Sac Spider Control: How To Get Rid of Sac Spiders

The Sac spider is a smaller spider standing about a quarter of an inch in length and is called a sac spider due to its habit of sleeping in self-made silk sacs. Sac spiders are a very active species both during the day and at night and have the inconvenient habit of making their homes in human dwellings.

In the wild, they're normally found in small cocoon type web formations between leaves, brick piles, tree bark and virtually anywhere in the garden. Sac spiders also have a tolerance for the cold, as they may be the rare species of spider wandering outdoors when the temperature drops.

Another reason why sac spiders are a worry is because of their tendency to be very defensive and prone to bite. People are normally bitten when putting on clothes that the sac spider may have crawled into, but they will bite in virtually any other circumstance, as well. Bites can be painful and can cause swelling around the bite site; weakness in local extremities; fever; nausea; vomiting; cramping; and sometimes even cold or flu-like symptoms that can last quite some time.

If you are dealing with sac spiders in your home, we can help. Our DIY treatment guide was put together by pest control experts to make it easy for you to eliminate sac spiders yourself easily and affordably. Follow the step-by-step directions below carefully to be successful.

Identification

The first thing to do in any pest control plan is identifying with what exactly you are dealing with. Careless identification can lead you to using the wrong treatment methods, costing you time and money. The sac spider is the most common spider to be found throughout the United States. Names for the common sac spiders include Argarian sac spider, black footed sac spider, longlegged sac spider, yellow sac spider, and Northern yellow sac spider. 

• The sac spider is about 1/10 to 1/2 of an inch long and is between beige to pale yellow in color. Other colorations could include red, brown, tans, and yellow. The sac spider also has eight eyes, in two rows of four. Sac spiders usually are shipped in cargo on products such as grapes and other fruits and vegetables and you may unknowingly snag one along home with you when you’re shopping for produce at the grocery store.
• Legs and bodies are sparsely covered with a few hairs, and the body segments are often often two different shades of color.
• Some sac spiders have markings on the cephalothorax or the abdomen, and some can have banded legs or dark feet.
• The sac spider derives its name from how it builds its nest, by shooting out webbing not in the traditional way but by shaping their nest in a small tube-like structure which resembles a sac.

Use the image and description above to help you identify sac spiders on your property. If you're having trouble with identification, contact us and we will assist you in correctly Identifying the pest and offer you our best product recommendations for the target pest. 

Inspection

Inspection is the next phase of any good pest control plan. Once you know what your pests look like, check around your property to confirm their presence or find areas of activity.

Where To Inspect

Sac spiders are generally found outdoors and indoors throughout the year in heavy vegeattion, leaf litter, yard debris, wood piles, and other dark areas that remain undisturbed. If they make their way indoors, they can be found in spots that most spiders prefer to dwell in where there is minimal activity by homeowners like in the attics or the basement. This is usally dark, clutters, and undisturbed areas like garages, attics, crawl spaces, and storage closets.

What To Look For

Sac spiders do not build webs like other spiders, but will instead hunt their prey by using their webbing to make sacs to rest in or to hide their eggs in. 

Treatment

Prior to chemical application, remember to first read all product labels and follow their application instructions, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment.

Take note of any spiders or sacs that you may have found on your property and also not any entry points these pests can use to invade your homes. A spider infestation indoors usually indicates other pest problems as well. Be cautious when inspecting or applying pesticide products as a sac spider bite will bite if disturbed.  

The best way to control this pest and keep it away from your home is by making your home less environment less attractive for the sac spider to be around as well as making your home tougher to access by implementing exclusion measures. 

Step 1: Clean and Declutter

First, clean and declutter in and around your home. Sac spiders will establish webs in dense areas they can hide in. This includes moving boxes indoors, mowing the lawn, trimming overgrown shrubs, and picking up wooden debris. 

