Do you spray for bugs?

[kaitlyns.mom]

We have such an insect problem at our house. We moved here in November... since then DH has killed more than 20 black or brown widows (not an exaggeration - got six of them the other night, all outside thankfully), we have small millipedes, thousands of roly polies, ants, other non-poisonous spiders, crickets, earwigs... Inside it has been earwigs and non-poisonous spiders mostly. I hate using chemicals but there are just so many bugs...

So do you spray? Inside or out or both?

[infomama]

We do..for bees outside.

[Aishe]

We are in the exact same boat. We've killed that many or more widows since moving here in July. A couple were so big that I was too freaked out to kill them myself. I had to get DH and even he looked a little green when he did it. Also loads of earwigs and crickets and a weird tarantula-ish spider as well. (We are also in SoCal.) I want to spray because the widows especially stress me out so much, but DH is really reluctant. He doesn't think it will be that effective and he's concerned about spraying toxic chemicals around dc. I keep pointing out to him that a black widow releases a very potent neurotoxin, but so far he is not persuaded. I'll be interested in the responses.

[ZeeBaby]

M husband has a live and let live attitude with the bugs. We get tons of spiders too.

[smilequeen]

We spray outside for ticks.

If I had black widows/brown recluse problems I would spray inside in a second. We don't though, but I'm always on the lookout since we live backing up to a wooded area/state park. I do put up ant traps when we have ant issues...usually after a long rain or at the beginning of spring.

[pinkmomagain]

I voted other. In our primary house, I don't spray. In our beach house, we spray every few years. We just did it a few weeks ago. I had them spray in the unfinished basement and around the perimeter of the house, not in any rooms. We have lots of creepy crawlies that like to find their way into our house. And every few years I get tired of sharing quarters with them.

[rin]

We don't. I'm way more worried about the effects of the neurotoxins on DD (or on myself while pregnant) than I am about the pretty small chances of being bitten by a spider. Anyways, most spider bites from so-called deadly spiders aren't actually fatal, especially if you can get medical care quickly. We do a lot of discussion with DD about not putting her hands into places she can't see, and not touching spiders or ants. She was bitten by a fire ant recently, which I suspect reinforced that lesson more than anything we could've said!

Several years ago, my first miscarriage happened the day after the house we were renting at the time was sprayed for bed bugs. Was it a coincidence? Quite possibly, but ever since them I'm super, super leery of being around toxic chemicals.

[SnuggleBuggles]

When we lived in the south, we sprayed inside and out. Where we live now, we have no insects other than ants and I just put cinnamon where they are coming in and boiling water in their home.

[mackmama]

We spray outside. If there were black widows in our area, I'd spray inside too.

[Aishe]

Originally Posted by rin

Anyways, most spider bites from so-called deadly spiders aren't actually fatal, especially if you can get medical care quickly.

Black widow bites are rarely fatal, but it can take months to recover from one, especially for a child. In addition, they are excruciatingly painful. I know someone (an adult) who was bitten and it was extremely traumatic. But I do share your concern over spraying. That's why we're on the fence about it.

ETA: the bite itself is not very painful and often people don't even realize they've been bitten until the poison starts taking effect. So it's not always so straightforward to get immediate medical care.