugs living in. Just yesterday I killed a total of 7 or 8 spiders in my house. Not small ones either. Large funnel weaver spiders. They’re brown and huge and gross. 4 of them were in my bedroom. I was not happy and went out to get bug chemicals. The only thing I found that I’ve been told might even work is the fogger. I’m a little scared to use it, but at this point I’m desperate to get these things gone.
I realize that spiders are a good thing sometimes, but I really don’t like it when they come into my room and invade my personal space…. Like my clothes!
I’d love to be a tester because I’d rather be eco friendly and if my current actions don’t work then I will need to try another method.
By katherine on Jun 10, 2010
Has there been any proven success with ticks specifically?? We went on vacation for over a week and dropped our dog off at a ranch to stay while we were gone. We applied Frontline Plus on him before we left since he was going to be out in the wilderness (more so than at our house). We got him home and he brought back ticks! Now they are in our home (we found one in our bed – YIKES!!)
I went and bought the EcoSmart Home Pest Control and basically unloaded the whole thing in the house. I’m just wondering what the success rate is…these things are NASTY. Also how exactly does the product work? Its in liquid form when I spray it, and then it dries obviously…so is there a residue left that repells and kills if they come in contact with the residue?
By Joe on Jul 11, 2010
Spiders, spiders everywhere. I keep a boat moored on southern Lake Michigan and anytime you wanted to go out you had to remove many, many spiders from inside the cabin and helm. I wanted to be eco friendly and only use a fish and water friendly repellent. I tried homemade sprays that worked fairly well but my wife gave me a can of EcoSmart and I treated my canvas around the zippers and sprayed a couple of pieces of cloth and hung inside cabin and helm area and NO SPIDERS were found inside those areas all were on the outside and only about three were seen. I treat twice a week and am pleased with the results.
By Rebecca on Jul 13, 2010
I looked on Amazon.com for your spider blaster product but didn’t see it.
By Kris on Jul 18, 2010
Since summer hit we’ve had a lot of tiny spiders and every day, I have a new bite. I find them on the corners around window and door moldings. Should I spray your product around windows and doorways to prevent them from being in our house? Does it leave any noticeable residues?
I’ve been trying to vacuum more around there but I just don’t have that much time to do all the windows and doors.
By Morgan Clark on Jul 22, 2010
I love this website and stumbled upon it looking for something to control the spiders inside and outside of my duplex. Mo matter what I have used the spiders keep coming back. The whole outside of my duplex ( white aluminum siding) is covered with spiders from the highest peak to the lowest area. I have even had professional exterminators come and spary the outside of the duplex but they keep coming back. I have a young golden labrador and a young son now and don’t want to use anything that could get them sick.
By Annabel on Jul 26, 2010
I have been looking for a safe insecticide to control for spiders. I have a sensitivity to spider bites, and they always seem to come for me. I am interested in testing your products if it’s not too late.
By EcoSMART Zach on Jul 27, 2010
Kris,
Spraying the small cracks in your home will certainly help to deter spiders and other pests from entering your home.
As for the residue, there may be a slight bit, but as all of EcoSMART’s products are water-based, you shouldn’t have too much of a problem.
Hope this helps … good luck!
By EcoSMART Zach on Jul 27, 2010
Rebecca,
The product is available for purchase at http://www.ecosmart.com
Enjoy!
By Tasha on Aug 6, 2010
I’m not sure what it is about my house, but spiders love it. Unfortunately, I’m absolutely arachnophobic – so much so that I’ve actually stopped going into my basement (for some reason, they’ve claimed it as their headquarters).
I refuse to use any kind of chemicals in my home; I don’t need to breathe in poison. I’d love to try something that will not only kill the spiders inside my home, but repel other spiders thinking of entering. I’d love to be a product tester, so please consider me (and I have several other bug problems, too, it seems – if you need a tester for anything else)! THANKS!
By Vanessa on Aug 7, 2010
We moved into our small apartment about 8 months ago, and already got creepy crawlies all over the place. We got flies, ants, but the ones I dislike most are spiders. I would think they would all be the same, but they’re all different. Daddy long legs, black ones, tan ones, the list goes on and on. I’ve tried RAID all bug killer and Black Flag. I feel like waving my white flag but nothing seems to help. I just want to find something that is safe around my 9 month old son and our golden retreiver. Thanks.
By Tori on Aug 22, 2010
I’ve lived in my townhouse for 4 years and have been fighting big black hairy garden spiders since I moved in. I have a professional service spray the outside 4 times a year. I caulked every area in the house about 4 times. Nothing helps. I just bought your product Ant & Roach Killer and will let you know the results. I am defintely interested in your product Spider Blaster. Is that available? Thank you.
