Double Trouble: Ants And Spiders In San Diego Can Be Tricky

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D.I.Y. pest control professionals in San Diego might not think of ants and spiders as being related pests, but they’re much more related than you think. If you’ve got a house full of ants, you’ll likely wind up with a house full of spiders since the ants provide food for the spiders. The good news is that if the ants attract the spiders, preventing the ants can go a long way to preventing the spiders. 

The Types Of Ants In San Diego

There are many ant species in our area that home and business owners may have to deal with at some point. Argentine ants and carpenter ants in San Diego are two of the most common culprits for infestations. Argentine ants are just a nuisance, but carpenter ants can be a huge problem. Like termites, These ants chew through wood and can do massive damage to your home if you let them. 

The Spiders You Are Likely To Encounter In San Diego

We have several different kinds of spiders in San Diego that you might encounter as a home or business owner. All spiders are venomous, but most of the spiders you’ll find in and around your home don’t have venom potent enough to do any serious harm. However, three spiders might be able to inflict a medically significant bite. These are: 

  • The western black widow
  • The brown widow
  • The desert recluse

None of these spiders is considered a mortal threat to grown adults, though children could be vulnerable to widow bites, and widow bites can cause systemic symptoms in adults, including nausea, vomiting, and muscle spasms. The desert recluse can cause necrosis around the site of the bite, but its venom is also unlikely to put your life in danger. Despite this fact, it’s essential to get medical attention after receiving a bite from these spiders. 

Deterring Pests In San Diego Can Be Easy To Do

As we mentioned above, ants attract spiders because spiders eat them. This means your first line of defense against both ants and spiders is to keep ants away from your property. To do this: 

  • Keep all indoor and outdoor trash on your property covered with tight lids. 
  • Seal all cracks and holes in your home’s exterior to make it hard for ants to enter. 
  • Clean up immediately after all meals – including pet meals – and don’t leave dirty dishes sitting in the sink. 
  • Don’t leave pet foods sitting out for pets. Feed them at mealtimes and clean up uneaten foods. 
  • Store all pantry foods in airtight containers to mask smells. 

Taking these prevention measures won’t just help you avoid an ant infestation, but it can also help keep your property safe from other pests too, such as cockroaches and silverfish. 

This, in turn, can help you avoid attracting spiders. Spiders don’t have any reason to come into your home if nothing is crawling or flying around for them to eat. So if you don’t have any other infestations, you should not wind up with a spider problem. If you want to take additional spider-prevention measures, do things like sweeping away cobwebs wherever you find them or clearing clutter to eliminate spider hiding spots. 

Residential Pest Control For San Diego Homeowners

If you wind up with a spider or an ant problem, we can handle both here at Allswell Here. Our pest control experts can ensure that all’s well in your home, so you can live your best pest-free life.