# Killing pest bugs in the home without harming T's?



## fttwinmomma (Mar 12, 2013)

Is this even possible? There are some pest bugs I need to prevent in my home but I am worried about anything that I use effecting my T's. And unfortunately just encouraging house spiders isn't enough. Any help/feedback would be most appreciated!


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## spiderengineer (Mar 12, 2013)

fttwinmomma said:


> Is this even possible? There are some pest bugs I need to prevent in my home but I am worried about anything that I use effecting my T's. And unfortunately just encouraging house spiders isn't enough. Any help/feedback would be most appreciated!


tell us what kind of pest would be helpful. some can potentially be eradicate with natural things. put if you need to use chemicals like big bombs then you need to remove your T while you are doing it.


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## fttwinmomma (Mar 12, 2013)

Well I prefer not to have to use chemicals since I also have two toddlers and a dog. But I would say silverfish, fleas(currently not a problem but have had it happen in the past) and roaches really. I guess more of a preventative approach is what we are trying to take. Silverfish I see all the time, the other two I don't but would like to make sure it doesn't happen..


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## spiderengineer (Mar 12, 2013)

fttwinmomma said:


> Well I prefer not to have to use chemicals since I also have two toddlers and a dog. But I would say silverfish, fleas(currently not a problem but have had it happen in the past) and roaches really. I guess more of a preventative approach is what we are trying to take. Silverfish I see all the time, the other two I don't but would like to make sure it doesn't happen..


well if its about prevention more than anything than a clean house is the best route to go. ie no food crumbs lying around no food source for roaches.


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## Zeezums (Mar 12, 2013)

most chemicals that they spray require a spider to walk across it, and thats what kills them. your Ts should be ok... I live in an apartment with 40+ Ts of all sizes and care levels and Ive only recently lost one (not sure why.. tiny sling.. had it for over a month and it never ate. I figured a molt was coming but it just death curled... Kelly swift replaced it though! AWESOME GUY!). I do have a dubia colony now im a little concerned about... but ive never been worried about my Ts. They dont have a special room either, theyre just in my living room... exposed to all elements including cigarette smoke sometimes! 

I digress this may not work for everyone, but ive had a couple conversations with the bug guy regarding the health of my Ts and hes assured me they would be ok and they have been! Ive lived here a year and a half now and everyones fine, if not better!

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## fttwinmomma (Mar 12, 2013)

spiderengineer said:


> well if its about prevention more than anything than a clean house is the best route to go. ie no food crumbs lying around no food source for roaches.


you saying I have a dirty house!? Lol jk  jk!  I agree but in my town we have seen a lot of roach infestations(makes me shudder) so just wanted to lay down a barrier for any wondering nasties. Plus I still have silverfish I would like to get rid of. And ok I think the pest people that used to spray our house years back mentioned that spiders have to walk across it. I'd rather not kill the spiders..


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## spiderengineer (Mar 12, 2013)

fttwinmomma said:


> Wtf you saying I have a dirty house!? Lol jk  jk!  I agree but in my town we have seen a lot of roach infestations(makes me shudder) so just wanted to lay down a barrier for any wondering nasties. Plus I still have silverfish I would like to get rid of. And ok I think the pest people that used to spray our house years back mentioned that spiders have to walk across it. I'd rather not kill the spiders..


well I am not sure about how effective it works, but my mom bought one of those ultra sonic noise machines. supposedly drive mammals and things with antenna nuts so they don't want to go near the source. again can not vouch for the validity.

as far as the walking part. yes the spray chemical normal they need to be contact with it, but their is also areasol methods I.E. fumigation.


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## fttwinmomma (Mar 12, 2013)

Agreed but the most I would do would be to spray the baseboards with something. I feel the bug bombs should be reserved for an actual infestation. I'll have to look into those noise  machines.  Seen 'em just skeptical..


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## iPippin (Mar 12, 2013)

Anything that can kill pests will kill your tarantula. Just bring them outside your house or put the ts in your car then spray your insect killer inside your house. Give it a day or less then you can put back your ts in the house. Or just wait for the smell of insect killer to vanish


I am no expert but this works for my ts and roaches haha


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## fttwinmomma (Mar 12, 2013)

Hmm so a day or two at most out of the house would be enough? I may have to have someone hold my little guys for me then..


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## iPippin (Mar 12, 2013)

fttwinmomma said:


> Hmm so a day or two at most out of the house would be enough? I may have to have someone hold my little guys for me then..


