Deck the halls without the spiders, fa la la la la la la la la. Where do you keep your decorations through the summer months? Do you store them in a cardboard box in the attic? Most do. How about a box in the cellar? That is another favorite. But some people put their holiday decorations in a shed or garage storage space. Let's take a look at these two storage areas and consider the pros and cons.
Inside the house storage (warm spaces).
There is an important piece of information you need to know about spiders before we progress. There are really only two types of spiders. One is highly adaptable to the cold and has a sort of antifreeze that runs through its veins, and the other has adapted to less severe temperature changes. That second type is called a house spider, and there are many of them. If you don't have regular treatments on your exterior walls or perimeter, it is very likely you have them living in your walls voids. House spiders are like a domesticated animal, it doesn't do well in the wild. When you are unpacking your holiday decoration, be aware that these spiders like to hide in boxes. If your boxes aren't sealed well, or have chew holes in them where rodents or cockroaches have worked their way in to eat old popcorn strings, or other edible decorations, you may get the spider surprise. Open your boxes in a well lit area, and check them for spider sacs. Removing these sacs before they can hatch will make your holidays brighter.
Outside the house storage (cold spaces).
If you heat your garage or shed this won't specifically apply to you. If you're looking to avoid being bitten by a poisonous spider this holiday season, you may want to consider storing your decorations in a sealed, hard plastic container, or putting them somewhere in the house. The first spiders we talked about is a wild spider. This is a group of spider that can live in the cold, but will seek to get in out of it, if possible. Though they can be found in those warm house spaces, these spiders will choose cool, secluded areas to nest in. There are two things you need to pay attention to with boxes being brought in from the outside. Egg sacs laid outside will hatch quickly inside, where the temperatures feel like spring. And, these boxes can contain poisonous spiders, like the black widow, the yellow sac spider, the funnel web spider and the wolf spider, and the brown recluse. These are all particularly nasty spiders, and not something you want to have crawl onto your arm as you are pull out those wreaths or tinsel. Wear gloves, and shake items outside, before bringing them into your living space.
Whether you are decking your halls with inside or outside stored decorations, always be careful and watch for spiders, unless you have year round home pest treatments and inspections, or you have been able to get sealed plastic bins to store them in. Stay safe this holiday season, by keeping an eye out for spiders.