Spider Infestation in Brew Workshop

[Devlosirrus]

Hey guys!

After a long hiatus due to lack of space, I'm finally getting back into brewing. My girlfriend and I bought a house in January, with a big detached garage I intend to use as a brewing workshop. I've been brewing mostly mini-mash kits on the stove while we settled in and took care of a few DIY projects, but now I'm ready to set up my all-grain equipment and start brewing ten-gallon batches in the garage.

Unfortunately, I've left everything pretty much untouched since March, and when I re-opened the garage in July, I found the whole place overrun with spiders. I couldn't even get through the door without knocking down a thick cover of spider webs. It was like opening a cursed tomb. Anyway, I've since gone in and knocked most of the spider webs down, but they keep coming back. Moving my brewing equipment into the house has helped, but I still have to go in with a broom every few days to make sure the spiders don't cover everything in webs and egg sacs again.

What do you guys do about arachnids and other pests in your brewing space? A friend of mine suggested I bug-bomb the place, and I'd move all my equipment out before doing so, of course, but I'm still worried about contaminating my workshop. Would hiring a professional exterminator be a better choice?

Any advice you guys can give is greatly appreciated. I'm eager to start setting up my brewing space, but I'd rather not have to hack down a wall of spider webs like Indiana Jones exploring an ancient Aztec temple every time I want to mash in. Thanks, folks!

 

[Minky]

I am a former licensed pest control operator, but that was back in the late 70's-early 80's. I'm not sure about some of the newer chemicals, but a professional will not be necessary for what you need to do.

Go to a farm supply store and ask for an aerosol that is listed for use in milkhouses. If the law in North Carolina is like it is in Ohio, they are VERY picky about what is used, and the ingredients will very likely consist of 0.50% pyrethrins and about 4.0% piperonyl butoxide. Don't get the kind that has 0.05% pyrethrin.

Pyrethrin is a natural product (made from the pyrethrum daisy). At any rate, these materials break down very quickly and will leave no contamination in your garage. It should not be necessary to get a total-release type "bomb" as a little of this spray goes a long way. You should be able to hold your breath long enough to get the fog into all the corners.

You will probably have to do a follow up spray after any eggs hatch, but eventually you will get it under control.

 

[Kaniksu Brewer]

I use Bifen I/T Insecticide in my home and garage which is where I brew. It says in the instructions specifically for breweries. Works wonders! I spray twice a year and no bugs. There will be mass casualties in the bug world though. Be prepared!

I use it in a 1 gallon pump sprayer.

 

[passedpawn]

Lots of solutions to your problem. They pretty much all involve getting s poison and spraying everywhere. I suggest this: Demon WP Envelope Containing 4 packets. Been using it for years. FL has spiders, and we grow things big down here.

 

[Owly055]

Permethrin is a synthetic derivative of pyrethrum, with enhanced residual. The natural product breaks down extremely rapidly. Permethrin is a very safe chemical as such chemicals go, and is the active ingredient in flea collars for dogs. (not cats). Clothing is impregnated with it for tick control. It's very safe for humans in normal usage.... In other words I would not drink it.
Permethrin is effective for control of flies as well as arachnids (spiders, ticks, etc), deadly to bees and wasps.

Permethrin is sold under the brand name Atroban (and others), and is approved for use in dairy barns for fly control. I use it for insect control at home by mixing up stronger solution than you would for spray application, and painting the wood work around windows, areas around lights, and other places where flies might congregate, using a brush. A strong solution of this when painted onto wood dries invisible, and will keep in killing pests for many months. They just have to walk on it. I would do likewise for your spider infestation. I don't like spraying such things, because spraying means you are likely to inhale some of the mist, and while it is not supposed to be toxic to humans, I don't want it in my lungs. I'm very shy of chemicals. I don't go around spraying anything. I use it in the kitchen all the time.

I can't recommend this product enough. It works very very well...........

H.W.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Just keep in mind if you have cats that any level of permethrin, pyrethrin, etc. is extremely toxic to felines, and since their livers can't process it at all, there is no acceptable level of exposure. We learned this the hard way, luckily she only had very slight exposure and suffered a case of tremors that went away overnight, but any exposure can be fatal if you arent around to help. If I were facing the same problems I would choose natural pyrethrin for its fast degradation and keep my fur kids well away until it has time to do so. I use diatomaceous earth for this reason, works great on ants but I don't know if it's effective on spiders.

 

[passedpawn]

Lots of solutions to your problem. They pretty much all involve getting s poison and spraying everywhere. I suggest this: Demon WP Envelope Containing 4 packets. Been using it for years. FL has spiders, and we grow things big down here.