Just a few hours. But just to be safe, if you can no longer smell even a hint of insect killer spray, wait for 2 more hours. tarantulas are hardy anyway. You'll have to directly spray the insect killer unto the tarantula for it to die. Heck, it's also hard to kill roaches. They get to live a few more hours once you spray 5 seconds of insect killer on them. Lol. Also, be minimal when it comes to spraying the insect killer. A few seconds of spraying is enough to drive them away. Direct cotact is needed for it to kill something so if you want a roach infestation to end, find the home then bomb it with insect killer spray. 
Based from experience, we spray our house each night with it but still, we will always find a lone roach scurrying our house. The best a spray could do is drive them away if there is no direct contact

---------- Post added 03-12-2013 at 10:51 AM ----------

And I guess the science with insect killer sprays is that they evaporate really fast. I am no chemist but i know that they evaporate fast. So once it vaporizes, the gas particles would just diffuse and in a few hours, the gas is too diffused that traces of that insect killer spray is negligible to kill something. They just drive away the pests temporarily then once the smell of insect killer is gone, they come back and scavenge for food. Idk. I'm just guessing. Haha. But our pests always come back no matter what we do.. T.T it takes a lifetime to battle those darn pests

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## Oreo (Mar 12, 2013)

Release a few OBTs to clean-up the roaches! Jp of course. I think keeping the house clean might be the best preventative measure. Re-locating your critters while you spray the problem areas could work also. I wouldn't bother with any bug bombs unless you see any pests. I've had some black widow sacs hatch out indoors and the spiderlings were everywhere! That was a year ago and I haven't had any problems since after just spot cleaning the slings. Maybe I'll eat my words if I sit on a widow and get bit.


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## fttwinmomma (Mar 12, 2013)

Ha! I have been debating the pros/cons of catching some spiders and letting them free range in my house! Maybe that's the answer..

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## prairiepanda (Mar 12, 2013)

Those ultrasonic noise machines DO have an effect, but that doesn't mean they'll keep pests out of your house. And they also affect young people, so it would rude to expose your children to that. When I was in high school I kept getting migraines whenever I walked past my neighbor's house because of those things. (He got rid of them and the problem stopped)

Roaches wandering through won't stay in your house unless they find food. So sweep up crumbs right away and keep cereals etc. in sealed plastic containers. As for the silverfish, I'd try the sprays that have already been suggested.


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## SuzukiSwift (Mar 12, 2013)

Anyone know how to kill mosquitoes? They always come into my room (where my Ts are) and I obviously can't use the plug in poison things so I sleep with an electric bat but I keep missing, any other ideas?


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## poisoned (Mar 13, 2013)

SuzukiSwift said:


> Anyone know how to kill mosquitoes? They always come into my room (where my Ts are) and I obviously can't use the plug in poison things so I sleep with an electric bat but I keep missing, any other ideas?


Mosquito nets?


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## fttwinmomma (Mar 13, 2013)

There are some essential oils and herbs that are natural repellents. I'll look them up sometime today and get back with an answer. I know lemongrass is one..

---------- Post added 03-13-2013 at 09:59 AM ----------




SuzukiSwift said:


> Anyone know how to kill mosquitoes? They always come into my room (where my Ts are) and I obviously can't use the plug in poison things so I sleep with an electric bat but I keep missing, any other ideas?


Here is what I came up with the first is just a repellent, the second is a killer
In a spray bottle, mix and shake well to blend:2 cups*witch hazel15 drops*citronella essential oil15 drops*lemongrass essential oil5 drops*lavender essential oil5 drops*peppermint essential oil*
or
1. Listerine Mouthwash2. Dish soap3. Vinegar4. Water5. Spray bottle (Windex)6. (1 cup) measuring cup
( http://m.instructables.com/id/Mosquito-Killer/)


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## iPippin (Mar 13, 2013)

fttwinmomma said:


> Ha! I have been debating the pros/cons of catching some spiders and letting them free range in my house! Maybe that's the answer..


Try that once you've already hatched an egg sac. Haha!

