Spider Control and House Washing Services

Summer time is fast approaching and already as the sun comes out, the days are getting warmer. During the spring and early summer many homeowners turn their attention to the exterior areas of their homes in anticipation of using the outdoor spaces for the BBQ, poolside sunbathing and entertaining family and friends.

This year is no exception especially since lockdowns has clipped our wings- many have postponed trips and breaks to warmer climates and here in Auckland it feels like winter has been here for two years.

House washing methods such as water blasting and soft washing are an important maintenance service which should be carried out annually. Regular house washing preserves the life of painted timbers and brick and colour steels, steel guttering also should be cleared of debris and cleaned to prevent corrosion and preserve to colour finish. Washing timber decking preserves the life and appearance of expensive timbers and even treated timber should have soil deposits and moss removed regularly.

At this time of year, EcoSan receives many enquiries about spider control and often our clients are looking to have their home washed and having the spiders removed and during the house wash this is a good opportunity.

Spiders on the house cladding including weather boards and brickwork and also steel cladding make the property look messy and in need of care. Many people have a natural aversion to spiders and are not happy to have spiders move indoors. As the weather dries and the temperature is hot, windows and doors are opened giving spiders and other insects such as Cockroaches more opportunity to venture indoors. Many will do so to escape from direct sun and higher temperatures.

There are many White tail spiders in Auckland. The White tail spider, originally imported from Australia are comfortable in the climate here in Auckland. Due to a lack of predators White tails are able to multiply easily. Most homes in Auckland have at least 10 – 20 White tails hiding in the cladding of our homes.

They also dwell in the subfloor and roof space. White tails hunt other spiders for food and a very good at controlling spiders in our homes. If you do not have many spider webs on the outside of your home or building this may be due to higher numbers of white tails. It is not unusual for White tail spiders to go unnoticed since even the larger type of the two variants hide easily in small cracks and holes. They do not create webs so their presence is only known when they enter inside the home looking for shelter or other spiders to eat or are transported in on the washing or kids toys such as a bike left outside.

Many people are under the impression that water blasting and soft washing services will rid the house of resident spiders. Naturally many spiders will be killed and removed from the house and particularly their webs will be gone, however Spiders particularly during daytime will hide in concealed holes and cracks and they will not be removed or killed. Chlorine products and antimicrobials used for mould and moss killing may kill more sensitive spiders but many will resist the chemical and even still Spider eggs may remain unharmed. Insects also have a very low respiratory rate meaning they can survive submerged underwater for a long time, so they won’t drown.

Residual insecticides to knock down spiders are the most effective way to eradicate spider populations on the exterior of houses and buildings.

Residual insecticides do not need to be toxic to family and pets to be effective and properly control Spiders.

There are two opportune times to apply Spider control.

Two weeks before a house wash is scheduled is the best time to control Spiders. This is particularly true if there are quite a few spider webs present or if Spiders are in difficult areas to reach such as multi-level buildings. The two primary reasons for this is the webbing. If a spider control treatment is applied after the house is washed, the spiders may begin to make webs reversing the work of the house washing. Pest control products should not be applied immediately after a house wash, as chlorines’ and antimicrobial residuals will shorten the life of insecticides so time to allow these chemicals to settle is important.

Spiders also tend to create nests within aluminium, timber and PVC joinery. To properly control these spiders and their lifecycle residual insecticide will need to be liberally applied around window frames and entry points in order to make contact with the spiders nest or its web. If the building has been recently washed the insecticide residual may ruin the clean finish of the freshly cleaned windows.

Applying residual spider control in Auckland two weeks before your house wash will mean the home stays web and spider free for considerably longer after the house wash is completed.

After a house wash is completed, applying residual insecticide to kill off any remaining spiders and control their lifecycle is a good way of minimising spider numbers and prevents new spiders looking to create webs. Less web building Spiders also means less White tails due to a lack of other spiders for the white tail to hunt.

EcoSan Solutions use long life residuals for spider control. These are designed to resist strong summer UV light, heat and rainfall. However these treatments will be removed or reduced when the building is washed. This is due to alkaline product used during a building wash, but also the agitation of water blasters.

Applying residual insecticides before a house wash is completed will eradicate the spiders most effectively. It will take quite a while for new spiders to inhabit the home. However, in spider intensive areas such as bush area or lush gardens or for a more complete Spider management a preventative residual around the property can be applied a few days after a house wash.