Porch eave
A web on the porch light means the bugs are already there
Spiders go where their dinner goes, and the light over your front door sets the table every evening.
The porch eave and the light under it
Stand on your front steps after dark and look up. A bright porch light pulls in moths, gnats and flying ants from the whole yard, and the corner of the eave right above it is the best seat in the house for anything that eats them. That is why old cobwebs gather in the same spots on nearly every New England porch: the ceiling corners, the edge of the soffit, the lap of the clapboard, and around the window frames.
Inside, the same story plays out in quieter places. Look in the cellar corners, behind the water heater, in the closet under the stairs and along the window tracks. A house spider that has been left alone for a season can leave a lot of silk behind.
Most of the spiders people find in Rhode Island houses are more nuisance than danger, but a few can bite. If you are unsure what you are looking at, do not pick it up. Call Integrity Pest Control in Johnston at (401) 467-3344, describe it, and the family will set up an inspection.
Porch ceiling corner and eave with old cobwebs beside a porch light
They follow the bugs they eat
A spider is rarely the real problem. It is a sign that something else is in the house or around it, whether that is flies, moths, crickets, ants or gnats. Take away the food and many of them move on or die out on their own, which is why wiping out webs alone brings them right back within a week or two.
You can make the porch less of a buffet. A yellow or warm-toned bulb draws fewer flying insects than a bright white one. Keep shrubs trimmed back off the clapboard, rake leaf piles away from the foundation, and stack firewood well off the house. Woodpiles, thick mulch and tall grass along the wall all hold the small insects that spiders hunt.
In the fall, as the nights cool down, spiders and their prey both go looking for warm places. That is the season when a quiet porch eave turns into a busy one, and when more of them find their way through the small gaps around a cellar window or a bulkhead door.
Sweeping and exterior work
The first step is simple and free. Take a long-handled broom or a vacuum with a brush attachment and sweep the webs down from the eaves, soffits, window frames, garage door tops and porch ceiling. Do it on a cool morning, and look for the small papery egg sacs tucked into corners. Knocking those down matters as much as the webs.
Outside work is where most spider control happens in this trade, because that is where they live and breed. That means working along the eaves, trim, foundation and anywhere the house meets the ground, rather than only the inside corners you can see from the kitchen. Sealing the small gaps around windows, vents and the cellar entry keeps new ones from walking in.
If you have been sweeping the same corner every week and the webs keep coming back, it is time for someone to look at the whole house. Call (401) 467-3344. Integrity Pest Control has been family owned and run in Johnston for over 30 years, and describing what you are seeing and where is all it takes to get started.
Family owned and run in Johnston for over 30 years. Call (401) 467-3344.
Spiders usually have company. See the full list on the pests we handle or send us a message about what you are seeing.