How do avoid Spiders? (Long Beach, Needles: apartments, health insurance, condo)

[sh1nt0]

My wife & I moved to LA recently and my wife is terrified of Spiders, really terrified. As luck would have it, we encounter one every few days and it bothers her a lot. Now its so bad that my wife keeps all windows and doors shut at all times and always looks around first before stepping into any room. Its driving her crazy and its at a point where we probably will have to move. Needless to say this comes at a substantial financial hit and I'm trying to figure out how best to deal with this. I did some research and I wanted to get everyone's thoughts on my options.

1. Arachnophobia Treatment
Has anyone gone through this treatment & can speak to its effectiveness long term. I'm not sure I can convince my wife to go through this, but I want to give it a shot.

2. Exterminator
I'm not a fan of this primarily because I don't want all these chemicals inside my home (although there are some green alternatives). If you had a spider problem and went this route, can you tell me how it went.

3. Moving
This is the most extreme option & I'm trying to figure out what I can do to ensure this isn't a problem where we move next.

3.1. Are there generally more spiders in LA vs NY?
Do they like warm/low humidity/low precipitation conditions? We see lots of spider webs on bushes and trees & benches when we walk around our neighborhood. This is not something we experienced in NY. Does the frequent rain wash them away. Does the cold kill them?

3.2. Are spiders drawn to large/old trees?
We have a massive pine tree right next to our home and tons of trees & bushes in our area. Its a lot greener here in LA than the very urban area we used to live in NY, so I thought more greenery = more spiders. However, we lived in a much greener part of NY at one point and even there we didn't have a spider problem. The difference is that all the large trees were a good 50-100 feet from our home and we were on the third floor of a mid-rise building. Here in LA, we're right next to a giant tree.

3.3. Are spiders more common in houses vs a condo/apartments in a mid/high-rise?
We lived in the NY in mid-rise and high-rise buildings and never had any bugs. Now in LA we live in a house. It has way more windows and doors and I'm guessing more entry points = more spiders.

3.4. Do older buildings have more bugs?
We've always lived in new(ish) buildings that were built in the last 5-10 years and never had any bugs. Our current home in LA was built in the 80s. Presumably, older home would have more cracks and crevices that make it easier for bugs to get in. The home also has poorer insulation/windows, etc so I'm guessing there are many ways for bugs to get in.

Apologies for the long winded post.

[OptimusPrime69]

2 things:

1. Therapy for your wife.
2. pest control once a month.

[Texamichiforniasota]

There are lots of spiders in LA, more than any other city I've lived in. Still, while I see lots outside, it isn't too common for me to find one in my house, maybe 1-2x/ month. Crickets get in a lot more frequently, and are much more difficult to catch. My house is quite a bit older than yours, so I don't know that that is really making any difference in how many spiders you are getting. Regular exterminator visit could probably make a difference, though we've never used one for bugs or spiders. Otherwise, if it is that big of a deal for your wife, you may have to leave California, because it is a spidery state.

[saibot]

You can get an exterminator for the inside of your house, but I recommend that you do not attempt to kill all the spiders that exist outside. You won't be able to, for one thing, and for another this is very bad for the environment.

Yes, spiders like big trees and dense bushes. No, rain does not wash them away and it's not cold enough here to kill them, but you will see more large spiders and webs outside in the fall and more small ones inside in warm weather.

Either moving (back to a high-rise?) or therapy sound to me like your only real options. A lot of people aren't fond of spiders (I like them myself) but your wife's reactions are well beyond the normal range. A good therapist may be able to desensitize her somewhat, but if not, then this location is not for you.

[sh1nt0]

Originally Posted by Texamichiforniasota

There are lots of spiders in LA, more than any other city I've lived in. Still, while I see lots outside, it isn't too common for me to find one in my house, maybe 1-2x/ month. Crickets get in a lot more frequently, and are much more difficult to catch. My house is quite a bit older than yours, so I don't know that that is really making any difference in how many spiders you are getting. Regular exterminator visit could probably make a difference, though we've never used one for bugs or spiders. Otherwise, if it is that big of a deal for your wife, you may have to leave California, because it is a spidery state.

Thanks for confirming that. I wasn't sure if CA has more spiders in general or if it was something specific with my house/neighborhood. Any chance you know if the situation is better in NorCal vs SoCal?

