RELATED: Leaving This One Thing in Your Bathroom Is Attracting Spiders, Experts Warn. Keeping a well-manicured lawn can be one of the more complex and time-consuming elements of domestic upkeep. But if you’re looking to avoid an infestation of spiders in your home, you might want to make sure tall grass, foliage, and other decorative arrangements aren’t rolling out a welcome mat for arachnids. “Spiders typically create webs and burrows in shrubs and bushes, between decorative rocks, and in woodpiles,” says John Carney, owner of SafeSpray Pest Control. “So if these areas bump up against the foundation of a home, it can give spiders easy access inside. Spiders will find their way inside accidentally while looking for food, or they can intentionally enter in through gaps once the weather begins to get colder and they seek warmth.” Even if you’re an arachnophobe, you may have more in common with spiders than you think—especially if you’re a fan of sunflowers. The plant’s unique height and shape are especially enticing for spiders to take shelter, Leslie Vincent, resident horticulturalist at Atkins Garden Shop, says. “Spiders are often drawn to taller plant specimens given the added leverage these afford spiders to spin larger and more lucrative webs,” says Andrew Gaumond, horticulturist, botanist, and director of content at Petal Republic, adding that this makes sunflowers the perfect spot for them call home. This means other tall plants such as hollyhocks, delphiniums, and foxgloves could be bringing spiders around your yard as well—and into your home if they’re planted close to the foundation or brush up against exterior walls or windows.
RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. But it’s not just what’s planted outside that can make spiders unwanted tenants in your home. If you keep houseplants adorning your windowsills and corners, you could be providing them with a perfect place to take shelter as soon as they make their way indoors.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “If you have lots of potted plants and foliage around the house where spiders love to build webs, it’s time to clear and prune,” says Jordan Foster, a pest expert with Fantastic Pest Control. Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do to stop your yard from bringing the outdoors inside. If you’re looking to avoid an infestation of spiders, Mark Constantino, owner of Arkadia Pest Control, suggests staying on top of pruning and trimming tree branches, shrubs, and any overgrown vegetation that is touching the foundation and outside of your home and make sure to move any woodpiles more than six feet from your house, as well. The other less obvious tactic involves looking for any gaps and cracks in the foundation and exterior walls of your home and sealing them up as soon as possible, including installing weather-stripping around exterior windows and doors and door sweeps on all exterior doors. Constantino also suggests replacing ripped or damaged window and door screens to keep spiders from getting in. RELATED: The No. 1 Sign There’s a Tarantula in Your Home, Experts Warn.
