You put out these lovely outdoor lights to give your house some pizazz, poof, and protection in the night, and the next thing you know, spiderwebs like blankets envelop your fixtures. This widespread annoyance is a bane for many of our community neighbours, making even the best-looking homes seem like a haunted house. We see the issue here most notably during Buffalo Grove’s humid summer months when spiders are most active. Not only do these webs appear ugly, but they also hinder the efficiency of your lighting and act as an unfavorable entrance for guests.
Cleaning them regularly is a short-term solution, but the spiders will be back within no time if you do not eliminate the source. Effective pest solutions in Buffalo Grove will take care of this building process for you so that you can have a pest-free exterior lighting all year round!
How do Lights Attract Spiders?
1. Prey Follows the Light Source
Buffalo Grove neighborhoods are home to exterior lights that seem to attract flying insects. Moths, beetles, flies, and gnats are attracted to artificial lights, primarily during the nighttime. Thus, these lights create a localized buffet that spiders can easily identify as a hyperlocal hunting ground.
2. Protected Building Locations
Most exterior light fixtures are ideal for spiders to build webs in. Overhangs, corners, and mounting brackets form lee shores, perfect sites for web work, sheltered from wind and rain.
3. Increased Spider Activity at Night
According to research, 78% of common house spiders are nocturnal, so the exterior lights are usually turned on during this period. This coincides with the peak of insect activity around light sources.
4. Web Visibility Advantages
Because highlighting the net makes it easier to see the captured prey, spiders will place the webs very close to the lights. In a way, the artificial lighting gives them a spotlight on where to hunt.
5. Seasonal Concentration Patterns
Between July and September, Buffalo Grove experiences a peak period of activity for web-building spiders, which can make outdoor light fixtures 40% more attractive than unlit areas of the same property.
Why Does Buffalo Grove See This More Often?
The exterior lighting around homes creates perfect spider homes, especially in Buffalo Grove, which has our unique environmental conditions. The abundance of spiders in our area, due to the closeness of the forest preserves and many of the parks, also tends to migrate toward homes. Spiders thrive in humidity pockets from our mature tree canopy, and they take full advantage of our well-lit neighborhoods.
Buffalo Grove gets about 32 inches of rain a year, providing the wet conditions that help sustain the insects that spiders eat. In addition, we have over 15 species of spiders in this area, with the most common being orb weavers and house spiders, and we are always seeing them in the webs they build around our light fixtures. Buffalo Grove, with its suburban density and natural areas, is especially prone to this lighting problem with spiders.
What You Can Do to Cut Down the Webs
- Use yellow or warm-colored LED bulbs
- Install motion sensors
- Routine Cleaning
- Adjust strategic placement
- Seal nearby access points
Shine a Light Without Attracting Spiders With Professional Help
Buffalo Grove homeowners struggling with a never-ending issue with spider webs on their outdoor lights generally benefit from professional pest control companies. Pointe Pest Control and other local companies are trained on what spiders are in our area, so they know precisely the treatments to apply. Their specialized products and methods take care of existing spider populations and prevent new web-building activity around light fixtures.
During the busiest spider months, July to September, regular maintenance visits are a real plus, which is more of a professional service. Instead of battling webs yourself, professional treatments create solutions that keep your outdoor lighting functional and beautiful for the long haul.