Pest control in Murrieta means knowing the top areas where black widows love to nest, and unfortunately, one of those areas is the garage.
Let’s be honest, the garage is probably not the cleanest area of the house. And that makes it the perfect spot for black widows to build their messy webs and call it home. So if you noticed a black widow in your garage, you need to take action immediately.
We'll explain why it's essential to take immediate action, the steps you can take to clean your garage, and the ways you can be proactive to keep black widows from coming back.
Pest Control in Murrieta: Take Immediate Action Against Black Widows
Seeing one black widow scurrying in your garage maybe doesn’t seem like a big deal. But there are several reasons why you need to take immediate action.
Egg sacs: A single egg sac of a black widow spider can have up to 400 eggs. And you got it, once those eggs hatch, you'll have 400 baby black widows calling your garage, and perhaps the rest of your house, their home.
Other black widows: If you saw one black widow, chances are there will be others. A general rule is that once you see one spider, you'll have to assume others are hiding away in the dark corners of your garage.
Bites are painful: While black spiders are not the deadliest spider on Earth, their bites are 15 times more potent than a rattlesnake and can cause you pain unlike anything else. A bite can result in swelling, chills, sweating, headaches, high blood pressure, and even severe stomach, chest, or back pain.
Bites can be fatal for children and the elderly: While a bite from a black widow may not be fatal for adults, they can be for children and the elderly. So if you have young children or older parents or grandparents living with you, you need to get your black widow issue under control for their protection.
How to Clean Your Garage of Black Widow Spiders
The good news is that you can take steps to help rid black widow spiders from your garage and some methods to help prevent them from coming back.
But before you begin any of these steps, when you're working in the garage, be sure that you are dressed for the job. Black widows are unpredictable, so protect yourself:
Wear gloves: Wearing a pair of rubber kitchen gloves will protect your hands if you’re opening or moving boxes.
Closed-toe shoes: You also need to protect your feet. Make sure you wear close-toed shoes to prevent possible bites to your feet or toes.
Pants and long sleeve shirt: Wearing long pants and shirts are also a great idea for protecting yourself as you're exploring the dark corners of your garage.
Mask and goggles: While you may not need these to protect yourself against possible spider bites, if you'll be cleaning around the garage, it's not a bad idea to wear a mask and goggles to protect yourself against excess dust or anything that may get exposed to your face.
1. Declutter the Garage
Naturally, over time, our garages become our storage units. This creates the ideal environment for black widows, so the first step in cleaning your garage is to declutter.
Take the time to carefully go through all your boxes and items and decide what stays and what goes. And while you’re decluttering, invest in some new organization methods if needed. Nothing should be on the ground in your garage, so consider installing some traditional shelves or utilize unused space and install ceiling shelves.
2. Clean All Surfaces
If it's tables and shelves you've always had in your garage or newly installed ones, you want to give everything a good wipe down. You'll also want to clean the walls with equal parts water and bleach. Wipe the walls with this mixture, wait 30 minutes, and then rinse. This not only helps against pests, but it also will help prevent mold.
Make sure to vacuum all corners and clean away all spider webs. And don’t forget the garage floor. You can use a mix of hot water and laundry detergent to scrub away any stains on your garage floor.
3. Handling Egg Sacs
While you’re cleaning the garage, you may just come across the black widow egg sacs we warned you about earlier.
Black widow webs are pretty messy. They don't have any particular shape, and it will look like a big mess of web in the corner or a shaded area. The egg sacs are tiny, like the same size as a pencil eraser, and are smooth and round. Some may be round that comes to a point.
You may see elsewhere online that the best method for handling spider egg sacs is just to vacuum them up. But you could potentially disturb that egg sac and unleash hundreds of baby black widows in your garage. This can quickly turn into an even more dangerous situation in a matter of seconds.
We highly recommend if you think you discovered black widow egg sacs in your garage, please call a pest control professional in Murrieta, like The Local Bug Guy, and the tech will be able to safely and effectively remove the egg sac.
Pest Control in Murrieta: How to Keep Black Widows Away From Your Garage
Once you have cleaned your garage from top to bottom and have everything organized like new, there are a few tips you can follow to help prevent black widows from entering again.
Close up all entry points: You significantly reduce the chance of black widows entering your garage if you eliminate the possible entry points. Look for any potential gaps and cracks in the foundation, around doors, and your garage door, and fill them in. Also, make sure to keep your garage door closed at night.
Keep insects away: Black widows, like other spiders, are attracted to food. So controlling the insects in your garage will help fight against black widows.
Keep cleaning: Most of us have a routine for cleaning our homes, but it usually doesn't include the garage. Add the garage to one of your places to clean regularly. Dusting and sweeping will help in the prevention of black widows.
Use strong smells: Black widows despise strong smells, like peppermint, citronella, lemon juice, eucalyptus, tea tree oil, and menthol. You can mix any of these scents with water and continuously spray around the corners of your garage, window ledges, and around your boxes to help in your prevention battle.
Call the pest control professional: Like The Local Bug Guy, a pest control professional is trained in delivering effective pest control prevention against black widows. Having a tech continuously spray around your garage is one of the best prevention methods available.
Protect Your Garage From Black Widows
The Local Bug Guy is specially trained to handle black widows, brown widows, wolf spiders, and jumping spiders in Murrieta. We eliminate your black widow worries by using the latest technology and constant pest control maintenance around your property.
Please give us a call today for your free estimate so you can finally rest easy around your home and in your garage.