Why Do I See More Spiders as Fall Approaches?
There is no single reason spider sightings increase this time of year.
Many spiders spend the warmer months developing, so by late summer they are larger and easier to see. Webs that might have gone unnoticed earlier in the season can also become much more obvious around porches, eaves, windows, and landscaping.
But not every spider waits in a web. Hunting spiders can also become easier to notice as they move through yards, garages, patios, and other areas in search of prey.
So the change you are noticing may be a combination of spiders reaching maturity, more visible web activity, active hunting, available prey, and occasional movement indoors.
Why Are There Spider Webs All Over My Porch?
For web-building spiders, location matters.
A porch light that attracts moths and other flying insects can also create a good hunting location for a spider. The same is true around garage lights, windows, eaves, deck railings, and other areas where insects regularly gather or pass through.
That helps explain why you can remove a web from one corner only to find another web in the same general area several days later.
Landscaping can contribute as well. Shrubs, trees, groundcover, and other vegetation provide shelter for insects and spiders, especially when plants grow close to the house.
The important connection is not that spiders are particularly attracted to siding, porches, or garages. They are looking for places where they can find food and suitable shelter.
If the spiders you are seeing are building tangled webs around windows, corners, or other sheltered areas, Bizzy Bee’s house spider identification guide can help you learn more about one common web-building spider found around homes.
What About Spiders That Don't Build Webs?
A spider running across the garage floor is behaving very differently from one sitting in a web beside the porch light.
Wolf spiders are a good local example. Instead of using a web to capture prey, they hunt insects and other small arthropods. They are primarily active at night and can be found in yards, around structures, and occasionally inside homes.
That means an increase in spider sightings does not always come with an increase in webs.
You might notice a hunting spider near the garage door, along a basement wall, on a patio, or moving across a floor after dark. Garages in particular provide an easy transition between outdoor and indoor spaces because the large door regularly opens and small gaps around the structure can provide additional access.
Finding one hunting spider indoors does not automatically mean there is an infestation somewhere in the house. Repeated sightings, however, are worth paying attention to.
Does Having Spiders Mean My Home Has Too Many Bugs?
Not necessarily, although the two can be connected.
Spiders need prey. Outdoors, that can mean flies, moths, mosquitoes, crickets, and many other small insects and arthropods. Indoors, spiders can take advantage of whatever prey is available.
Think about a porch light that has insects flying around it every evening. A web-building spider setting up nearby has found a productive feeding location. A hunting spider moving through a garage can similarly encounter insects attracted to or entering that space.
Seeing a spider does not automatically mean you have another pest problem. But repeated spider sightings can sometimes go hand in hand with insect activity, since those insects provide the prey spiders need.
Why Are Spiders Coming Inside My House?
Spiders can enter through many of the same small openings other pests use, including gaps around doors and windows and openings where utilities or other building components pass through exterior walls.
Sometimes they simply wander inside.
Protected areas such as garages, basements, crawl spaces, storage rooms, and seldom-disturbed corners can also provide places for spiders to remain out of sight.
Will Spider Activity Continue Into Fall?
It can.
September does not mark the beginning or end of a single, clearly defined "spider season." Different spiders have different life cycles and behaviors, and weather conditions also influence what homeowners see.
Around Georgia and Upstate South Carolina, outdoor spider activity can remain noticeable as we move into fall. Wolf spiders and some other outdoor spiders may also wander into homes and other protected spaces as the season progresses.
That is more accurate than the common explanation that spiders simply rush indoors because they are cold. Some do enter structures as conditions change, but spiders can show up inside for several reasons, including accidental entry, shelter, and access to prey.
You may therefore continue noticing activity around porches, garages, entryways, basements, crawl spaces, and other areas over the coming weeks.
When Should I Be Concerned About Spiders Around My Home?
Seeing an occasional spider is normal around homes in Georgia and Upstate South Carolina, particularly during the warmer months when insects and spiders are both active.
It becomes more reasonable to call for pest control when spiders are showing up inside frequently, webs keep returning around the house, activity is concentrated around doors and other entry areas, or you are also seeing significant insect activity.
You should also use caution around spiders you cannot identify, rather than picking them up or handling them with your bare hands.
How Can Bizzy Bee Help With Spiders?
When spiders keep appearing around your home, dealing with the ones you happen to see is only part of the solution.
Bizzy Bee’s residential pest control plans include year-round protection for spiders and other common household pests, along with exterior pest treatments, interior treatments as needed, and exterior de-webbing.
If webs keep returning around the porch or spiders are becoming regular visitors in the garage or indoors, Bizzy Bee can evaluate the activity and recommend the right residential pest control plan for your home.
Bizzy Bee provides residential pest control throughout Georgia and parts of South Carolina, including communities across Metro Atlanta and Upstate South Carolina.
Contact Bizzy Bee Exterminators to request a free quote.
