How to Get Rid of Brown Recluse Spiders

Getting Rid of Brown Recluse Spiders

For a small problem, a few simple steps go a long way.

• Put sticky traps flat against walls and in the dark places spiders travel, such as under beds, behind dressers and along closet floors. Check them often.
• Cut back on clutter. Piles of clothes, papers and stored items give spiders more places to hide and make them harder to find.
• Wear gloves when moving stored boxes, firewood or anything that has sat untouched for a long time.
• If traps keep catching recluses, or you see one most days, skip the do-it-yourself steps and call a professional.

A Practical Plan for Spiders That Look Like Recluses

Start by confirming what you have. In Florida the spider is far more likely to be a southern house spider or another harmless look-alike, and the right response depends on the answer. Whether it turns out to be a recluse or you simply want fewer spiders, these steps help:

• Switch to plastic storage: replace cardboard boxes in garages, closets and attics with bins that have tight lids. Recluses and many other spiders shelter in cardboard.
• Shake before wearing: check shoes, gloves and clothing that have sat in a garage or closet.
• Keep beds off the walls: pull beds a few inches away and skip bed skirts that touch the floor.
• Cut the food supply: fewer insects means fewer spiders. Switch outdoor bulbs to yellow or warm-toned LEDs, and seal gaps around doors, windows and utility lines.
• Vacuum webs and egg sacs: for southern house spiders, regularly vacuuming webs from window corners and eaves goes a long way.

Mistakes to avoid: foggers rarely reach spiders tucked into wall voids and boxes, and spraying each spider you see does nothing about the ones you don’t.

A professional visit begins with an inspection and identification, then focuses on the places spiders hide and travel: wall voids, attics, garages and the outside perimeter. Exclusion work and targeted treatment of those areas are followed by a return visit to check monitoring traps. To learn the signs that confirm a problem, see brown recluse spider infestations.