Any Advice on How to Get Rid of Spiders/bugs Without Using Poisons?

I use a Pest Control company called "All Safe Pest Control." I have 2 cats and feel exactly the same way about chemicals. They don't spray inside. Instead, they use several barriers of pest granules around the outside of the house. Very rarely do I see spiders or bugs. When I do, we have a contract, so I just call them. They come out for free and quarterly. I have found them to be slightly less or competitive to other services. Their number is ###-###-####. We have been using them for 4 years and are very pleased.

C.

We use a clear liquid called bug stop. You can find this at walmart.Its very cheap and works great. It is also kid and animal friendly. i been using this product for 4 years and not a problem for any of my 3 children.

409 works on small spiders. I used to find them in the corners of the walls & on the baseboards when I lived in apts. I have 2 cats so I didn't like to use pesticides. My mom has a home remedy book & they listed 409 as a good pesticide for spiders, etc. It works.

Howard Garrett the dirt doctor www.dirtdoctor.com
can really help you. He also has a radio talk show and gives all kind of helpful tips on how to make garlic sprays pepper sprays and how to do everyhing organically.
Hope you get rid of your pest.

There are several products on the market. You can do a google search for Organic or Natural Pesticides. There is a product that you can purchase from Tom Thumb that comes in a white and Green can... I can't remember the name right now, but it is essential oil based. Leaves a pleasant smell (not chemical) and kills spiders, wasps, and ants, instantly (well within a few mins).

Other choices are: Orange oil mixed according to the instruction in a spray bottle with water. Diatomacious Earth (a powder that acts like cut glass to bugs that crawl across it). You sprinkle this around the outside perimeter of your house. However you must reapply after rain. Cinnamon is supposed to work for ants (sprinkle around the area where you see them coming in).

Do a search on the INTERNET and you will find a bunch more.

D.
SAHM mom of three: 19,18,and 5
I am also a home baker and crafter. Married for almost 12 years to the same wonderful man.

You could try sulfur. I don't know how or if it affects cats, but could ask. You can get it at gardening centers. Mainly at organic ones. If you live in or around North Richland Hills you can get it at Green Mama's. My parents used it to get rid of bugs in their house at their farm. Good luck.

i think you can sprinkle boric acid OUTSIDE, away from the baby, on your window sills. that may help. i'm like you and only resort to chemical warfare when desperate. i also recently read on the internet that sprinkling used coffee grounds around the foundation of your house could help. I don't know, but if you are a coffee drinker seems like it couldn't hurt.

I understand your concern. You might want to call a pest control, I would be careful about "brown" spiders, "Brown Recluse Spiders" are very dangerous. I would go ahead and get that "indoor-outdoor" spray. If you want to just go around your house on the outside to maybe prevent them from getting in. I think you should spray the inside, especially where you are seeing most of them. I moved into a house that had really bad insect problem, and the company that came out, the guy was talking to my husband, and said that the over the counter stuff at Walmart and places, are very close to the same that they use. Also, the poisons in it, are so diluted it probably won't hurt your baby or cats. I would do one room at a time. Block it off from the cats and don't go in it for 24 hours. Now, for main areas, lock your cats up for a few hours in a room and take the baby out of the house, go shopping or something.
Good luck, and be very careful about brown spiders...

...but spiders are nature's pesticides!!!

use hairspray when you see a web/spider. plug up your drains.

We have had brown recluse spiders. They are not big but actually look kind of frail and harmless. We have never been bitten that we know of but are very cautious. (Some people react worse than others to their bite.) Please google brown recluse spiders and try to determine if you have them or not.

Whether or not you have them the best thing to use are sticky traps. The flat boards are a pain because animals and kids get into them easily. Get the kind that fold up like an open ended rectangular box. I think you can find them at H. Depot or Lowes. We get them from the exterminator. Put them behind all of your furniture, along the wall. That includes dressers, couches, beds, night stands, TV cabinet, fridge, freezer, etc. I have them under the sinks too in case they come in around the pipes. I have them everywhere. Check them often and it will help you determine where they are coming in. Don't throw them away just because you find something in them. They will last at least a couple months unless you catch a whole bunch of bugs or they've collected a lot of dust.

If you think you have brown recluse spiders, don't panic. Just use lots of the sticky traps and research online to find out ways to prevent being bitten such as keeping clothes and bedding off the floor. Stuff like that.

