There are spiders in your house year-round, of course, but September is the month when the greatest number of spiders will make their way into your house.
Why? It’s getting colder out and they’re seeking warmth. Also? It’s spider mating season. Spiders are starting to think about Making Whoopee, and they want to do it at your place.
Spiders, experts tell us, are not scary. In fact, what most spiders do when they get into your domicile is “hide quietly in a corner, munching on little flies and other small insects that wander by.”
Nothing to be terrified of.
Unless, of course, you’re a small insect or little fly.
Still, it may not make you happy to think of your home filling up with spiders, crunching on bugs and making whoopee.
So how exactly do these annoying arachnids get into your house?
So many ways!
They can squeeze through tiny cracks and gaps around doors, windows, walls, pipes and vents.
They can come in when doors or unscreened windows are opened, even briefly.
They can infiltrate ventilation systems and ductwork.
They can “hitchhike” in on stuff you bring inside, like delivery boxes.
They can get into your home on plants, firewood and camping equipment, or via poorly sealed basements and crawl spaces.
They can even ride in on the dog!
Or slip in through a pet door.
What should you do about these unwanted intruders?
Although one article advises that you get in the habit of inspecting everything you bring into your house for spiders, if that’s not how you want to live, you really don’t have to do anything.
The rule of thumb, experts say, is this:
If the spider isn’t bothering you, then don’t bother it.
That being said, arachnologists acknowledge that spiders just give some folks the creeps. If you can’t tolerate their presence, expert advice is to “simply use a cup and piece of paper to capture and move the spider outside.”
Where it can bide its time and then catch a ride back in on the dog.
My own method? I suck them off the wall with the Dust Buster!
It may not be kind or gentle, but it gets the job done.
Whether you co-exist with or destroy the arachnid trespassers under your roof, I hope you have a great September!
(Roz Warren who writes for everyone from the Funny Times to the New York Times, and has appeared on both Morning Edition and the Today Show, is the author of Our Bodies, Our Shelves: A Collection of Library Humor and Just Another Day at Your Local Public Library, both available from HumorOutcasts Press. You can reach Roz at roSwarren@gmail.com.)