A spider is one of the most common insects that you can find in nearly every place on earth. Most people fear these arachnids, and others are considered pests in various areas.
Are you someone who personally dislikes spiders or fears them in any way? Despite your efforts, are the spiders in your home or garden still spotted frequently along with their webs and nests?
If that is the case, as one of the people who constantly cross paths with spiders, asking yourself questions like “Are spiders attracted to light?” or “Can spiders see in the dark?” These questions can help you deal with them in the future.
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Are spiders attracted to light?
The most common misconception of people is that these creepy crawlers attracted to light are in houses because they are attracted to the light itself. However, this is far from the truth about spiders, especially in locations near cities.
Forty-five thousand known species of spiders worldwide rely on a form of light, but not all of them are attracted to light. Therefore, light is not the reason why you would see a spider in your house or garden.
If you wonder why spiders are attracted to light, the reason is their hunting techniques. The spider species with poor vision have fewer eyes and rely on natural or artificial light to hunt because prey like moths swarms light sources.
Do you live in the city, and are you wondering, “Are spiders attracted to LED lights?” The answer is yes. However, the LED lights are not what interest spiders but the bugs flying around them.
Therefore, the question “Do spiders like light?” can be answered with both a yes and a no. The nocturnal spiders do not like light, but they need them to attract prey, unlike diurnal spiders attracted to the light from the sun because it needs the light themselves.
A spider attracted to light is mainly a species that only hunts at night because those that hunt by day have better eyesight. The ones that rely on direct sunlight coming from the sun require Ultraviolet light for their web’s quality and prey’s visibility.
Advantages and Disadvantages of spiders
Spiders are a topic of debate due to the effects of their presence. Our homes and gardens are affected either positively or negatively. The spider you encounter could either be a pest or a partner.
These arachnids might have inflicted fear and worry due to their appearance and abilities, but the effect of their presence can also be beneficial. Thus, it would be best if you considered this to decide what you would do to them.
Advantages
Pest control
The number of spiders in your home could determine the number of insects. These arachnids hunt insects, and they can serve as warning signs to the hidden insects occupying your home or garden.
Prevents harmful disease and bacteria transfer
Due to the arachnid’s diet of insects and small animals, they can consume the insects that transfer harmful diseases to plants and people. The spiders can help prevent insect eggs from hatching by killing them before hatching.
Mostly harmless to humans
A spider uses venom to kill prey, which is why they are considered harmful. However, the majority of the spiders near humans are not poisonous and afraid of humans. Therefore, they are mostly harmless and stay clear of humans.
Some spiders that are living in houses even treat humans as more significant housemates.
Disadvantages
Webs
The webs of spiders are uncontrollable and multiply overnight. These webs present an unsanitary view and a frustrating process of cleaning houses and gardens. Furthermore, they house both dead insects and collect dust.
It also hastens the rotting of your furniture as it attracts more spiders to it.
Spider swarms
Species of spiders could produce hundreds of eggs in egg sacs, thus creating swarms in your home. The inconvenience is that they could mature and multiply in corners and things in your home.
Spider bites
Despite having thousands of species of spiders, there is a significant percentage of venomous and nonvenomous species. Venomous species are more dangerous than others, but nonvenomous species could still cause dangers.
The bites of other species of arachnids can cause allergic reactions to humans and sometimes are painful enough for you to faint. Therefore, it’s not only about the venom but also the bite.
Spiders attracted to light – Effects of light on spiders
In the modern world, especially in locations with plenty of artificial lights, crawlers attracted to light are commonly seen everywhere. Therefore, it is safe to believe that these lights have specific effects on the nocturnal spiders.
If the question “are spiders attracted to light?” is directed to nocturnal spiders, the answer is a no. The same answer applies to “Are spiders attracted to led lights?” The reason is that these lights provide more positive effects only in hunting and not physically for nocturnal arachnids.
Clearer vision for hunting
The nocturnal spiders have poorer eyesight than other species, and thus, they hunt in areas with a source of light that attracts their prey. They don’t follow the available light but hunt for prey that swarm which so happens to be near lights.Â
The spiders do not have night vision but focus on the movements of things with the available light. Spiders need the light to provide a clearer image of the swarm of bugs that it will later on consume.
Effectivity in hunting
The hunting style of nocturnal spiders involves camouflage, patience, and tracking swarms. A light source provides the needed bait for bugs like moths and beetles that are delicacies for an arachnid’s diet.
Enhance silk strength
Different species of arachnids rely on lights that provide ultraviolet rays to strengthen their silk for webs. The more robust spider webs offer greater chances of catching prey and consumption for the reuse of silk.
