Is your shed being overrun by hordes of eight-legged horrors that leave you looking over your shoulder every time you share the space with them? Are spiders preventing you from clearing out a cluttered shed in need of an overhaul? With summer just around the corner, things are about to get even hairier. From December to February, insects thrive and this only serves to increase the spider population in homes and sheds across the country.
If you are hoping to get some gardening done this summer, or are thinking of getting rid of the old junk cluttering up your garden shed, then you'll first need to clear out the spiders squatting in every nook and cranny. However, simply clearing them out isn't enough. They'll be back unless you can effectively spider-proof your shed.
This article will teach you not only how to get rid of spiders safely, using no insecticides, but also how to ensure your shed stays spidey-free so you can work without sweating over lurking spiders.
Spider Removal
Step One: Use Natural Repellents to Drive Spiders Away
If you have young children or pets that might enter your shed, natural repellents are the way to go. Spiders can taste and smell via their legs, which means a few sprays of the following solutions into spider infested areas should sent spiders scuttling:
- White vinegar and water - Spiders can't stand white vinegar.
- Salt and Water - Dissolve some regular table salt into water and spray on the inside and outside of your shed to drive spiders and other creatures away.
- Citrus fruit juice and water - Mix citrus fruit juice with equal parts water and watch them run as you spray!
Repeat these steps once or twice a week to keep spiders away.
Step Two: Vacuum Away all Traces of Them
Next, vacuum away webs and any egg sacs left behind to avoid resettlement.
Spider Prevention
Step Three: Seal Your Shed's Crevices
Seal all cracks, crevices and crannies with caulk. Fit a screen on the shed window and add weather stripping to the door to prevent spiders from gaining access.
Step Four: Deprive Spiders of Habitat, Food and Water
Cut away any vegetation bordering your shed. Remove anything that might harbor spiders, such as wood piles, vines or flower pots and try to deprive them of food sources. This is easier said than done but try to eradicate ant nests bordering your shed, spray salt water on the shed walls daily to drive away insects and flies that will serve as food, and don't place plants adjacent to the shed as they attract flying insects (food).
Spider Repellents
Step Five: Make Your Garden Bird-Friendly
Spiders will be reluctant to linger once they become aware that your garden is a feeding ground for birds. Attract birds to your garden by placing planters throughout and they will make short work of any spiders caught in the open.
Step Six: Spider-Proof Inside
Hang several bunches of eucalyptus leaves throughout your shed. Spiders can't stand eucalyptus and will flee at the scent of it.
These six steps are an effective means of keeping your shed spider-free. However, be on the look out for redback spiders as these nasty nippers thrive in the summer months. Each year redbacks bite around 4000 people throughout Australia with 250 of those cases requiring antivenom. While redbacks are not aggressive, they will attack if disturbed. If you think your shed may be infested with redbacks, recognisable by the red stripe on their back, seek the services of a professional pest control service.
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