How to Find & Seal the Hidden Cracks Spiders Use to Get in Your Home

You keep finding spiders in your Spotsylvania home no matter how many you eliminate. You vacuum up webs, squash the ones you see, and still—more spiders. That's because they're getting in through cracks you probably don't even know exist.

Spiders only need a gap the width of a credit card to squeeze through. Your home has dozens of these entry points, and until you find and seal them, you're fighting a losing battle.

How Spiders Enter Your Home

Foundation cracks

Walk around your foundation and look for cracks, even hairline ones. Settlement cracks are common in Virginia homes and they widen over time. It’s a good idea to check where the foundation meets the siding. It’s here that there's often a gap there that homeowners miss.

Window and door frames

The caulk around window frames deteriorates over time. Try pulling on it. If it's crumbly or comes away easily, it needs replacing. Door frames settle and create gaps between the frame and the wall. Check the threshold too, especially on older doors where the weather stripping has compressed.

Utility entrances

Where pipes, cables, and wires enter your home, there's usually a gap. It’s possible that previous owners might have caulked it once, but even if that is the case, there is a good chance the caulk is probably cracked now and needs replacement. Other common entry points include around outdoor faucets, air conditioning lines, dryer vents, and electrical meters.

Attic and crawl space vents

Most vents have screens, but those screens tend to get damaged or develop gaps at the edges. When that happens, spiders can walk right through torn screens or slip through gaps where the vent frame doesn't sit flush against the house.

Behind siding and shutters

Vinyl siding develops gaps at corners and seams. Decorative shutters create hidden spaces between the shutter and the wall. These are invisible from the ground but create protected pathways for spiders across your entire exterior.

Chimney caps and dampers

If your chimney doesn't have a properly fitted cap with mesh sides, spiders can drop straight down. Check your damper as well. If it doesn't seal tight, you've got a permanent opening that allows spiders to easily access your home.

Garage doors

These tend to have rubber seals at the bottom. But repeated use causes these seals to take a beating, and between that and the weather exposure, they’ll eventually crack. The same is true for side seals. Be sure to check these seals, and while at it, make sure your garage door itself is level.

How to Seal Spider Entry Points

To seal spider entry points, you’ll need to use the right materials. That includes exterior-grade caulk for outside gaps and interior caulk for inside. You’ll need weatherstripping for doors and windows, and expanding foam for larger gaps (but be careful with this because too much can warp frames). You’ll also need copper or stainless steel mesh for areas that need ventilation.

After applying these seals, check them annually. Caulk breaks down. Weatherstripping compresses. Homes settle and new gaps appear. That means it’s wise to make checking seals part of your fall maintenance before spider activity peaks.

Don't forget the basement and crawl space. These areas have the most entry points and get checked the least. Spiders that get into basements eventually find their way upstairs.

Why Professional Spider Control Still Helps

Even perfect sealing won't catch everything. Some spiders were already inside before you sealed up. Others will find the gaps you inevitably missed. And some are just better at squeezing through than you thought possible.

At Mosquito Squad of Fredericksburg, our spider control treatments work alongside your sealing efforts. We treat the exterior of your home to stop spiders before they reach entry points. We also go after the areas where spiders rest and the spots where they build webs.

Combined with proper sealing, professional treatments give you the most effective spider control. You're not just reacting to spiders you see, but rather you're preventing them from getting inside in the first place.

Need Spotsylvania Spider Control?

Sealing your home takes time and attention, but it's one of the most effective things you can do for spider control. Focus on finding the hidden cracks most people miss and use proper materials to seal them.

If you need help doing this or you have too many spiders to handle, reach out today for dependable Spotsylvania spider control. You can call Mosquito Squad of Fredericksburg at (540) 510-8445 or contact us online for a free assessment and quote.

Read about our 100% customer satisfaction guarantee!