^^Mantises are fairly common in California. I just find them outside standing around on a bush or something, and you can catch them and move them to wherever you need them to catch bugs. They need a stick or twig to stand on and plenty of bugs to catch. They can move about of course. They can even fly, though they apparently usually prefer to walk. So getting them to stay and catch bugs in just one spot is difficult unless you confine them in a terrarium or something similar.
Mantises are great. They are downright ferocious when it comes to killing and eating other bugs. Spiders, bees, hornets, yellow jackets - it doesn’t matter. They are all goners if there is a hungry mantis within striking distance. Also, compared to other bugs they make pretty good pets. They are the only insects with any sort of personality. They will literally turn their head and look you in the eye.
@Scipio I’m in Michigan and I don’t think they’re around here (google backs me up). I’m not a big fan of transplanting animals from their non-native habitats because I’m afraid they won’t adapt well and the last thing I want to do is cause duress or death to the poor little guy.
I do remember seeing them when I was staying with family in California. Scared me the first time but then I thought they were pretty cool looking.
I too am really afraid of spiders…have jumper out of fortunately slowly moving vehicle because one dropped down on me. my H does spider duty everynight during spider months. And they bite me at night but not my H! We have crown molding throughout our Michigan house that is well over 100 years old with an old typical unfinished scary basement. And we get BIG ugly spiders! Along with keeping branches away from out house and spraying around the foundation, my H sets off a bomb in the basement and we take the animals and vacate while it does its job. It seems to really help and “gets” the spiders that live in the crown molding. I am getting itchy shivers writing this.
I’d call in a pro. They have more specific chemicals that may actually be safer than what you’re using. Have someone (not you) save a dead one to show the exterminator.
Massmomm is right. A lot of the house sprays used by pros are very safe. They are made from chemicals used as medications used in humans (not toxic to humans and very dilute) but very toxic to insects.
This might be a hatching season. If you keep getting rid of them, they should go away, if perhaps next year or later this year. The house I care for as a rental had a big spider problem when some new tenants moved in. They were very clean folk, and I am not inclined to spray for a useful creature like spiders. So she kept cleaning. The previous tenant was traveling on business or who knows what much of the time, and obviously never dusted or cleaned, as the place was a horror show due to all the webs and hanging dust. After that one June with zillions of spiders, she said they never returned. My theory, which anyone is free to shut down, is that they all hatched from the year they were allowed to run free, and then the place was spider free, essentially after they were chased out. If you have a basement, vacuum the basement rafters and corners thoroughly, or hire someone to do so.
After a childhood with black widows in the garage and occasionally under the bed, I don’t mind other spiders, but have a D who feels as you do!
I would also recommend calling a pro for this type of task. Insects are often very difficult to get rid of completely, especially sneaky ones like spiders that can crawl in through HVAC ductwork, small cracks in hidden places, etc. There are homemade recipes you can try that deter spiders, but they often require frequent reapplication to be of any real use.
Out in the desert, where I live, the only insects that I handle myself are ants. They are fairly easy to keep under control.
I think @“great lakes mom” is right, I make it a constant practice to find and remove the daddy long legs ‘spiders’ but over the last year, I have been gone more than home & anyone else apparently ignored them. I have way more now than ever before and am constantly removing them, which is a real pain with 25’ ceilings in some rooms! It may very well be that a fierce campaign this year will make your house much closer to spider free for years to come.