Spiders
Why the Lowest Flats Get the Most Spiders
A basement or lower-ground flat often has windows at garden level, doors onto a patio and walls against the soil. There are cellars, storage cupboards and gaps around old pipes. Insects come in from the garden, and spiders follow them. Why there are so many spiders in the house explains the usual reasons.
Autumn and the Heath
In late summer and autumn, male house spiders move around looking for mates and are seen much more often indoors. Gardens backing towards the Heath Extension and Golders Hill Park have plenty of cover and insects, and the spiders living there can wander into nearby homes.
Window frames and false widows
False widow spiders are sometimes found around window frames, sheds and garden furniture. Their bite is rare and usually mild, like a bee sting. Whether there are dangerous spiders in Barnet homes explains more. If you are bitten and feel unwell, speak to a pharmacist or GP, and call 999 for signs of a severe allergic reaction.
Cellars and storage under the house
Many Edwardian houses have a cellar or a coal store under the front steps, and in a conversion that space often belongs to the lowest flat or is shared as storage. It is dark, rarely disturbed and often slightly damp, which suits spiders and the woodlice and other small insects they feed on. Boxes stacked against the walls give them more places to hide. Spiders in the loft covers the same pattern at the top of a house, where it is the top-floor flat that notices.
Where to Look
- Corners of ceilings and behind furniture in basement rooms
- Around garden-level windows and patio doors
- In storage cupboards and under the stairs
- In sheds and outbuildings in the garden
Where spiders hide inside homes covers this in more detail.
Lightwells and damp corners
Some lower-ground flats look onto a small well or area in front of the house, with steps down, a drain and a bin. Leaves collect there, the walls stay damp and insects gather, so webs build up around the window and the door. Keeping the area swept, the drain clear and plants cut back from the window gives spiders less to feed on right outside. Inside, a dehumidifier in a damp room makes it less attractive to the small insects they hunt, and fewer insects means fewer spiders staying.
What Treatment Can and Cannot Do
Treatment can reduce the number of spiders in the rooms treated. It will not stop spiders coming in from the garden entirely, especially in autumn. Reducing insects and sealing gaps helps. Whether pest control reduces spider problems explains what to expect. A lot of spiders can also mean a lot of insects: whether lots of spiders mean another pest problem explains more.
What to Do Now
- Vacuum webs and egg sacs in corners
- Keep garden-level windows closed at night in autumn, or fit screens
- Seal gaps around pipes, doors and windows
- Clear clutter from basements and storage cupboards
Booking and Around the Visit
When you book spider control, tell us which rooms are affected and whether you are in a basement, lower-ground or garden flat. The technician will explain what they found. Get back in touch if the spiders return in large numbers. Ants and other insects can attract spiders: see ant control in Golders Green. If there are signs of mice in the cellar, see mouse control. For spiders across the rest of the borough, see Spider Control Barnet.
