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Spider Prevention: A Recent Job & Some Homeowner Tips

Category: Holiday

Published: 02 August, 2026

By Erick, Owner, Pestmaster

What We Walked Into

August is when I start getting more calls about spiders around Greater San Angelo and Midland.

Most of them don't begin because someone found dozens of spiders around the house.

They usually start because someone keeps knocking down the same web over and over again.

Earlier this month, a homeowner in Midland called after noticing webs showing up around the back patio every morning. They'd clean them away before leaving for work, but by the next day, fresh webs had appeared in the exact same places.

A few evenings later, they spotted a larger spider near the sliding glass door, and that was enough for them to give me a call.

When I arrived, the property looked well cared for. The lawn had been maintained, the landscaping was tidy, and there wasn't anything that immediately suggested a spider problem.

But once I started walking around the outside of the home, I could see the pattern.

Fresh webs were stretched between patio furniture, around exterior light fixtures, and underneath the eaves. The garage had heavier webbing in the corners, and several bushes growing close to the house created quiet, shaded areas that spiders naturally prefer.

The Problem

One thing I always tell homeowners is that spiders are usually a sign of something else going on.

They don't stay where there's nothing to eat.

During my inspection, I noticed a steady amount of insect activity around the outdoor lighting.

Every evening, the lights were attracting flying insects, and naturally, the spiders had figured that out.

The shaded landscaping around the patio also gave them plenty of places to hide during the day before becoming active at night.

Inside the garage, a few storage boxes had been sitting untouched for quite a while. Those quiet corners gave spiders exactly what they were looking for—a place where they wouldn't be disturbed.

The homeowner admitted they weren't actually afraid of spiders.

What bothered them most was cleaning away webs almost every day and never feeling like they were getting ahead of the problem.

That's something I hear quite often.

Most people aren't worried about seeing one spider.

They're frustrated because the webs just keep coming back.

The Process

The first thing I wanted to figure out was why the spiders had chosen this property.

At Pestmaster, I don't just remove the webs and call it finished. If you don't deal with what's attracting the spiders, they'll usually come right back.

I removed all of the active webbing around the exterior of the home and treated the areas where spider activity was most consistent.

After that, I focused on reducing the insect activity around the house, especially near the exterior lighting and entry points where spiders had been feeding.

We also talked about the landscaping around the patio. Trimming back some of the shrubs would improve airflow and reduce the shaded hiding spots spiders like during the day.

Inside the garage, I recommended moving a few storage items away from the walls and cleaning out the corners where webs had been building up.

Throughout the visit, I explained each step so the homeowner understood that spider prevention is usually about changing the conditions that allow them to settle in.

The Outcome

A few days later, the homeowner noticed a big improvement.

The webs around the patio stopped showing up every morning, and the garage stayed much cleaner than it had been.

When I checked back in later, they told me they were finally enjoying sitting outside in the evenings again without constantly walking through spider webs.

That may sound like a small thing, but it's usually what homeowners remember most.

The home simply felt more comfortable again.

They also followed through on the recommendations we discussed by trimming back the shrubs and keeping the garage corners cleaner.

Those small changes helped reduce the conditions that had been encouraging spiders to stay around the property.

DIY Advice

If you're starting to notice more spider activity during August, here are a few simple things I recommend.

1. Knock down webs as soon as you see them. It discourages spiders from continuing to use the same locations.

2. Reduce outdoor insect activity by keeping exterior lighting to a minimum when possible or switching to warm-colored bulbs that attract fewer flying insects.

3. Trim shrubs and plants away from the sides of your home so spiders have fewer shaded places to hide.

4. Keep garages, sheds, and storage areas organized and clean, especially in corners where webs tend to build up.

5. Finally, take a few minutes every couple of weeks to check around windows, doors, patios, and exterior corners before spider activity becomes more noticeable.

Most of these habits are simple, but staying consistent with them makes a real difference.

"It's brighter than before!"

— Megan

Professional Insight

One thing I've learned over the years is that spider problems usually aren't really spider problems.

They're often insect problems first.

If there's a reliable food source around your home, spiders eventually discover it.

Around Greater San Angelo and Midland, I pay close attention to exterior lighting, landscaping, garages, patios, and shaded areas because those are usually the places where I find the first signs of activity.

The sooner those conditions are identified and corrected, the easier it usually is to keep spider activity from becoming an ongoing issue.

Once you reduce what attracts them and remove the places they like to settle, spider activity often drops significantly.