FYI I have cat and dog in the house. I spray with this. x 25 yrs

 

[Kent88]

Find a new space for a while. The population of spiders are probably approaching the carrying capacity of your garage, so pretty soon the population should crash.

 

[timdillon36]

This reminds me of a thread from weeks ago. Get rid of the grubs and you get rid of the moles.

I welcome spiders in my house because they take care of the flies. I also try not to feed the flies.

 

[Minky]

Permethrin is sold under the brand name Atroban (and others), and is approved for use in dairy barns for fly control. I use it for insect control at home by mixing up stronger solution than you would for spray application, and painting the wood work around windows, areas around lights, and other places where flies might congregate, using a brush. A strong solution of this when painted onto wood dries invisible, and will keep in killing pests for many months. They just have to walk on it. I would do likewise for your spider infestation.

This approach works for such insects as flies and cockroaches because they "groom" themselves and will lick the residual chemical from their feet. Not so with spiders. While you may get some of them with residuals such as Demon or Bifen, they really should be dosed directly with a sufficient amount of chemical to kill them. Aerosols are the most efficient way to do that.

 

[Owly055]

FYI I have cat and dog in the house. I spray with this. x 25 yrs

Demon is cypermethrin, a variety of synthetic permethrin. Unlike permethrin as found in Atroban, Permectrin, and other common agricultural products, it is easily absorbed into the skin, and is more toxic to humans than the others mentioned. Skin contact is said to cause tingling and numbness. It is also very toxic to cats. It's a far more dangerous and toxic product than products like Atroban which use ordinary permethrin. Read the toxicity reports on the two chemicals below.....in two different colors. These are from Wikipedia. Both are extremely toxic to cats. However I've used Atroban painted on wood surfaces as I described extensively..... 3 cats in the house, with no ill effects. Once it has dried on a surface there is virtually no possibility of cats absorbing it into their systems. One cat loved to sit on the window sill, which had been painted. I suppose if he were to have made a habit of licking the treated wood surfaces he would have suffered the consequences of exposure. The key here is how it is applied. Spray is the worst and most dangerous method. It's indiscriminate and leaves a mist in the air.

H.W.



Cypermethrin is moderately toxic through skin contact or ingestion. It may cause irritation to the skin and eyes. Symptoms of dermal exposure include numbness, tingling, itching, burning sensation, loss of bladder control, incoordination, seizures and possible death. Pyrethroids may adversely effect the central nervous system. Human volunteers given dermal doses of 130 ug/cm2 on the earlobe experienced local tingling and burning sensations. One man died after eating a meal cooked in a 10% cypermethrin concentrate that was mistakenly used for cooking oil. Shortly after the meal, the victim experienced nausea, prolonged vomiting, stomach pains, and diarrhea which progressed to convulsions, unconsciousness and coma. Other family members exhibited milder symptoms and survived after hospital treatment. Cypermethrin is not a skin or eye irritant, but it may cause allergic skin reactions.[4] Excessive exposure can cause nausea, headache, muscle weakness, salivation, shortness of breath and seizures. In humans, cypermethrin is deactivated by enzymatic hydrolysis to several carboxylic acid metabolites, which are eliminated in the urine. Worker exposure to the chemical can be monitored by measurement of the urinary metabolites, while severe overdosage may be confirmed by quantitation of cypermethrin in blood or plasma.[5]
Study in animals

Cypermethrin is very toxic to cats which cannot tolerate the therapeutic doses for dogs.[6] This is associated with glucuronidase deficiency in cats, the enzyme responsible for metabolizing cypermethrin. As a consequence, cypermethrin remains much longer in the cat's organism than in dogs or other mammals and can be fatal in large doses.

In male rats cypermethrin was shown to exhibit a toxic effect on the reproductive system. After 15 days of continual dosing, both androgen receptor levels and serum testosterone levels were significantly reduced. These data suggested that cypermethrin can induce impairments of the structure of seminiferous tubules and spermatogenesis in male rats at high doses.[7]

Long-term exposure to cypermethrin during adulthood is found to induce dopaminergic neurodegeneration in rats, and postnatal exposure enhances the susceptibility of animals to dopaminergic neurodegeneration if rechallenged during adulthood.[8]

