The most common creature-based phobia in the world is arachnophobia – the fear of spiders and other eight-legged crawlers such as scorpions. One look at these creepy, scary bugs and it’s no wonder why: they spread their webs everywhere, skitter around on their hairy feet, and are part of your darkest nightmares.

When spiders begin to infest a home, people will often take any means necessary to get them out as quickly as possible. However, unlike other destructive and disease-infested pests such as termites and rodents, spiders aren’t as bad for your home as you might think. In fact, they can actually help control pests and prevent the spread of diseases they carry in your home. Following are some of the key benefits that spiders provide for homeowners, and several reasons why the occasional eight-legged guests might be one of your best natural defenses against invasive pests.

Spiders: The Natural Way to Pest Control

What makes pests such a nuisance is they are incredibly difficult to discover and even harder to kill. That is why many homeowners don’t know they have a pest problem until it is too late, and their home is overrun. However, with spiders present in your home, you can keep pest levels to a minimum without ever lifting a finger. This is because spiders actively feed on common household pests, serving as a natural pest control solution for your home. Better yet, they feed on many of the pests that are known to spread disease to humans, such as mosquitoes, rodents, and cockroaches. With less pests creeping through your home, you can keep your family safe without having to rely on using dangerous chemicals.

Spiders Limit Their Own Numbers

Assuming you have come to terms with the fact that spiders help reduce pests throughout your home, what happens with the spiders themselves? If you don’t remove them regularly, they are sure to overrun your house as well, right? Actually, spiders are very territorial, and when two come in contact with each other, they will battle to the death like two gladiators fighting in an arena. This territorial display helps control spider populations in your home, while allowing the few ones that remain to provide the natural pest control you have come to appreciate. Better yet, some common house spiders are also known to kill black widows, becoming even more valuable in keeping your family and home safe.

What to Do When Spiders Get Out of Hand

Sometimes even the unsightliest of pests can be your greatest ally. A few spiders in your home is nothing to worry about, and they might actually help prevent an infestation from growing. But, if their numbers ever get out of hand, contacting a professional for their removal might be in order.

At Greenleaf Pest Control, the spider extermination process starts with a thorough inspection of your property to identify their hiding places, as well as the problem areas that grant them access to your home. We will then provide a safe and effective treatment to remove the spiders and provide you the knowledge and tools needed to keep them from returning in the future. Our team of exterminators in Toronto can also give you information on how you can live peacefully with these beneficial pests without allowing their numbers to grow too high. We will ensure the effective removal of spiders using the most eco-friendly solutions possible, minimizing and often completely eliminating the use of pesticides in your home during the treatment process.

About the Author:

Daniel Mackie, co-owner of Greenleaf Pest Control, is a Toronto pest control expert well-known as an industry go-to guy, an innovator of safe, effective pest control solutions, and is a regular guest on HGTV. Mackie, along with business partner Sandy Costa, were the first pest control professionals in Canada to use detection dogs and thermal remediation for the successful eradication of bed bugs. In his free time, he is an avid gardener.