Hope this helps.
Stephanie

I am with you about not wanting to use poisons in your house. I also use non-toxic cleaners and detergents. My cat is now 19 years old and in good health. Our pets are profoundly effected by what we use on our floors and furniture.

I have a pest conrol service that I use called Green Rain. The spray they use is made from essential oils and actually smells good. Surprisingly, their rates are lower than most other regular pest control companies. You can check them out at www.thegreenrain.com (I think it's under construction) or call them directly 817.429.RAIN.

you can tell them D. sent you

I use Eco-Safe for pest control. They use all natural products for pest control that is safe for animals and children. They are fabulous!

Eco-Safe
###-###-####

Good Luck!

L.
(not in any way affiliated with Eco-Safe, just a happy customer)

I agree to watch out for the little brown spiders! If they have a violin-looking shape on it's back, that's a brown recluse. I was bit by one several years ago, and I still have a scar on my leg from it. They eat the muscle and can be very serious if left untreated. I almost had to go to a surgeon to have it irrigated, but fortunately 2 days of the antibiotic shots started working. It was very nasty, and very painful! It's better to use some safe pesticides than it is to get bit by one of these! Just call a pest control place and ask about the options they have.

There are also strips that you can purchase that have a sticky feel to them that traps the bugs as they crawl across them. Those can be placed under furniture, appliances, or inside cabnets/closets. They are not toxic at all, just need to be checked periodically and replaced.
We do have a pesticide company treat our house quarterly as well, have pets and children, but have never had any problems.

Check out Howard Garret's website: http://www.dirtdoctor.com/ He's a great resource on natural living. I think you can use garlic powder and / or orange oil. If he doesn't have the info on the website, the library should have his books.

Also, lots of pest control places now have organic options, so call around and see if you can get an organic pest control treatment, completely safe for cats and humans. You DON'T want to ignore the spiders, they CAN bite the baby and you. And if you are seeing bugs, then there are probably bugs you aren't seeing as well. I learned the hard way.

Try sticky traps (glue boards). The little bugs get stuck and the spiders go after them and get stuck.

I don't have a suggestion on how to get rid of them yourself. But if you don't mind calling a pest control company, I would suggest Godfrey Pest Control, Inc.

I have 2 cats, and 2 kids (2 1/2 yrs and 6 weeks) and I don't worry about it at all. Their spray is not harmful to pets or kids (yes, I asked about this). I believe it's a chrsyanthemum based formula. I haven't had any bug problems since they have been spraying the house. It is a family owned business and the folks are great.

You can reach them at: ###-###-####.

This is going to sound crazy...

I have heard (maybe an old wives tale) that if you take a hedge apple and put it in a nylon hose, then hang it from a hangar, it will keep spiders away. Hang it anywhere you think you have spiders. Hedge apples are those things that grow on trees that look like tennis balls and are about the size of tennis balls, only a little bigger. They are lime green colored. Well, it's natural anyway! Good luck.

I understand your concern about not wanting to use poisons bc I had that same fear when we were getting our house treated quarterly (we back up to a creek and in the summer there are bugs galore). However, one thing that might make you feel better is that most of the pest control places use a poison that only affects bugs, not your pets and kids. The way they have explained it to me, and I backed this up talking with some others who have a background in it, is that the poison they use only affects things without a blood stream - ie, the bugs. It is not poisonous or dangerous to mammals that do have a blood stream (kids, pets). I would recommend calling and just talking with one of these services to get more information. Good luck!

We use Source Pest Control. Their pesticide is made from the chrysamthemum sp.? plant so it is non toxic to humans and pets. It works too.

Many companies now use "green" products. We have them treat only outside along the perimeter of the house and have few spiders and bugs inside. We know the chemicals are fairly safe as we have lots of geckos which are good because they eat the bugs. We are on a plan where they come every 3 mos and they also take care of the termite traps which are very important in Texas.

Most spiders won't hurt you. In fact they help by eating other pests. IF you cant stand them, I would just use a broom to brush off their webs. YOu can try diatamaceous earth. I know you can get food grade de at Handley feed store on Lancaster. I'm sure you can get it other places also. Check out the www.thedirtdoctor.com, Howard GArrett's website for some more organic pest solutions. Good luck!

Hello S.,

pest control companies can use boric acid. also, make sure your doors and windows close shut completely. it took me a couple of years to figure out that when I closed the door from our laundry room to the garage I had to push it once more and it would be sealed shut. that alone took care of 80-90% of our bug problems. good luck! ~C.~