Black Widow Spider Control: How To Get Rid of Black Widow Spiders

Considered one of the most dangerous and most poisonous spiders in North America, the Black Widow Spider (particularly the female Black Widow Spider) is very aggressive, especially when protecting their eggs or when feeling threatened.

Black Widow spiders are found throughout the U.S. and have been known to enter structures and hide in dark, undisturbed areas of the home. They are not social creatures and like to be left alone and not be bothered.

The Black Widow Spider can create its habitat either indoors or outdoors. When outdoors, Black Widow spiders usually live in tucked-away areas under stones and in firewood piles. They are often found in barns, outhouses, and sheds. Indoors, black widows like to hang around cluttered areas of garages, crawl spaces and basements.

The Black Widow's poisonous bite is reported to be 15 times stronger than the bite of a rattlesnake so if you have the misfortune of black widow spiders present in your home, you must take immediate action to protect you and your family from the potential harm they can deliver.

Our DIY Black Widow Spider treatment guide was put together by our pest control experts to show you how to best treat and protect your home from the threat of Black Widow spiders.

Follow the step-by-step directions below using the top control products we recommend and your home will be safe from Black Widows, guaranteed.

Identification

It's important to first properly identify the pest you are dealing with before carrying out pest control applications. Misidentification may lead to using the wrong products and techniques, costing you time and money. Here are some traits to help you to identify Black Widow Spiders:

• Black Widow Spiders range between .5 inches to 1.5 inches long and have a distinct look; they are shiny black in color.
• Female Black Widow Spiders popularly have a red hourglass-shaped marking on its abdomen. Other variations of the red marking can be dotted or jagged stripes.
• Male Black Widow spiders may differ and look brown or tan colored and have an orange marking.
• The origin of their name is due to the popular belief that female Black Widows kill and eat the male after mating, which in actuality, does not happen very often.

Use the description and image above to help you in identifying Black Widow spiders. If you are having trouble, contact us and we will help you identify the spider problem you have and offer control recommendations.

Inspection

Once you have confirmed that you are dealing with Black Widow spiders, you can proceed with an inspection. During this phase, you will locate the areas of Black widow spider activity and any possible entry points that have used to gain access to your home.

Where To Inspect

Black Widow spiders like to hide in cluttered and dry storage areas like attics, basements or garages. Anywhere that is dark and secluded and not often entered are perfect hiding places for black widows. Outdoors they can be found around yard debris and tall grass.

What To Look For

Keep an eye out for Black Widows in cluttered areas both indoors and outdoors. Black widow spiders can hide in woodpiles and leaf litter outdoors or in a storage room or closet indoors. If you can't find the spiders themselves, look for cobwebs that the Black Widow Spider may have crafted in corners and secluded areas in and around the home.

Treatment

Before applying any chemicals, please make sure you have on the proper PPE for safety in the form of gloves, a protective mask and goggles.

The best way to kill Black Widow spiders is a combination of exclusion measures, reducing clutter and applying insecticides. We recommend Supreme IT Insecticide for indoor crevice spraying and outdoor perimeter treatment.

Pyrid Aerosol should be used for quick contact kills of Black Widows that you find. Use D-Fense Dust to treat any voids and points of entry spiders may be utilizing and Solutions Pro Glue Boards to capture Black Widows that are hard to find.

Step 1 - Declutter The Home

Start by creating unfavorable conditions for the black widow spider and carefully getting rid of all of its favorite hiding spots. This can be done by reducing clutter and cleaning up indoors which includes closets, attics, basements, garages, and storage units. If you happen to find webs or egg sacs, sweep them away and discard them.

Step 2 - Chemical Treatment with Supreme IT

Supreme IT is an insecticide concentrate designed to control over 70 different insect pests, including spiders. The best part about Supreme IT is its residual effect as the product can remain effective for up to 90 days after application. Supreme can be used to treat cracks and crevices indoors, to create a barrier around the perimeter of your home, and around your yard to keep spiders away from your entire property.

Determine how much Supreme IT you will need for your application be calculating the square footage of the area you wish to treat. To do this, you will need to measure (in feet) and multiply the area length times the width (length x width = square footage). For spider control, use 0.25 to 0.5 fl. oz. in 1 gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft. Fill a sprayer halfway with water, add the appropriate amount of Supreme IT based on your calculations, then fill with the remaining half of water. Agitate the sprayer until well-mixed and you will be ready to apply. 

Spray baseboards around the home and in closets, in and around garages and around windows and doors. Outdoors you should spray a barrier around your home's perimeter and around any possible points of entry. Make sure to spray up the siding at least 5 to 10 feet since black widows like to climb up the walls to try and find a way inside.

Step 3- Contact Kill With Pyrid Aerosol

If you are able to discover the black widow spider during treatment, you can quickly kill them on contact with Pyrid Aerosol. Pyrid is a pyrethrin-based insecticide that is known to quickly knockdown labeled pests on contact and is safe and easy to use.

Point the spray can 18 to 24 from the spider and deliver short bursts, making sure not to exceed 10 sec of spray per room. The Black Widow will be disoriented and die shortly after from the effects of the active ingredient.

Step 4 - Apply D-Fense Dust To Voids

D-Fense Dust is a Deltamethrin based insecticide dust that is excellent in controlling insects that like to move into homes via points of entry or hide out in hard-to-treat reach such as wall voids and crevices.

Using a handheld duster, measure out 2 to 3 grams of D-Fense Dust per sq. yard. or 0.5 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. 

Puff the dust in voids and openings around your home and then seal the void with copper mesh or caulk to discourage spiders and other pests from seeking out the area in the future.

Step 5 - Lay Out Solutions Pro Glue Boards

If you're unable to find and kill the black widow spider, you can try and capture them with Solutions Pro Glue Boards. Solutions Pro Glue Boards come in increments of 12, giving you excellent coverage around your home so the Black Widow is caught quickly.

Place the glue boards in your attic, basement, and garage where you identified spider activity. With time, the glue boards will catch the black widow spider that survived treatment and then you can dispose of them easily.

Prevention

To keep black widow spiders away from your home, continue to reduce clutter as much as possible around your home and seal up any new points of entry to make it tougher for black widow spiders or other insects to make it into your home. This can be done by sealing cracks on the outside of the home and placing screens on doors and windows.

Scan carefully around your home for possible entry points and use caulk to fill those gaps. You could also use Stuff-It Copper Mesh around the exterior of your home to take away points of entry. Do this both inside and outside. Continue exclusion measures by making your outdoor area uninviting by clearing away any vegetation or debris on your yard.

Supreme IT insecticide can also be sprayed quarterly to repel black widow spiders. Supreme has a 90 day residual for applying the product four times a year can give you year-round control.

Key Takeaways

What Is A Black Widow Spider?

• Black Widow Spiders are one of the most poisonous spiders in the country and are known to hide in dark, secluded areas and will bite when they feel threatened.
• Black widow Spiders generally prefer to live in cool and dark places such as attics, garages and basements.
• By nature, Black Widow Spiders are pretty shy and rarely come in contact with humans.

How To Get Rid of Black Widow Spiders Indoors and Outdoors

• Our go-to methods to kill black widow spiders involves a combination of exclusion measures, indoor and outdoor insecticide treatment with Supreme IT, Pyrid Aerosol and D-Fense Dust as well as trapping using Solutions Pro Glue Boards. 

Preventing Black Widow Spider Reinfestation

• Prevent Black Widow spiders from coming back by keeping up with decluttering and exclusion as well as conducting periodic barrier applications of Supreme IT insecticide every 90 days.