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Quick Answers
There are a few common reasons you may be seeing more spiders in your basement:
– It’s getting colder outside as fall approaches, so spiders are looking to move indoors where it’s warmer. The basement is an attractive spot for them.
– There may be insects or other food sources in your basement that are attracting the spiders. They like dark, damp places with things to eat.
– Your basement provides ideal habitat conditions for spiders, like cracks and crevices they can hide in, warmth, and humidity.
– If you’ve recently made changes like adding wood piles or cardboard boxes, this can attract spiders too.
– The spider population has been allowed to grow unchecked. Without predators, spiders can rapidly reproduce.
– You may be noticing normal seasonal variations in the spider population that happen every year.
Why Spiders Love Basements
Many types of spiders prefer dark, cool, humid conditions – exactly the kind of environment commonly found in basements. Here’s a closer look at why your basement is so attractive to them:
It’s Warm
As fall approaches and temperatures drop outdoors, your basement remains a warm, welcoming place in comparison to the cold outdoors. Spiders instinctively seek out warmer areas to build their webs and survive the winter. Your basement is a perfect spot that provides shelter from freezing temperatures.
It’s Damp
Basements tend to be damp, musty places due to their underground location. Spiders thrive in humid conditions. Most species prefer living in damp spots and need sufficient moisture to survive. If your basement has damp corners, leaks, or high humidity, spiders will love this moist environment.
It’s Dark
Many creepy crawly spiders prefer dark spaces. With minimal windows or lighting, a basement is suitably dark and private for nocturnal spiders that like to hide. Light deters spiders, so they gravitate towards your dimly lit basement.
There Are Places to Hide
The many nooks, crannies, and clutter found in basements provide ideal hiding spots for spiders. They can tuck themselves away behind stored boxes, in cracks in the walls, under shelves or stairs, amid pipes and ductwork, and many other places. There are endless options for concealment.
There May Be Food
What attracts insects will also attract spiders. If your basement has food particles, standing water, or damp areas where bugs congregate, spiders will happily set up shop. A good food supply is a major draw. Common food sources include flies, mosquitoes, crickets, silverfish, and more.
Few Predators
Basements provide safety from predators like birds, lizards, and rodents that eat spiders. Without these natural controls, spider populations can expand rapidly. Their egg sacs also remain protected in your basement without threats.
Stable Conditions
The underground environment of a basement stays relatively stable seasonally. Temperatures, moisture, and darkness don’t vary much. These steady conditions allow spiders to thrive year-round without dealing with changing external weather.
Common Basement Dwelling Spiders
Many species happily inhabit basements. Here are some of the most likely culprits that may be lurking in your basement:
Cellar Spiders
Also called daddy longlegs spiders, cellar spiders are extremely common house spiders. Identifiable by their small, oval bodies and extra long legs, they spin loose, tangled webs in dark corners.
Cobweb Spiders
Cobweb spiders leave messy, chaotic webs full of debris. These spiders have a bulbous abdomen and spend most of their time hanging upside down in their web waiting to ambush prey.
Funnel Weavers
These spiders make funnel or tube-shaped webs that lead back to a small retreated hole. Their webs can blend into basement corners. Funnel weavers have hairy bodies and spend time in their webs as well as wandering at night.
Wolf Spiders
One of the more common creepy crawlers found in basements, wolf spiders are medium to large in size, very fast moving, and pounce on their prey. They don’t spin webs and instead wander.
Fishing Spiders
Earning their name from how they catch prey, fishing spiders are among the most common basement dwellers. They can be identified by their large size, brown color, and the way they rest with legs extended.
Prevention Tips
To make your basement less inviting for spiders, here are some helpful spider deterrents:
Reduce Clutter
The more items stored in your basement, the more places for spiders to hide. Get rid of boxes, storage containers, and other clutter taking up space that spiders can use. Removing their habitat makes the basement less attractive.