If you find any webs, knock them down with the Cobb Webb Duster. The Cobb Webb Duster is made of nylon bristles designed to remove webs and spider eggs. For any webs in higher, hard-to-reach areas, you can attach the duster to an extension pole.

Step 2: Exclusion

Start by closing off access into your home by sealing cracks on the outside of the home with caulk and placing screens on doors and windows. Larger voids may be sealed with copper mesh to properly barricade pests. 

Sac spiders can enter through very small spaces, so thoroughly inspect your home for possible points of entry and use caulk to fill those gaps. Do this both inside and outside, taking away any places that sac spiders can enter or hide. If you make it difficult for them to enter your home, they’ll go elsewhere.

Step 3: Outdoor Treatment

Continue working from the outside in by removing scraps and wood piles from your yard. Sac spiders like to lay eggs in piles of debris and make nests. After cleaning is complete, begin treating your home exterior by laying out insecticide granules such as Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules to eliminate turf-dwelling pests. The goal of this application is to eliminate spiders main food sources so they will be encouraged to relocate off your property.

With a broadcast spreader, scatter granules around on your lawn, flower beds and mulch areas at the application rate of 4.6 pounds of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules per 1,000 sq. ft. of treatment area.

Once Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules has been completed, activate the granules by spraying an insecticide like Supreme IT. Supreme IT is a liquid insecticide that will treat pests on contact, and will leave a 90 day residual that continues to kill pests after it dries. We recommend you make this application with a handheld pump sprayer to easily treat indoor and outdoor sites.

Mix a solution at the products labeled rate of 0.33 to 1 oz. of Supreme IT per 1 gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft. With your sprayer, evenly broadcast the products over the treatment area. Be sure to use a fan or cone setting with low pressure to ensure a full, even coverage.

After you have activated Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules, conduct a barrier application with Supreme IT around the perimeter of your structure. First spray any entry points like doors, windows, and other voids pests and spiders use to invade. Then, spray your structures outer perimeter by spraying 3 feet up the structure and 3 feet out. 

Step 4: Indoor Treatment

Indoors, we recommend treating all your baseboards, around windows and doorways and any other crack or crevices where you think sac spiders might be entering or hiding with Supreme IT. If you happen to see the sac spider during treatment, use Pyrid Aerosol to get a direct contact kill.

Step 5: Lay Out Solutions Pro Glue Boards

Finally, if the sac spider is still alive and hasn't been found, you can try and capture them with the Solutions Pro Glue Boards.

Place the glue boards in your attic, basement, and garage where you identified spider activity.

With time, the glue boards will catch the spiders that survived treatment and make your home spider free.

Prevention

Prevention is essential to keeping pests in check. Even after you have applied pesticides, the best way to stop pest activity is to make sure it cannot happen.

• A few preventative measures to keep yellow sac spiders from making themselves at home in your house is to put up screens on your doors and windows and keep your home clutter free, inside and out. 
• Address any moisture issues you may be having inside of your home. Pests are attracted to moist rooms, so fix any leaky pipes, air condition issues, drain any standing water, and dry your sinks every night.
• Continue to pick up and clean inside and outside of your home to get rid of any potential spider harborages. 
• Rake the lawn regularly, pick up debris, and keep firewood properly stacked away from your homes foundation.
• Keep up with timed applications of Supreme IT. This product has a 90 day residual effect, so we recommend you spray quarterly to keep pests away year-long.

Key Takeaways

What Are Sac Spiders?

• Sac spiders are a nuisance spider pest because of their web building and aggressive nature.

How to Get Rid of Sac Spiders

• Our top recommended ways to treat for sac spiders are decluttering and exclusion along with a treatment of Supreme IT Insecticide around your homes exterior and indoor cracks and crevices as well as placing down glue boards to capture them.

Preventing Sac Spiders Reinfestation

• To prevent future sac spider problems, keep your home free of clutter and place a perimeter treatment of Supreme IT Insecticide around your home to form a protective barrier.