By Tia on Sep 1, 2010
my new apartment is filled with spiders, inside and on my porch. I see atleast 4 a day and I cant take it anymore! I’m looking for a product to get rid of the spider but that is safe for me and my puppy.
By Martha on Oct 16, 2010
I am glad to find this site! I would love to be a tester for your porducts. We just moved into an older duplex in Kansas, and the quantity & variety of spiders is dizzying. A wonderful local company chosen by Dr. Jamel Sandidge-the famous Brown Recluse researcher & author, recommended your website & products. I can’t wait to try them. We really need something safe that WORKS!
By vanessa on Oct 18, 2010
I live in ojai, ca … home to black widows, hobos and recluse. there’s no escaping them here and they are everywhere. they don’t affect me when i see them outside and i’m a strong believer in keeping beneficial insects alive, however, my immediate reaction when i see them indoors, is to kill them. i want nothing to do with them in my space. now more than ever, i want to find a safe alternative to keep them outside, as i have an 8 month old son. just the other day, i saw a dead spider (i could not identify) stuck to his diaper!!!!!!! he must have rolled over it. i really want o keep him safe from harm. i’ve tried glue traps, but they DO NOT WORK. I placed six of them outside for 5 months, next to my door and windows and haven’t caught one yet. i had to remove the ones i had inside, due to the fact that they contain some strange bait, which absolutely smells up the entire room and makes me nauseous. i’ve got to find a safe alternative to keeping my son and self safe! i’d love to try this stuff. this would be the perfect environment to see some results!
By Sherrie on Nov 4, 2010
No matter how much we spray and where, we really have a major spider problem. The basement is becoming one of their favorite hideouts and the door to our garage was completely covered with wolf spiders. Enough is enough. Please help! We would like to try your product and have something safe for us and our pets.
By Evie on Feb 6, 2011
I had some cardboard (which was sitting around for quite a while) stacked up to take to recycling when I noticed a large black widow spider. I do not like chemical sprays and do not know of an organic way to rid the carport of them. I hope your stuff works.
By Dana Suggitt on Apr 12, 2011
I just purchased my first ecosmart product but after scouring the web looking for something that I can use and have it be safe for my pets is great. I can’t wait to get home tonight and try it out. Fingers crossed that this will rid my house of the creepy spiders I found last night…..The only thing I didn’t see on any of the packaging or on the website is about how long is the dry time. I know with other chemicals there was an hour or 2 where you had to keep you pets away from it for it to dry. Does ecosmart require that as well?
By EcoSMART Kait on Apr 13, 2011
Hi Diane,
You don’t have to wait for EcoSMART to dry. Your pet may not like the smell, but it’s safe for him to be around. Good luck!
By Tammy Rogers on Jun 2, 2011
We have recently used EcoSmart Home pest control and it works wonderfully! We were so pleased with the results, we have an indoor cat that never goes outside, but our neighbors have dogs that they let roam free! Long story short we brought a flea in on our shoes apparently and enough said! I am very excited that we have found something that works as well as this does without chemicals!
By Susan Bliss on Jun 12, 2011
How soon will we get the product to test? I have a lot of what looks like brown recluse spiders in the crawl space under our home that I want to get rid of.
By Leslie on Jun 20, 2011
Our area- in Central Florida- has gotten a lot of brown widows over the past few years. I didn’t know they come in brown but apparently they do and I can seem to keep them out of my screened enclosure. Scares me to have the kids out playing. I’d love to use organic pest control instead of chemicals around my family and pets.
By Tara McKinnon on Jul 10, 2011
I recently moved into a basement apartment in Revere, MA. I have seen LOTS of spiders and a few centipedes. I am used to centipedes and am not worried about them too much, unless I start seeing a lot. But the spiders are scaring me. They are larger than I have ever seen and look different than any I have ever seen. I would be interested in being a product tester. thank you in advance.
By Michael on Sep 22, 2011
My wife is arachnophobic and we would like a non-toxic solution that will be effective on spiders (and the other insects they prey on). Avoiding costly exterminator bills would also be nice.
By Kelly on Oct 1, 2011
My husband and I have been trying to fight spiders in our house for the 2.5 years since we bought it! My husband works second shift, so I’m home alone at night. Well that seems to be when all the spiders come out! I have panic attacks when I see them, even though I tell myself over and over that they won’t harm me. After calling my husband at work in tears the other night because I couldn’t take it anymore, he brought home a “bug bomb.” We have 3 indoor-only cats (which are also afraid of spiders-go figure!) After reading packaging on the bug bomb, and many websites, I don’t think this method sounds safe. The idea of “bombing” the house with chemicals worries me. I REALLY REALLY want to try EcoSMART!!!! Where can I buy EcoSMART products??!!! Thank you!!