Ultraviolet irradiation
Ultraviolet rays can strengthen a spider’s web, but ultraviolet irradiation now occurs due to the earth’s condition. These irradiations negatively affect the spiders and their webs in terms of their health and hunting abilities.
Disorientation
Among the forty-five thousand species of spiders, there are spiders attracted by light but are also experiencing disorientation at the same time. Disorientation occurs to spiders exposed to artificial lights after living in places with natural light like moonlight.
How to keep spiders away from your house and garden
Do you live in a place where there are light sources from the morning until the evening? Do you have an arachnid infestation or problem? Are you paranoid about finding them in your home or garden? There are ways for you to keep the spiders away.
The different methods of keeping these arachnids away can either be applying specific products or doing something about your surroundings. Either way, these methods are effective for both your home and your gardens.
White vinegar smells
The spiders have their way of smelling their surroundings. These tiny arachnids may not have a huge nose, but they are sensitive to the smell of vinegar, and applying it to specific corners of your home can prevent spiders from going there.
Citrus zests
The smell of citrus and other acidic fruits with zests are unpleasant aromas for the spiders. Therefore, planting citrus or placing them inside your homes can help keep them away. Spraying the citrus zest on windows or door frames is also effective.
Mint leaves
Mint leaves have a strong smell that is not acidic but is very unpleasant for the senses of a spider. Thus, if you have a mint plant, place it somewhere near places you often see spiders. The smell of mint keeps the spiders away.
Diatomaceous earth
The diatomaceous earth is unknown by many, but it is a substance that is effective when put in places spiders have nests. Spiders must have direct contact with this substance to keep them away or kill them after contact.
Cleaning
Cleaning is a practical method of keeping spiders away from your homes and gardens and ensures that there are no places where insects are present. The spiders fascinated by light will not come if they have nothing to hunt.
Dirty places attract insects and, in return, attract spiders. Therefore, cleanliness results in a bug-free environment.
Clean landscaping
The spiders are not attracted to humans or their gardens. However, they are attracted to an unkempt garden with swarms of bugs to feast on as prey. Therefore, having proper landscaping is a must to avoid insects and keep spiders away.
Moreover, landscape maintenance is also a must to keep these pests from populating your area.
Pest controls
Spiders are attracted to insects more than they are to any other thing. Therefore, the pests in your homes are what cause them to breed and live in your homes.
These pest controls allow you to keep spiders away and kills any remaining spider and insect eggs. Be careful with these pest controls as you might endanger not only yourself but also your family.
FAQs
Do spiders like light?
It is common knowledge that the species of spiders range up to a few thousand, and most species are spiders attracted to light. However, there are two reasons for their attraction.
The nocturnal spiders are only attracted to light for hunting and assistance in their vision at night. The spiders do not benefit from the light directly but only to lure their prey.
The question “Are spiders attracted to light?” can be answered depending on the species of the spider that you have. Therefore, light is not something that they like, but it is something that they need.
Can spiders see in the dark?
You can measure the spider’s eyesight by the number of eyes that it has on its head. The more eyes that it has, the better its vision. Therefore, most spiders who hunt in broad daylight have more eyes than those who hunt at night.
The nocturnal spiders cannot see in the dark like other nocturnal creatures. It is why they are dependent on the light available in the evening sky or artificial lights to reflect the available prey.
The answer to the question “Can a spider see in the dark” is not all spiders can see in the dark.
What attracts spiders in the house?
The creepy crawler’s main reason to live is to eat, breed, and multiply. Therefore, spiders are attracted to your house because of their prey residing in your home.
The insects that live in scorners are why spiders are mainly living in dark corners of homes. Spiders allured to light are commonly seen near light bulbs because there are preys that swarm there.
Spiders also love to create their webs at any corner of your house. Spider webs are also found in your furniture as it traps insects that serve as the creepy crawler’s diet.
What attracts spiders in the garden?
A garden is a place where insects and other small critters are living and building small ecosystems. These insects are the creepy crawler’s main diet. Thus, it is the main reason why spiders are attracted to gardens that lack maintenance and proper cleaning.
Some spiders reside in dry leaves and other damp places. In these areas, small insects like beetles and worms are lurking, which are part of the crawler’s diet.
Therefore, the cleaner your garden is, the fewer spiders there will be and vice versa.
Conclusion – Are Spiders Attracted To Light?
Spiders hunt their prey not only during the day but also at night time. That is because some are diurnal, and some are nocturnal.
Insects are attracted to areas where light is present, and that’s the answer to the question, “Are spiders attracted to light.” To avoid these creepy crawlers, all you need to do is to check your surroundings correctly, and if required, you can ask a professional to deal with these creepy crawlers
Spiders can quickly populate your garden as it eradicates some of the harmful insects that might endanger the people engaging in your garden.
