I’m somewhat amused by the ads for spider traps that I see all over the web. (no pun intended) They claim they are for the brown recluse or the hobo spider and some even go so far as to say they are ‘pre baited.’ I say, “Pre baited with what?” All these traps are is nothing more than a glue board. Is there some factory out there that runs the boards through the glue machine and then just before the packaging dept gets ahold of it they stick a fly or cricket on the pad? What pray tell can you pre bait with?
These companies of course are just playing on your fears and placing a specific name and picture of a dreaded spider on the label probably increases sales. Spiders catch and eat ‘live prey’ and there is no picture of a bug or little plastic ant that you can put on a sticky that will get you any better results than if you just used a plain glue trap and threw it in the middle of the room. In my supply store you can find many things but a spider trap will not be one of them. The product reviews might be a clue as to why;
This seems like a good idea and the traps did collect a few bugs but a couple months later, I still have silverfish crawling around. Not worth the price.
Nice, but…, I haven’t actually caught any spiders in these things. However, my house got overrun with crickets this summer, and these traps did a pretty good job with those. They’re easy to use and non-toxic, so I think I’ll keep using them. September 18, 2009
Not The Result I Was Expecting, May 11, 2009
That being said there are a couple of ways you can enhance your spider trapping and for this article I’d like to talk about how to use water to bag more of the 8 legged creatures in your home.
Spiders need water
Except for the black widow and a few others almost all spiders need to drink water. Orb spiders actually eat their webs every morning and it
is believed in part for the dew that collects on the web. People who keep spiders as pets put a small tray or sponge in the encasements to supply this need but wild spiders will search far and long for even the tiniest droplets in your home. If you’ve ever found a spider in your tub that can’t get out it was probably because he was searching for a drink and couldn’t climb the slick surface to escape.
Use water when setting up traps
Now that you’re aware of the spiders needs, use it to help you trap them. I almost always set my glue boards near a moisture source when I’m trapping spiders. Since they can come in from almost any angle and I can’t place the traps where they’d be in the way, I try to pick a quiet spot near the source that may offer the spider a hiding place or some protection. In bathrooms that might be behind the commode or decorative basket. Perhaps the back corner of the unused garden tub or any where else near by but not likely to catch a toothbrush. This general rule applies for almost anywhere in the house and although it isn’t a surefire cure, your chances of trapping a spider go way up.
For dryer areas such as living rooms you can still use water to attract your arachnid and most of the time get better results. Using an upside down bottle cap filled with water simply place it in the middle of a flat sticky trap. Place the board behind a couch or on top of the book case and then check it once per week refilling the water as needed. Generally the spider will see the water reflecting light and be attracted to the site. If your traps are small then add a couple together or make a gauntlet of sorts that the spider would have to walk on. For my trap sites I also spot treat around the area with dust or liquid insecticide. If the spider escapes the glue then at least he’s gotten some residual pesticide on himself and should die soon there after.
Spiders are difficult to control
I don’t want to give you the wrong impression that these traps are the greatest thing since sliced bread. They are however way better than the misleading products I mentioned and with a little luck you should be able to get more spiders with the invite of water than any old plastic ant. Wolf spiders are generally the most prevalent in homes and can be the toughest to successfully deal with. If you can limit the amount of available water (even the dripping faucets) in your house that will help out a great deal as well.
The truth about Americas most deadly spiders” is a free e-book which you can choose to download and read at your leisure. Simply sign up for my also free newsletter and it’s your to keep. This is the first of many detailed writings that I have planned and I truly hope that you’ll enjoy it and use the information to keep your home spider free. If you missed the sign up box when you logged onto my site simply fill out the newsletter request form at the right of this page and shoot me an e-mail and I’ll get it right to you.
Information is a powerful thing and I hope together we can put to rest any undue arachnophobia’s.
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