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## sugarsandz (Mar 14, 2013)

Would a pest spray that kills fleas not also kills spiders? I'm no expert on insecticides I'm just confused. I used stuff before I ever owned any tarantulas that was used to eradicate fleas for up to like three or four months and it worked wonders. Fleas are really uncommon here so I thankfully don't have to worry about them. As far as flea prevention vacuuming is super important and like others said for roaches just keeping food picked up and the house clean. I like silverfish and have never had an actual infestation so like any other little buggies I find I either put them outside or if it's winter I just leave them be. I told my parents I saw a tiny house spider last month and they asked what I did with it lol. . . I was like well I didn't do anything, it crawled into a crack and went about its business as did I lol.


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## Curious jay (Mar 14, 2013)

If you want to go the natural route I'd advise getting some Steatoda (grossa, triangulosa are easy to find for me) and set them up around your window seals and any other entry point you want them. They're prolific breeders and lack a potent bite to humans unlike L. Mactans. Also very discreet and secretive most of the time invisible bar the odd web and they will eat anything.... I really do mean anything. 5x their size? No problems. 

Another option is mixing washing detergent and water I'm unsure of the ratio maybe 1 table spoon of detergent per litre of water and apply that to the areas of concern (using a spray bottle or something) its a very effective bug killer and saves money on paying for a brand name that effectively does the same thing.

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## brezo (Mar 14, 2013)

IF u bathe in mosquitos you have stationary water near by your house in which they reproduce. Eliminate all stationary water like ponds, barrels(if u have any for watering, seal it off,..), and other stuff that might be filled with water.


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## jezzy607 (Mar 14, 2013)

As an expert in the field (MS 06, BS 03 entomology Purdue U. + several years in the industry) I feel I can give you a little advice. First and foremost Ultrasonic devices DO NOT work, but because of propriety protections and what not, they are allowed to continue advertising as such. Pest populations naturally cycle up and down, that combined with a placebo effect results in anecdotal evidence of efficacy. The sound waves have never been proven to have any effect on insect behavior or physiology (sorry I don't have a specific lit. reference).

Aerosol + Tarantulas or feeders = dead tarantulas or feeders.

A residual crack and crevice treatment is a common preventative strategy. In this case invertebrates will only die if they come in direct contact with the treated area.

Silverfish love our homes whether they are clean or dirty, the older the home, the more they like it. I encourage everyone to erase from their memory that silverfish are "bad and disgusting" they are not a pest at all except that people just don't like to see them and can't shake the "old wives tale" that they represent filth or poverty.

It is best to treat roaches with bait (best done by a professional) after one has been seen in the kitchen. A great idea is to preserve the roach dead or alive and have it id'd by a knowledgeable professional. There are some roaches that aren't really household pests, but may wander inside now and then (Parcoblatta sp.).

I find a slap with the hand as the best way to get rid of mosquitoes in the house

I'll stop there for now.

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## spiderengineer (Mar 14, 2013)

jezzy607 said:


> As an expert in the field (MS 06, BS 03 entomology Purdue U. + several years in the industry) I feel I can give you a little advice. First and foremost Ultrasonic devices DO NOT work, but because of propriety protections and what not, they are allowed to continue advertising as such. Pest populations naturally cycle up and down, that combined with a placebo effect results in anecdotal evidence of efficacy. The sound waves have never been proven to have any effect on insect behavior or physiology (sorry I don't have a specific lit. reference).
> 
> Aerosol + Tarantulas or feeders = dead tarantulas or feeders.
> 
> ...


thanks for the info


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## MikeInNC (Mar 14, 2013)

I got home a little late last night and found ants in my kitchen (probably due to recent Spring rains).  I couldn't find any ant spray in the house so I went to the neighbors house.  She handed me a can of all-natural (non-toxic, human/pet safe) spray.  It's supposed to smell like mint, but smells like "minty-Pledge" (Pledge = furniture cleaner) to me.

I don't remember the name of it, but a simple online search comes up with various all-natural/organic pest control products.......

http://www.thefind.com/pets/info-all-natural-bug-spray

http://www.ecosmart.com/

http://www.cleanairgardening.com/indoor-pest-control.html

http://www.cleanairgardening.com/insectkiller.html

If I remember, I'll edit this post later to add the name of the product I'm borrowing until the exterminator shows up next week (for downstairs only - not upstairs where Ts are (cats will be locked up in solitary for a few hours  )

(NOTE:  I am NOT implying that these organic/all-natural products are safe for Ts in any way, shape, manner, or form - and I'm pretty sure that exposure would kill a T/spider.  They are supposed to be people/pet (cat/dog/etc) safe - and with direct spot treatment (not randomly spraying all over the place) these may be safer than the harsh chemical sprays).

-M


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