Why Pesticides Cannot Eliminate 100% of Spiders

With most pests in your home, the most effective way to get rid of them is with targeted pesticides applied either by you or an exterminator. This offers a safe way to get rid of bugs quickly, often working over a few days to eliminate pests on your property and kill any pests that pass over them.

Yet pesticides, both store bought and professional from a pest control company, cannot prevent 100% of all pests, and one of the bugs that seem to survive it the most are also one that most people fear: spiders. This can make other forms of pest control necessary when you have a spider problem.

Effect of Pesticides on Spiders

Scientifically, it is important to remember that spiders are arachnids, not insects, and they display very different characteristics and habits than insects as a result. With the majority of pesticides designed to be effective against six legged insects there are going to be natural limitations when using the same methods against spiders.

Different products, when used against spiders, regularly give good results, such as those that contain ingredients like deltamethrin, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, or lambda cyhalothrin. These can be effective as sprays when a spider is directly hit and it will often die on conduct.

But this requires the spider to be visible during pest treatment, since, unlike other pests, residual pesticides will have little effect against spiders for the several reasons:

• Spiders Have Limited Contact with the Ground – With long and spindly legs, spiders barely touch the ground as they move over it. Many spiders also travel with the assistance of their webs as well. One of the ways pesticides work is through contact, and spiders will almost never come into contact with enough residual pesticide for it to be toxic to them.
• Grooming Habits – Pests like flies and cockroaches will use their legs to clean their mouthparts. Spiders do not engage in this behavior. This means that spiders will not ingest any pesticide that their legs may have come into contact with while walking through the treated area.
• Spiders Are Mobile – Spiders will move about frequently, following their food source and avoiding any threats. They can easily move away from a treated area and then move back in afterwards as long as there are bugs around for them to eat.

Although pesticides will often only work on spiders with immediate contact, the more lasting residue can still be beneficial in managing a spider problem because the pesticides will exterminate other pests on a property that the spiders may be feeding on. With these pests gone, there is less for spiders to eat and many will move on themselves.

24 Hour Pest Control can effectively implement pesticides for spiders on properties in NYC. When necessary, we can also provide exclusion to complement pest control and completely exterminate spiders. Call us today to learn more about our spider control.