Rockwell Labs Ltd: Spiders

By Founder and CEO Dr. Cisse Spragins
Spider control varies depending on the location and species of spiders. For most outdoor dwelling spiders that tend to build webs around and on structures, the mainstay of treatment is spraying the underside of the eaves of the structure. Indoors, glueboards can be quite useful for capturing occasional spiders. Glueboards can be deployed in “smush-resistant” stations to keep dust out and keep them from getting stuck to the wrong things. For spiders such as brown recluse or yellow sac spiders, which dwell indoors and can reach large numbers, in addition to glueboards, amorphous silica dust can be applied in attics and cracks and crevices, and even under seat cushions of furniture.

Clutter reduction in the structure is also important to reduce harborage sites. Boathouses, boat docks and other structures near water are notorious areas for spiders to build webs. Pyrethroids, of course, cannot be used over or near water. An ideal solution to prevent web construction is to mix amorphous silica gel with water and spray the undersides of docks, rafters, eaves, etc. The water will evaporate and leave a fine film of the dust — which, although visible on dark surfaces, is effective. This treatment will not provide any risk to aquatic life or leave oily residue on the water.