Big ugly spiders everywhere
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Big ugly spiders everywhere

by Kelly
(Elmira, Ontario)

Every summer, usually by August, we have huge ugly spiders building webs all over the place around our house. I know people say spiders are good, but when you have to brush webs out of your way every morning just to walk down the path beside the house, and you can't walk anywhere in the garden without seeing or stepping on a huge spider, it is really difficult to smile about them. Apparently we have the ideal environment for them. We have losts of trees and evergreen shrubs around the house. Is there anything I can do to reduce the numbers of spiders so that I can actually enjoy watering my plants later in the summer and into autumn?

Doug says not unless you want to nuke your entire property (and that's now illegal and plain silly) to poison everything. We have the same problem here on our island - we're constantly vacuuming them up from everywhere in the house. It is what it is - find a good thing to like about them (fewer insects) and live with it. (or move to the city) ;-)

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Big ugly spiders everywhere

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Get some spider
by: Kamia

I had the same problem around my deck, until I began actively feeding a variety of birds and bought some guinea hens and ducks to free range in the yard. After the first year, the spider population declined, because all of the sharp-eyed fowl find them a tasty treat. Just be sure to leave some space for them untouched, or the other pests will proliferate instead.
spiders for the birds
by: Jenn

Like Doug says- get counseling! There will always be spiders so you may as well get over it or resign yourself to be completely freaked out every time you see one. Life is too short for that!
One way you may reduce the # outside is to create the perfect environment for birds. Attract lots of birds with seeds, water, trees etc. and over time you will have a huge variety of birds some of whom will eat spiders. A slow process but a pleasant one!
Spiders
by: Lin

Difficult to live with especially when my sod apparently came infested with them. Now they try to beat me into the house whenever I go out and I live by the premise, outside is their environment but when they come inside, it is fair game with the spray can. Espcially since I have a child with a phobia.
spiders
by: Doug

Spider are good guys. Period.

if you have a spider phobia - I suggest you visit a person who deals in helping people with phobias. it's an relatively straightforward process to rid yourself of this kind of problem (although it takes some work). Counseling psychologists do it all the time - called desensitization.

Far better to make your life better all round than to nuke your property to eliminate an insect that's on your side.
Arachnophobia
by: Anonymous

That advice is all well & good UNLESS you are so terrified of spiders that you literally have a panic attack and get sick to your stomach! How about some advice for all of us arachnophobics?

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