Search for spider control and you’ll eventually run into “spider bait.” It sounds like a simple answer: put something out, spiders eat it, problem solved. The catch is that spiders don’t feed the way ants or roaches do, and that changes what actually works.
Here’s how spiders feed, why bait isn’t the tool it is for other pests, what products sold for spiders actually do and how to keep spiders down around a Treasure Valley home.
Why Bait Doesn’t Work the Same Way for Spiders
Baits for ants and roaches work because those insects feed on sweets, fats and proteins, carry food back to a nest or harborage, and share it. Spiders don’t do any of that. They’re predators. They catch live insects in webs or by hunting, inject them with venom and feed on them. A spider has no interest in a gel, granule or bait block.
Spiders also don’t live in colonies the way ants do. Each spider hunts for itself, so there’s no nest to carry anything back to and no “domino effect” spreading through a group.
Some products are sold as spider and insect baits, and some ant or roach baits list other pests on the label. In practice, though, bait isn’t a primary tool for spiders. What happens to spiders depends far more on what they can eat, where they can hide and what they contact as they move.
What Products Sold for Spiders Actually Do
Sticky traps
Glue boards placed flat along walls, in corners and behind furniture catch wandering spiders, especially hunting spiders and males looking for mates in late summer and fall. They don’t attract spiders so much as intercept them, which makes them useful for monitoring. A few traps in the basement or garage will tell you which spiders you have and where they’re moving.
Contact sprays
Contact sprays kill a spider you hit directly, but they do little for spiders you don’t see.
Residual treatments
Residual products are applied to surfaces such as foundations, eaves, window frames and door thresholds where spiders travel and build webs. A spider that walks across a treated surface is affected. Our article on outdoor spider spray covers how exterior treatments work and where they go.
Web and egg sac removal
Knocking down webs and removing egg sacs with a broom or vacuum is one of the simplest, most direct ways to reduce spiders around doors, windows and eaves.
Spiders Follow Their Food
The most reliable way to cut down on spiders is to cut down on the insects they eat. If there are lots of flying insects around your porch lights, lots of crawling insects in a damp basement or plenty of bugs in the clutter of a garage, spiders will settle in to take advantage.
- Switch exterior lighting to yellow or LED bulbs that draw fewer insects, or keep lights off when you don’t need them.
- Reduce moisture in basements, crawlspaces and around the foundation.
- Clear clutter in garages, basements and storage areas where insects and spiders hide.
- Keep vegetation trimmed back from the siding and remove woodpiles and debris near the house.
Spiders You’ll See in the Treasure Valley
Most spiders around Boise-area homes are harmless nuisances: house spiders, cellar spiders, wolf spiders and funnel weavers, including hobo spiders. Black widows are also found in Idaho, usually in undisturbed spots like woodpiles, window wells, utility boxes and the corners of garages. Our spider identification guide can help you tell them apart, and Montana State University’s hobo spider bulletin covers that species in detail.
Keeping Spiders Out of the House
- Seal gaps around windows, doors, pipes and utility lines.
- Install or repair door sweeps and window screens.
- Check attic vents and screens, since spiders often move into attics and insulation in the fall.
- Store boxes in sealed plastic bins instead of cardboard.
- Shake out shoes, gloves and clothing that have been sitting in a garage or basement.
For spiders above the ceiling, see our posts on spiders in attic insulation and keeping spiders out of Boise attics.
Spider Bait FAQs
Does spider bait work?
Not the way bait works for ants or roaches. Spiders eat live insects and don’t share food, so they rarely take bait. Sticky traps, residual exterior treatments, web removal and reducing their food supply do more.
Will ant or roach bait get rid of spiders?
Not directly. Bringing down other insects can mean less for spiders to eat over time, but the bait itself won’t draw spiders in.
When are spiders most active around Treasure Valley homes?
Activity picks up from late summer into fall, when many spiders are mature and males wander looking for mates. That’s when most people notice them indoors.
The University of Idaho’s extension service is a good local resource for identifying spiders and other household pests.
Spider Control From ProGuard
Spiders are one of the core pests handled in our residential pest control plans, along with ants, wasps and hornets, mice, rats and fall invaders. Service focuses on the exterior: foundations, eaves, entry points, window wells and web removal. Plans are quarterly, bi-annual or one-time, and we serve homes and commercial properties. Quarterly service plan customers get free return visits. No contracts; cancel with 30 days’ notice.
ProGuard is based in Eagle and serves Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Star, Middleton, Emmett and Garden City. To get spiders under control, call (208) 352-2062 or contact us.