How to kill spiders
Spiders. You’ve probably run into a few in your lifetime – after all, Australia is renowned for their various types of creepy-crawlies. Spiders tend to incite more fear than any other insect but, while it’s true Australia has some of the most venomous spiders in the world, most spiders aren’t dangerous to humans and may actually be good to have around your home for trapping other pests.
If you’d rather not keep them around – and you’ve spotted spiders in or around your home (or are dealing with an infestation!) – this article covers various methods to help you understand a bit more about spiders and how to kill them.
What kills spiders instantly?
If you are like many others who back away at the sight of a spider, you are probably wondering about what kills spiders instantly and from a distance. There are a few methods you can try:
Use an insect spray to kill spiders
To keep spiders at bay, regularly spray spider-prone areas in your home. Use a good-quality surface spray such as the Mortein Kill & Protect Crawling Insect Surface Spray so you can kill spiders in the house before they become a problem. This purpose-built spray offers high performance that protects the home from crawling insects for up to six months when sprayed on surfaces. Which is good news for arachnophobes! Don’t forget to spray around doorways and windows to keep spiders from crawling inside.
Squish the spider with a tissue or solid object
Most spiders that you find around your house are harmless and are easy to kill with a tissue or with an object. The only downside to this manual method is the close proximity needed to kill the spider which is probably not the best if you are squeamish or have a phobia.
Vacuum it up
Using a strong vacuum is a good way to kill spiders, removing cobwebs and any potential egg sacs that the spider has left behind. Use the long hose to suck up the spider and allow the vacuum to run for some time to ensure that the spider dies within the vacuum bag. Dispose of the vacuum bag immediately, placing the bag in a tightly sealed bag. If your vacuum is bagless, you can still use this method – as long as you don’t mind emptying the dust canister (and all the creepy crawlies you’ve collected) afterwards.
Use a pest control bomb
Eliminate spider and other insect infestations in your home with the Mortein Kill & Protect Crawling Insect Control Bombs. Such a product is useful in covering a larger surface area and gives you the ability to do-it-yourself. The control bombs work by releasing a fine mist that spreads into a room and kills seven types of pests, including spiders.
Should I kill spiders in my house?
Before you start tackling spiders in your home, it might be worth finding out more about spiders first. For one, the majority of the spiders you see around the house are harmless to humans and would actually prefer to avoid you – we are more dangerous to them than they are to us! In fact, if you were to ask an entomologist about whether you should kill spiders in the house, the answer would likely be a resounding “no”. Unless the venom of a type of spider is dangerous to humans, these creatures are harmless and play an important role in trapping flies, mosquitoes and other flying pests that could pose a health risk in the home.
While you can follow the steps above to kill spiders quickly and effectively when you have an infestation, if it’s the odd spider that you’re dealing with, and you’re certain it’s not venomous, it would be best for you to just leave it alone or capture it and release it outside instead.