OK, so each spring/summer my unfinished basement gets lots of centipedes and spiders. I do laundry down there and have a small workout room. I am now avoiding it. I am SO afraid of bugs. How do I keep these critters out of the basement?! I do not want to spray as I have 2 little ones. Any suggestions?
I second the sticky boards. However, investing a Orkin or Terminex really does help.
Get some of the sticky bug traps like the Tomcat glue boards at Lowes. They fold into open ended boxes. They are VERY sticky so put them on the floor, preferably against the wall behind things like boxes or the washer and dryer.
We have an unfinished basement with those creepy, blind, spider-looking cave crickets. I want to bomb the place... like with an actual BOMB, not a bug bomb. I want to blow those creepy suckers off the face of the earth. They're not going anywhere :( BEST WISHES TO YOU!! I hate bugs!!!!!!!
Although the bug traps sound good, they're only going to get rid of the bugs that are there, while new ones keep coming in. You need to figure out a way to keep them from coming in in the first place. I would put a call into a pest control place and talk to them. They know all about what products to use or not to use around kids, pets, etc. and they can also probably take a look in your basement and point out any obvious places where the bugs are coming in so that you can then seal those places up. If your basement is sealed up tight, they won't be able to get in and then you won't have to worry about having to spray chemicals near your children. I also think the dehumidifier mentioned by another poster is a good idea.
I think your problem is moisture. There is probably a high humidity level in your basement- attractive both centipedes, which require moist environments, and other bugs, which attract the spiders. Perhaps invest in a dehumidifier to lower the humidity. Unfortunately, removing the moisture is going to be about the only thing that will keep out the critters long-term.
Hope this helps!
I can deal with reagular house spiders, but centipedes........ugh. My kids would not sleep in their room the other night because there was one there. I used to get moths-and they have started again. Well, i put a couple traps in the basement and it turns out centipedes are attracted to it also. These are triangle shaped traps that you drop little squares of pheromone or something that comes with them. They are open ended but no worry about accidentally stepping on them and getting glue on your foot in case the kids are playing rough. I put them on shelves and they still attracted those things.
