Anyone have any tips to minimize the spiders on a dock? The dock behind my lake house there are just spiders everywhere, webs being built as fast as I can knock them down. Any safe chemicals I can use?

I HAVE SAME PROBLEM ON MY PORCH. I CANNOT KILL THOSE DURN SPIDERS. HELP?

A Bug Zapper will kep the numbers down, and a good old torch usually burns them out of house and home. Just make sure you don't burn down your dock. Basically, you need to keep the area as free of insects as possible. (hard to do on the water) and just keep tearing up their webs. Some will leave, others will die, and still others will become pets. Some spiders are more stubborn than others.

You could try moth balls and Tobasco Sauce in the corners of the roofing also.

a can of Raid will do the trick. Get up early and hit them while they are still sleeping in the middle of their web's.

If you do not want to use chemicals, use a broom, early, sweep the webs which will load the spiders on to the broom. Bump the broom on the side of the dock to knock the spiders into the water and the fish will eat them (or spray the broom with Raid.). Works for me.

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GOOD FISHING.


ERNEST
"I LIVE FOR THE THUMP"

HERE IN PITTSBURG AROUND THE BOAT HOUSES WE USE A PRODUCT CALLED "DEMON". IT IS A WATER SOLUABLE POWDER THAT CAN BE USED IN A PUMP-UP GARDEN SPRAYER. IT WORKS VERY WELL. WILL LAST 8-10 WEEKS BEFORE REAPPYLING. I PURCHASE MINE AT PILGRIMS FEED HOUSE.

The main problem is the dirtdaubers. The spiders catch them food and the dirtduabers catch the spiders for their larva to eat. So, spray the "Demon" where the dirtdaubers make nest and the spiders will go away. Spray all surfaces first to kill them all off then just keep the dirtdaubers nest off.

I WOULD LIKE MORE INFO ON "DEMON" CAN YOU EMAIL ME MANUFACTUURE OR MAYBE DEALERS CLOSER TO DALLAS? I ASSUME YOU ARE IN PITTSBURG TX?

Last year we hung baggies 3/4 filled with water to keep the flys away. I noticed the spiders were pretty scarce after I hung a couple in the boat house. My intention was to get rid of the flys, but I'm thinking it helps with spiders too.

At the Grapevine marinas, people line their slips with, small flags, (the ones you string up for decoration), or tinsle type stuff. It's supposed to keep the spiders off. I think the bags of water may be a variation of that for the spiders.

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steve pine

HERE IS INFO ON "DEMON" SYNGENTA CROP PROTECTION; 1-800-334-9481; WWW.SYNGENTA-US.COM

if you want, get a small handheld can of gas with nozzle, and just heat the area every once-and-a-while. make sure the nozzle is made for dispesing heat not concentrating it. its cheap and can last since gas is cheap for refils, kinda fun in a destructive way....

FOUND DEMON AT UNIVAR PEST CONTROL IN DALLAS/GARLAND AREA. 420 GRAMS (ALMOST A POUND) FOR $53.19 AND IT MAKES APP. 40 GAL AT NORMAL CONCENTRATION. 214-503-7556 THANKS DLALLDER

I sold pest control contracts for a while and two things get rid of spiders without chemicals. Snakes, and less bugs. If you get a fly zapper put it AWAY from where you are having the problem. The flys are attracted to the light, and the spiders will be attracted to the flys.

I put mine on the end of my yard away from my porch and the flying insects go to it and away from my porch. No bugs, no spiders.

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"I fish therefore I lie"

Just to expand on what Bassdreamer said, spiders eat bugs. It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet for them around a boat dock. If the spiders weren't around, then you would probably get run out of there due to massive amounts of insects. It's easier said than done, but get rid of the food (bugs) and you'll get rid of the spiders.

Also, lizards and frogs eat bugs too. You could transplant some geckos and frogs and that might help also.

[This message has been edited by Kevin_S (edited 06-22-2003).]