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

Considered one of North America's most dangerous and poisonous spiders, the black widow spider (particularly the female black widow spider) is very aggressive, especially when protecting their eggs or 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 widows 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 reportedly 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 yourself and your family from the potential harm they can deliver.

Our pest control experts put together our DIY black widow spider treatment guide 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, which is guaranteed.

Identification

It's important to 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 are shiny black and have a distinct look. They range between 0.5 inches and 1.5 inches long.
• Female black widow spiders popularly have a red hourglass-shaped marking on their abdomen. Other variations of the red marking can be dotted or jagged stripes.
• Male black widow spiders may differ in that they look brown or tan and have an orange marking.
• The origin of their name is the popular belief that female black widows kill and eat the male after mating, which does not happen very often.

Use the description and image above to help you identify black widow spiders. If you are having trouble, contact us, and we will help you identify your spider problem 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 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, secluded, and not often entered is a perfect hiding place for them. Outdoors, they can be found around yard debris and tall grass.

What To Look For

Keep an eye out for black widows indoors and outdoors in cluttered areas. 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 safety PPE, such as gloves, a protective mask, and goggles.

The best way to kill black widow spiders is to combine exclusion measures, reduce clutter, and apply 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 will be used 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 removing all its favorite hiding spots.

This can be done by reducing clutter and cleaning up indoors, including closets, attics, basements, garages, and storage units. If you find webs or egg sacs, sweep them away and discard them.

Step 2: Chemical Treatment with Supreme IT

Supreme IT is an insecticide concentrate that controls over 70 insect pests, including spiders. Its best feature is its residual effect, which 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 by calculating the square footage of the area you wish to treat. To do this, measure the treatment areas' length and width in feet and multiply them together (length x width = square footage).

For spider control, use 0.25 to 0.5 fl. oz. of Supreme IT 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, and then fill with the remaining half of the water. Agitate the sprayer until well-mixed, and you will be ready to apply. 

Spray baseboards around the home and in closets, garages, windows, and doors. Outdoors it would be best if you sprayed a barrier around your home's perimeter and 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 discover the black widow spider during treatment, you can quickly kill them by contacting Pyrid Aerosol. Pyrid is a pyrethrin-based insecticide known to quickly knock down 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, ensuring not exceeding 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 Deltamethrin-based insecticide dust that controls insects that like to move into homes via points of entry or hide out in hard-to-treat reaches such as wall voids and crevices.

Using a handheld duster, measure 2 to 3 grams of D-Fense Dust per square 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 cannot find and kill the black widow spider, you can try to capture it with Solutions Pro Glue Boards. These 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 you can dispose of them easily.

Prevention

After the black widow spiders have been removed, be sure they do not return with regular preventative measures as explained below:

• To keep black widow spiders away from your home, continue to reduce clutter as much as possible around it and seal up any new points of entry to make it tougher for them or other insects to enter. This can be done by sealing cracks outside 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 eliminate 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 in 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, giving you year-round control.

Key Takeaways

What Is A Black Widow Spider?

• Black widow spiders are among the most poisonous spiders in the country. They are known to hide in dark, secluded areas and bite when they feel threatened.
• Black widow spiders generally prefer to live in cool, 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 involve a combination of exclusion measures, indoor and outdoor insecticide treatment with Supreme IT, Pyrid Aerosol, and D-Fense Dust, and 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.