Help with Orb Weavers

[7mary3]

All:

I never thought I'd post inquiring about how to get RID of spiders, but we've got a major problem at my wife's workplace.

The exterior of the building is literally COVERED in Araneidae at night. In the summer, my wife works at a daycare that keeps late hours since school is out (she's a teacher). The problem has gotten so bad that parents aren't even coming in the building to pick up their children.

Because of the nature of the business, the owner of course doesn't wan't to use pesticides. Obviously my wife and I would rather not kill these spiders, but the problem is truly out of hand. Can anyone offer any suggestions that would be effective and non toxic?

THANK YOU!

 

[Vespula]

Try collecting them and relocating them to a nearby place where they're not in the way? They're not dangerous, so there shouldn't really be a need to remove them by killing them. Reloctation is the best bet, in my opinion.

 

[7mary3]

I appreciate the response but I don't think you understand the magnitude of the problem. They've tried knocking webs down etc, and we are talking well over a thousand orb weavers. They've even powerwashed the buliding three times in the past month trying to help clear way the silk and egg sacks.

Yes, that number will eventually shrink, but it is causing a serious issue at the workplace right now.

I love spiders, and I know they're (orbs) are harmless. But the parents of the kids that go to this daycare don't know this and frankly don't care. Truly the number of spiders is disgusting, even for an arachnophile like me.


As I said, we don't want to have to kill them, but relocating all of these spiders is not an option.

 

[Travis K]

That is a tough one. You could use Sevin to remove them but you would want to do it during a time of low occupancy. Asthmatics can be sensitive to pesticides, but that is really the only effective way to rid the building of the spiders that I know of.

Good luck,