Wolf Spider Control

Most Effective Products

Supreme IT Insecticide
Suspended Concentrate
As low as $54.99
Solutions Pro Glue Board - Peanut Butter Scent
Glue Trap
As low as $0.42
Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules
Granular
As low as $32.99
Keith's Pro Tips

"Wolf spiders are usually a problem in the autumn and winter time. As temperatures start to drop, insects of all kinds, including the wolf spider are in search of warm shelter so they will seek out your home to stay out of the cold."

Wolf Spider Control: How To Get Rid of Wolf Spiders

The Wolf Spider, also known as the hunter spider or ground spider, is a startling spider species to encounter due to its large, hairy appearance and its ability to move very fast. 

What separates the Wolf Spider from most other spiders is that Wolf Spiders don't spin webs to catch their prey. Instead, these spiders hunt their prey, moving quickly to chase down their meal. This skill is exactly the reason why Wolf Spiders are named after the wolves who roam the woods.

Wolf Spiders usually enter homes either by accident or while in search of prey. Their diet mainly consists of smaller insects and when entering into a home they may seek shelter in small confined spaces, such as under furniture and floorboards.

You wouldn’t want to come near a Wolf Spider as they tend to bite when alarmed. Wolf spider bites can be painful as they inject small amounts of venom, but it usually isn’t severe to humans and may only just be itchy and irritating.

Our DIY Wolf Spider treatment guide was designed by pest control experts to make it easy for you to treat and protect your home and yard from Wolf Spiders.

If you are looking for an easy way to get rid of Wolf Spiders, then follow these step-by-step directions and use the recommended control products and you are guaranteed to get Wolf Spider control.

Identification

When it comes to Wolf Spider control, you need to identify the pest and make sure you are dealing with a Wolf Spider. Misidentification can lead to a waste of time and money by using the wrong treatment methods.

  • Wolf Spiders are often confused to be tarantulas because of their large size. They range from a quarter of an inch to as large as over an inch long.
  • They have 8 eyes total. 4 small eyes are arranged below 2 lagre eyes. Another pair of medium sized eyes are arranged over the 2 larger eyes.
  • Wolf Spiders are colored a bright brown with black markings and are very hairy.
  • They also have the features of appendages on the front of their body that they use to snatch their targeted prey. 
  • Wolf Spiders don't spin webs and possess the ability to both climb and swim. But they like staying close to the ground, preferring to live underground tunnels, open fields with lots of grass and under yard debris and leaf litter.
  • Also, much like the wildlife wolf, Wolf Spiders can patiently lie in wait for insects, small lizards, and even smaller spiders. At the right opportunity, they will pounce and catch their prey in rapid fashion, going full throttle at about two feet per second.

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

Inspection

Where To Inspect

Wolf Spiders have spots on their bodies to help camouflage them. Because of this, they can easily blend into their environment and go unnoticed.

Wolf spiders are typically found in open grassy areas like yards, fields or pastures. They don't spin webs but instead burrow underground. They can also be found under yard debris in mulch and flower beds, around shrubbery or in or around firewood.

Indoors, they can be around doors and windows, or in garages or basements behind or under clutter.

What To Look For

You will want to keep an eye out for the Wolf Spiders themselves.

Wolf Spiders don't leave any remnants that indicate they have been active in the area, so you'll have to scan closely in cluttered areas for wolf spiders since this is where they harbor.

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.

Our top recommendations to treat Wolf Spiders is a combination of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules broadcast around the yard and Supreme IT Insecticide both indoors and outdoors. These products will kill Wolf Spiders when it comes into contact with the spider directly, but they are also effective in treating insects that Wolf Spiders feed on.

This method is an extremely easy and effective way to get rid of Wolf Spiders in your yard and prevent them from enetring the house.

You should also lay out glue traps near entry points with Solutions Pro boards to monitor for activity.

Step 1 - Apply Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules

Spreading granules

Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules is a reliable granular insecticide that will kill many common insects for up to 90 days. This will significantly reduce the presence of insects, taking away the Wolf Spider's food source.

The typical application rate is 2.3 pounds of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules to treat 1,000 square feet of lawn.

To broadcast the Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules, you could use either a push spreader or a hand spreader like the Plantmates Scatterbox.

While both styles are easy to use, a push spreader may be better suited for larger lawns as it holds more granules and can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time.

If you need to spread granules on a flowerbed, around trees or are covering a smaller area and want to do it quickly yet precisely, the Plantmates Scatterbox hand spreader is ideal.

After measuring the square footage of your lawn (measure and calculate your lawn's length x width), add the appropriate amount of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules to your spreader.

Broadcast the granules uniformly over your entire lawn while walking at a steady pace. Spread the Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules in flower beds, around trees, and places where you have noticed insect activity.

Step 2 - Perimeter Treatment With Supreme IT

outdoor barrier treatment

Supreme IT is a broad-spectrum insecticide that is labeled for treating many pests, including Wolf Spiders.

It works great as a barrier treatment to keep pests away because it has a long residual effect that continues to kill for up to 90 days after application. 

To apply Supreme IT, simply mix water in a hand pump sprayer then add Supreme IT at a rate of 1 oz. per gallon to cover 1,000 sq. ft. 

Apply Supreme IT to your grass, mulch, flowers, bushes, as well as the home’s siding. Spraying around the perimeter of the structure will create a band that will help control Wolf Spiders that try to enter. Spray 3 feet up the structure and 3 feet out.

You can also move your Supreme IT treatment indoors by treating cracks and crevices indoors where Wolf Spiders may be hiding. Spray along baseboards, in garages, under appliances and around windows and doors.

Step 3 - Lay Out Solutions Pro Glue Traps

Lay out Solutions Pro Glue Boards to trap spiders

If the Wolf Spider you encountered in or around your home can't be found, you can try and capture them with Solutions Pro Glue Boards.

They come in increments of 12 which allows for great coverage around areas inside and outside your home for the spider to eventually be captured. 

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

After you have treated your home for Wolf Spiders, you will need to enact some preventative measures so they don't return. 

If you don't want to encounter them in your home again, take some steps in order to make sure that the Wolf Spiders do not invade your home in the first place. Here are some things you can do:

  • Get rid of all sorts of clutter. Furniture, cardboard boxes, debris and other items should never stay in the house for long because the more clutter there is, the more ample hiding spaces Wolf Spiders have.
  • Use caulk and/or copper mesh to seal cracks and points of entry that the Wolf Spider may use to sneak into your home.
  • If any part of your garden or yard is dark and barely gets sun, then you might want to change that. Wolf Spiders are fans of dark spaces and like to hide there.
  • Lastly, spray a quarterly treatment of Supreme IT around your home and yard for continued insect and Wolf Spider control.

Key Takeaways

What Are Wolf Spiders?

  • Wolf Spiders are a hairy, larger-sized spider that is known to burrow in the ground rather than spin webs and moves very quickly.
  • Wolf Spiders are fast-moving and are known to enter homes either in search of insects or warmth when temperatures become cooler.

How To Get Rid of Wolf Spiders

  • Our go-to methods of controlling Wolf Spiders involve a combination of exclusion measures, indoor and outdoor insecticide treatment with Supreme IT and Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules, and trapping using Solutions Pro Glue Boards. 

Preventing Wolf Spider Reinfestation

  • To prevent Wolf Spiders from targeting your home, reduce points of entry into the home and declutter as much as possible.
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