[sh1nt0]

Originally Posted by saibot

You can get an exterminator for the inside of your house, but I recommend that you do not attempt to kill all the spiders that exist outside. You won't be able to, for one thing, and for another this is very bad for the environment.

Yes, spiders like big trees and dense bushes. No, rain does not wash them away and it's not cold enough here to kill them, but you will see more large spiders and webs outside in the fall and more small ones inside in warm weather.

Either moving (back to a high-rise?) or therapy sound to me like your only real options. A lot of people aren't fond of spiders (I like them myself) but your wife's reactions are well beyond the normal range. A good therapist may be able to desensitize her somewhat, but if not, then this location is not for you.

Yes, I agree. I'm hoping someone who's gone through therapy can chime in and share their experience.

[lostsoul359]

What kind of spiders are you talking about?
Pest control is 2 cats not chemicals for me.
Daddy long leg spiders trap and eat the mosquitos and the mosquitos are more dangerous.

[TBQEgg11]

1. Getting therapy costs time and money. You can do that yourself by explaining to your wife those spiders are not that scary. I lived in Long Beach ( LA county) and saw a few spiders in old houses, but they were harmless ones. I heard about black widows but haven't seen one in over 20 years living in Southern CA.



For the therapy matter, you can trap a few spiders. Jail them in a box for a few days to weaken them, or spray them with water,( forgive me for being mean, I love animal, but I don't like bugs ), wait for your wife in a good mood, then let her kill them together with you. Note : The spiders have to be weak in powerless state and not be able to jump all over the places, otherwise this experience will have negative effect). Repeat this process a few times. Bury the poor spiders in the ground close to the plants for fertilize purpose. This self-therapy would take some time and effort, but it's surely cheaper than taking your wife to a psychologist. I'm not sure if health insurance covering Arachnophobia treatment.




2. HD and Lowes carry Bug stop and pest killer in one gallon ones for less than $10 each. These work just as good as Raid, but much cheaper with much less offensive fume. These liquids also work for ants and roaches. You can spray them around the houses at the walls' bottom parts, esp at the cracks and around the trees, bushes.... This will keep the bugs away for a while until you re-spray them, esp after the rains.

[sh1nt0]

Originally Posted by lostsoul359

What kind of spiders are you talking about?
Pest control is 2 cats not chemicals for me.
Daddy long leg spiders trap and eat the mosquitos and the mosquitos are more dangerous.

I'm not entirely sure, but my best guess is that they are Wolf Spiders. They don't build webs and we usually see them running across the floor or sitting still on the wall behind a door or window trim. We have a cat who is probably as terrified of them as my wife. Spiders don't bother me at all and I usually don't even notice them, but my wife somehow does!

[sh1nt0]

Originally Posted by TBQEgg11

1. Getting therapy costs time and money. You can do that yourself by explaining to your wife those spiders are not that scary. I lived in Long Beach ( LA county) and saw a few spiders in old houses, but they were harmless ones. I heard about black widows but haven't seen one in over 20 years living in Southern CA.

For the therapy matter, you can trap a few spiders. Jail them in a box for a few days to weaken them, or spray them with water,( forgive me for being mean, I love animal, but I don't like bugs ), wait for your wife in a good mood, then let her kill them together with you. Note : The spiders have to be weak in powerless state and not be able to jump all over the places, otherwise this experience will have negative effect). Repeat this process a few times. Bury the poor spiders in the ground close to the plants for fertilize purpose. This self-therapy would take some time and effort, but it's surely cheaper than taking your wife to a psychologist. I'm not sure if health insurance covering Arachnophobia treatment.

2. HD and Lowes carry Bug stop and pest killer in one gallon ones for less than $10 each. These work just as good as Raid, but much cheaper with much less offensive fume. These liquids also work for ants and roaches. You can spray them around the houses at the walls' bottom parts, esp at the cracks and around the trees, bushes.... This will keep the bugs away for a while until you re-spray them, esp after the rains.

Thanks, this is actually a great tip, especially the 'slowing them down' part. The speed at which they move is what freaks her out the most, so this is definitely worth a shot. Now if only somehow I can convince her to give it a shot.

I tried spraying the outside with Ortho Home Defense, but it didn't have a noticeable impact. I couldn't get to the roof, so that may be an entry point. Maybe there's already a decent population inside. I also tried a 'green' spray indoors but it wasn't very effective. Maybe having a professional do it will yield better results.