GREEN BAY, WI (WSAU-WAOW) If you’re afraid of spiders you might not like the information you’re about to read.
Experts said having warmer winters like the one Wisconsin went through last year can be ideal for spiders and lead to more of them around your homes, businesses and offices.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay biology professor Mike Draney has been studying spiders since the mid-80s and generally he’s seen that milder Wisconsin winters tend to result in more spiders. One of which is the Northern Black Widow which used to only be spotted by lakes in the Door County peninsula. “They survive more across the winter and then you’ll see more of them the next year and in recent years or in the last decade or so, is actually the first time I’ve started to see people bringing me or showing me photos of northern widows in the Green Bay area,” said Draney.
For some spiders, it is not the amount of snow and ice that will kill them, it is the temperature. “A lot of times, it’s the very coldest night in the winter that actually determines how many spiders and similar arthropods will just freeze to death,” said Draney.
If you want to keep those creepy crawlies away, here are a few easy solutions: “You know things like cinnamon … vinegar, peppermint oils,” said S.W.A.T Pest Control owner Joe Gorshe. “[Put] those things maybe in the corners where these pests tend to collect themselves.” High frequency transmitters could work too, but if you have pets you will have to see if they can handle it also.
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