5 Common Causes of a Spider Infestation

5 Common Causes of a Spider Infestation


Unwanted house guests are never a good thing. When those uninvited visitors also have eight hairy legs and beady eyes, it’s an absolute catastrophe!

Most of us have one or two spiders in our homes most of the time, scuttling around in corners and weaving webs in quiet corners. But when you have a spider infestation, it’s more than a couple, and you’re going to want to do something! The first thing you can do is understand some of the top reasons why spiders invade homes.

Causes of Spider Infestations

Understanding why spiders move into homes might help you to prevent future infestations, and to figure out where the spiders you’re finding around your home might be hiding. Here are five of the top reasons why spiders move in.

1. Food Sources
Most spiders are carnivorous, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to sneak up on you and attack you! They usually eat small insects and other creatures that might be living in your home. So, if you have a bug problem in general, it might become a spider problem over time.

2. Extreme Weather
Floods, extreme heat, fires, and other extreme weather events all cause animals of all shapes and sizes to flee for their lives. Unfortunately, when your home is nearby and available, spiders might decide to take shelter from the elements in your space.

3. Cluttered & Unused Rooms
A closet under the stairs. A storage room full of sports equipment, toys, and boxes. A garage that could do with a good clean. If it’s cluttered and things don’t get moved around too much, it’s ideal spider real estate.

4. Plants and Compost Around the Home
If you have thick vegetation growing around your home, it’s probably harbouring all kinds of creepy crawlies. Likewise, while compost heaps are good for the environment, they’re also literal breeding grounds for insects and spiders.

5. Hitching a Ride
Sometimes, spiders don’t move into your home because they choose too.

You might bring a box in from a shed and bring a spider or two along. Or maybe you buy a piece of furniture that was stored in a dusty shed, and there’s a small group of spiders lurking, unseen. If they decide to stay, they can quickly become a problem.

A Two Step Process
Now that you know why spiders have moved in, there’s a two-step process to make your home spider free. First, contact local pest controllers to remove the spiders that have already moved in, and then address the reasons they might have chosen to make your home theirs.