If exposed to cypermethrin during pregnancy, rats give birth to offspring with developmental delays. In male rats exposed to cypermethrin, the proportion of abnormal sperm increases. It causes genetic damage: chromosomal abnormalities increased in bone marrow and spleen cells when mice were exposed to cypermethrin.[9] Cypermethrin is classified as a possible human carcinogen, because it causes an increase in the frequency of lung tumors in female mice. Cypermethrin has been linked to an increase in bone marrow micronuclei in both mice and humans.[10]

One study showed that cypermethrin inhibits “gap junctional intercellular communication”, which plays an important role in cell growth and is inhibited by carcinogenic agents.[11] Studies have shown that residue from cypermethrin can last for 84 days in the air, on walls, the floor and on furniture.[12]






Permethrin has little systemic absorption, and is considered safe for topical use in adults and children over the age of 2 months. The FDA has assigned it as pregnancy category B. Animal studies have shown no effects on fertility or teratogenicity, but studies in humans have not been performed. The excretion of permethrin in breastmilk is unknown, and breastfeeding is recommended to be temporarily discontinued during treatment.[10]

According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, permethrin "has low mammalian toxicity, is poorly absorbed through the skin, and is rapidly inactivated by the body. Skin reactions have been uncommon."[13]

Excessive exposure to permethrin can cause nausea, headache, muscle weakness, excessive salivation, shortness of breath, and seizures. Worker exposure to the chemical can be monitored by measurement of the urinary metabolites, while severe overdose may be confirmed by measurement of permethrin in serum or blood plasma.[14]

Permethrin does not present any notable genotoxicity or immunotoxicity in humans and farm animals, but is classified by the EPA as a likely human carcinogen, based on reproducible studies in which mice fed permethrin developed liver and lung tumors.

Pesticide-grade permethrin is toxic to cats. Many cats die after being given flea treatments intended for dogs, or by contact with dogs having recently been treated with permethrin.[25] In cats it may induce hyperexcitability, tremors, seizures, and death.[26]

Toxic exposure of permethrin can cause several symptoms, including convulsion, hyperaesthesia, hyperthermia, hypersalivation, and loss of balance and coordination. Exposure to pyrethroid-derived drugs such as permethrin requires treatment by a veterinarian, otherwise the poisoning is often fatal.[27][28] This intolerance is due to a defect in glucuronosyltransferase, a common detoxification enzyme in other mammals (that also makes the cat intolerant to paracetamol and many essential oils).[29] The use of any external parasiticides based on permethrin is contraindicated for cats. (Cat ecotoxicology : cutaneous 100 mg/kg - oral 200 mg/kg.)

[15]

 

[Devlosirrus]

Thanks for all the great responses, guys! I'm going to start out with Atroban, since I have two felines running around in the house, and I'm pretty certain the girlfriend would crucify me if anything happened to the girls. I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[applescrap]

Hey guys!

After a long hiatus due to lack of space, I'm finally getting back into brewing. My girlfriend and I bought a house in January, with a big detached garage I intend to use as a brewing workshop. I've been brewing mostly mini-mash kits on the stove while we settled in and took care of a few DIY projects, but now I'm ready to set up my all-grain equipment and start brewing ten-gallon batches in the garage.

Unfortunately, I've left everything pretty much untouched since March, and when I re-opened the garage in July, I found the whole place overrun with spiders. I couldn't even get through the door without knocking down a thick cover of spider webs. It was like opening a cursed tomb. Anyway, I've since gone in and knocked most of the spider webs down, but they keep coming back. Moving my brewing equipment into the house has helped, but I still have to go in with a broom every few days to make sure the spiders don't cover everything in webs and egg sacs again.

What do you guys do about arachnids and other pests in your brewing space? A friend of mine suggested I bug-bomb the place, and I'd move all my equipment out before doing so, of course, but I'm still worried about contaminating my workshop. Would hiring a professional exterminator be a better choice?

Any advice you guys can give is greatly appreciated. I'm eager to start setting up my brewing space, but I'd rather not have to hack down a wall of spider webs like Indiana Jones exploring an ancient Aztec temple every time I want to mash in. Thanks, folks!

I have really started falling in love with glue traps. They are really cheap, non toxic, effective and are guaranteed to at least help. Once something gets on those that's it there's no coming back. They are so cheap lay them along the boards all around and you'll be shocked at how many spiders are on their specially if you have a problem. Between glue traps and spray you are guaranteed to take care of the problem.

 

[iijakii]

Get a bunch of frogs for your garage.

 

[applescrap]

Get a bunch of frogs for your garage.

Had a friend in college, he used those little lizards, start with letter A. Cant think of name right now. Would scare the heck out of me, when they popped up on me.

 

[Brownalemikie]

You need a few geckos. I never see spiders down here in Florida. