Addison's 3-in-1

Spider Extermination Near You in Toronto

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You want…

• To quickly eliminate a spider infestation from your home, garden or balcony, stop the bites and anxiety caused by this invasive pest...

• An affordable, professional, honest, and warrantied spider exterminator...

• An environmentally conscious treatment that is safe for the whole family, including your pets.

Addison has...

• A trusted history in the GTA

• Decades of experience

• All-inclusive guarantee

• Tried and tested extermination methods

• Highly-rated customer service

• Vigorously trained technicians

• The safest insecticides, kid-and-pet-safe

Here’s what to expect from Addison:

• A no-obligation estimate over the phone in seconds

• Comprehensive answers to all of your questions

• Flexible & fast scheduling with same-day & 24-hour emergency throughout the GTA.

• No hidden service fees or ongoing costs.

Key Facts about Spiders Near The Greater Toronto Area

• Many customers who suffer from an extreme fear of spiders, called arachnophobia, use our spider treatment to keep them protected from spiders year-round.

• The most common species of infesting spider in Ontario are the common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariourum) and the barn funnel weaver (Tegenaria domestica); they are most active in late spring to summer.

• These spiders pose an infestation risk because of the house spider’s high reproductive potential ( approx 3760 offspring in her lifetime!) and the barn funnel weaver’s long lifespan (up to 7 years).

• These spider species live almost exclusively in and around human structures, including homes, apartments, garages and barns

• Spiders feed on insects, and can help to reduce the number of other insect pests in your home

• Neither of these spiders are poisonous, and only bite humans if they are threatened

• Spiders are arachnids which are differentiated from insects because they have 8 rather than 6 legs, and have 2 main body segments (cephalothorax and abdomen)

Step 1: Spider Heat Treatment

Category:

• Physical

Equipment:

• Handheld heat treatment gun

Method:

• Direct heat applied locally to areas of spider concentration such as basements, balconies, storage rooms, window sills, under beds and furniture concentration

Strengths:

• Heat kills spider eggs

• No damage to furniture

• Instantly kills all spiders and egg sacs treated.

• Avoids pesticide resistance

Weakness

• No residual protection

• Only kills the spiders and eggs that are visible and accessible to technicians

• Not sufficient without other complementary extermination techniques.

Step 2: Spider Powder Treatment

Category:

• Physical + Chemical

Equipment:

• Power duster

Method:

• Fine silica dust insecticide injected into all crevices and wall cavities through electrical sockets and gaps underneath baseboards

• Electrical items at risk of infestation, such as a power bars, or electronics in storage are treated with powder

Strengths:

• Cuts up the spider abdomen

• Coats the insides of the wall cavities to create a protective powder barrier around your home.

• No spiders can spread to or from attached houses, adjacent apartments or condo units.

• Essential lasting protection.

• Fully approved by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, safe and non-toxic for humans and animals of all shapes and sizes.

Weakness

• Only suitable for crack and crevice treatment.

Step 3: Spider Spray Treatment

Category:

• Chemical + Residual

Equipment:

• Precision surface sprayer

Method:

• A fine mist of residual spray applied throughout infested area, including basements storage spaces, balconies, decks as well as the backs, sides and bottoms of beds and furniture throughout the home

Strengths:

• Kills spiders on contact and remains active as a protective surface treatment to continue to kill spiders as they come out of hiding

• Keeps your home and furniture protected for up to 6 months

• Fully approved by Ontario Ministry of Environment, safe and non-toxic for humans and animals of all shapes and sizes

Weakness

•  If used improperly, may promote pesticide resistance

Beware of Discount Pest Control

These companies use low quality or low concentration surface sprays with only 10 to 14 days of protection.

• The tip off is when they offer to do a “follow-up spray” two weeks after the first treatment. While this may seem extra thorough, spiders may have adequate prey to remain hidden for several weeks.

• By this time the budget treatment will have long worn off and the new population of spiders will be free to re-infest your home. These budget services can breed pesticide resistance in the bugs in your home, making future treatments increasingly challenging.

How to Identify Spiders Near Toronto

The most common species of infesting spider in Ontario are the common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariourum) and the barn funnel weaver (Tegenaria domestica); they are most active in late spring to summer.

What do spiders look like?

Spiders are part of the class of arachnids which have different anatomy than insects

• 8 legs

• Simple eyes

• No compound eyes

• Two body sections: abdomen and cephalothorax

• No antennae

• No wings

Common House Spider

• Most commonly dull brown, vary from off white to almost black

• Dark stripes that meet at an angle

• Mottled appearance which acts as camouflage

• Eight eyes

• Poor vision, can only see 7-10cm

• Legs are light yellow

• Females

  • 6mm long

  • spherical abdomen

  • lighter than male

• Males

  • up to 4.7 mm

  • elongated abdomen

• Webs

  • tangle type

  • not as sticky as other spider species

  • type most often referred to as ‘cobwebs’

  • do not have the characteristic circular shape

  • may hang down beneath furniture or in basement and collect dust

Barn Funnel weaver

• Dark orange to brown colour

• Two black longitudinal stripes on cephalothorax

• Herring bone pattern of stripes on the abdomen

• Mottled brown and beige appearance acts as camouflage

• Pale yellow setae hairs

• Fairly flattened bodies

• 8 eyes, 6 point forward giving excellent vision for motion

• Striped legs are fairly long

• Very quick runnersFemales: 7.5-11mm

• Males: 6-9mm

Foraging Behaviour

Common House Spider

• Feed on small insects

  • flies, mosquitos, ants, wasps

  • Grasshoppers and butterflies, cockroaches

• Most active from late spring through the summer

• Build webs in areas where there is abundant prey such as balconies, basements, sheds, decks

• Wait for prey in the middle or on an upper edge of web

• May hide themselves underneath a leaf or piece of debris

• Camouflage themselves with the substrate of their webs

• Once an insect is caught in web spider covers it in more silk, injects neurotoxin to paralyze the prey then sucks the juices from the insect for nutrition

Barn Funnel Weaver

• Feeds on small insects such as flies, mosquitos

• Agile hunter

• Fast movement

• Excellent vision for small movements

• Photosensitive, prefer to stay out of light

• Moves in short bursts

• Builds funnel shaped web

• Spun over flat surface such as window sill, corner of a room, densely packed vegetation close to the home

• Webs are funnel shape with a tubular retreat where the spider shelters itself

• Webs can become quite large

• Prey sticks to the surface of the web is quickly dragged inside web and consumed

• Choose damp and dark areas within the home such as basements or cellars

Life Cycle and Reproduction

Common House Spider

• 1 yr lifespan

• Female produces 17 egg sacs = approx 3760 eggs in lifetime

• Egg sac

  • Brownish and teardrop form

  • Made of papery silk

  • 6-9mm diameter

  • Laid in the web

  • Many egg sacs may be laid at the same time

  • Contains 100-400 eggs

• Eggs hatch in 7-10 days

• Hatchlings stay in web for several days

• Male and female share same web

• Many females build webs in similar area

• Do not hibernate like other spiders

Barn Funnel Weaver

• Long lifespan, Up to 7 years

• Produce up to 9 egg sacs in life time

• Egg sac

  • Lay one egg sac per year

  • White in colour

  • Lens-shaped

  • Laid close to or in the web

  • Contains approx 50 eggs

  • Laid in late autumn

• Eggs hatch in early spring

• Males wander within home or garden in search of a mate

• Males reside in nest for several weeks mating several times with female

• Male will die after mating, female consumes body of the male

How do I know if I have a spider infestation?

• Spiders are a common and beneficial insect that lives in cracks and crevices around the home and garden

• Signs of an infestation include, an abundance of live adults, webs or egg sacs around your home or garden

• If you see a single spider it does not mean that you have full scale infestation

• It is common for spiders to build overlapping webs in beneficial feeding areas

• If you begin seeing large groups of spiders more frequently it may be time to consider a professional pest control program

• Spiders area active year-round, seeking shelter inside homes during colder months

Where do I look for a spider infestation?

• Spiders build their webs on the inside or outside of human structures, including homes, garages, apartments, balconies and decks

• Search out undisturbed or elevated areas with plenty of insects to feed on

• Under furniture, between stones, corners of rooms, eaves

• Adjoining edges a room or building

• Undisturbed and dark

How did spiders get into my home near Toronto?

• It is common for spiders to build overlapping webs in beneficial feeding areas

• May enter homes around doors and window with insecure weather stripping

• May travel into home on foodstuffs,

Are spiders we find near Toronto dangerous?

• Constant proximity to humans, makes them accustomed to our behaviour

• Not aggressive

• Will avoid contact with humans

• Will abandon its nest if disturbed excessively

• Spiders feed on a variety of insects, including cockroaches, flies, gnats and other invasive pest species

• Many people are happy to have spiders active in their home, because they reduce the number of other insects

• Only bite humans in self-defence

• House spider bites can cause pain, itchiness and swelling

• Barn funnel weaver bites are largely painless painless

• The venom of most Ontario spiders is not life-threatening to humans

• Spiders do not spread pathogens, bacteria or parasites through their bite

How do I prevent a spider infestation?

Since spiders are such a common animal in the GTA, being proactive is the key to ensuring an spider-free home and garden.

Give us a call today for more information or to schedule same-day spider removal in seconds.

Addison’s spider service includes a comprehensive spider inspection and prevention plan:

• a 360º perimeter inspection of the interior and exterior of your home and garden

• identification of potentially vulnerable access points

• exclusion of the any entry points with spray foam and steel wool

• pheromone baited professional sticky traps to monitor spider activity

Can I prevent a spider infestation on my own?

• Inspect the home, basement and garage to uncover nests and webs

• Use a vacuum cleaner to eliminate live adults, their webs and egg sacs

• Seal all screens, eaves, weather stripping, dryer and exhaust vents

• Check underneath furniture, on balconies, and on decks to find areas where spiders are congregating and feeding on abundant prey

• Eliminate any attractive nesting site that gives access to homes

• Many commercially available traps available to monitor and reduce numbers of spider in the home and garden

How can Addison help eliminate a spider infestation?

• Our goal: remove an infestation as quickly as possible and keep your home pest free for good

• How we accomplish our goal: Combine three pest-control techniques applied on a single appointment on a single day

• All of our treatments use the highest quality and safest insecticides with a long residual value to keep you protected for months

• Guarantee the effectiveness of the treatment to eradicate the infestation completely

• No pest control method is perfect

• With three-part treatment, each method compensates for the shortcomings of the other

• Yields quick and dependable results to eliminate spiders

• Every treatment accompanied by preventative and monitoring measures

• Ongoing protection against future infestations

• Prevention includes:

  • Thorough inspection

  • Entry point sealing

  • Identifying and eliminating feeding sources

  • Sticky traps and other monitoring techniques.

Do spiders bite humans?

• Spiders can bite humans when they are threatened

• They inject a venom which can cause painful itchy welts

• The venom of most Ontario spiders is not life threatening to humans

• Spiders do not spread pathogens, bacteria or parasites through their bite