Turn on Lights
Install lighting in dark corners, leave stairway lights on at night, and open blinds on any basement windows. The light will deter light-shy spiders from spinning webs in lit areas.
Seal up Cracks
Sealing cracks in walls, around pipes, windows, doors, and the foundation with caulk will eliminate access points for spiders entering your basement. This reduces the number able to get inside.
Change Humidity Levels
Using a dehumidifier can lower moisture levels that spiders thrive in. Keep the humidity under 50% to discourage them from staying. Improve air circulation too.
Reduce Insect Populations
Eliminating other bugs takes away the spider’s food source. Fix any standing water issues, clean up crumbs and clutter that attract bugs, and use insecticides if needed to get rid of their prey.
Use Repellents
Certain herbs, oils, and scents repel spiders, like eucalyptus, tea tree, citrus, lavender, and peppermint oils. Place these repellent options in problem areas.
Seal Potential Entries
Plug holes in screens, seal gaps beneath doors, and use weather stripping to block off all the areas spiders could use to sneak inside your home and basement. This limits access.
Store Firewood Outside
Don’t store firewood in your basement. The critters living in it can attract spiders when brought inside. Keep it stacked in a covered area away from your home.
Fix any Water Leaks
Leaks lead to excess moisture that spiders are attracted to. Repair any plumbing issues, basement flooding, or damp corners where condensation collects.
Safe and Natural Spider Control
If those preventative steps aren’t keeping spiders away, then it may be time to take control measures like:
Vacuum and Clean Regularly
Use your vacuum on all the dark corners, floor cracks, and anywhere spider webs accumulate to remove the insects themselves, webbing, egg sacs, and debris that draw them in. Do this weekly.
Use Desiccant Dust
Diatomaceous earth is a natural desiccant dust that can kill spiders. Spread this abrasive, absorbent dust in problem areas away from humans. Avoid breathing it in. The sharp particles damage the waxy coating on spiders when they crawl through it, causing dehydration.
Employ Natural Predators
Consider adopting a cat or installing bat houses outdoors to allow natural spider predators to help control them. Certain birds like shrikes will also prey on spiders.
Remove Their Food Sources
Eliminate insects spiders prey on so the environment can no longer support them. Fix standing water issues, remove decaying plants or wood, and use sticky traps for other bugs.
Use Essential Oils
Apply cotton balls with peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, citrus, or lavender oils in spider-prone areas. Reapply regularly since the smell fades. These strong scents repel spiders.
Seal Entry Points
Outdoors, seal all cracks, gaps, and access points so spiders can’t enter your home’s foundation. Indoors, seal off rooms prone to spider populations so they can’t spread to other areas of your home. Apply weather stripping and caulk as needed.
Employ Spider Traps
Sticky glue traps or pheromone traps will lure spiders in and trap them so they can’t reproduce.strategic Place these non-toxic traps wherever spiders are frequently spotted. Check and replace traps regularly to catch them all season.
When to Call a Professional
If you try these control methods and the spider infestation persists, consider calling in a professional pest control company. They have commercial grade insecticides and greater knowledge for successfully eliminating stubborn spider populations. Seek help if you notice:
– Bites or skin irritation on you or your pets
– Poisonous spiders like black widows or brown recluses
– Webs throughout your entire basement
– No decrease in spiders after exhaustive cleaning and prevention efforts
– Extreme fear or phobia of spiders disrupting your household
Professionals have the proper protective equipment and spider treatment chemicals that average homeowners don’t. Don’t risk a bite or prolonged exposure to venomous spiders. The pros can search your entire basement and eliminate all spiders in inaccessible places.
Conclusion
A common seasonal nuisance, occasional spider sightings in your basement are normal. But a major infestation points to an environment spiders find ideal. Take steps to make your basement less welcoming by reducing clutter, moisture, food sources, and access points. Maintain cleanliness and employ natural deterrents first before moving to traps and chemical treatments if the problem persists. Calling on professional help for severe cases may be required to completely remove an extensive spider presence from your basement.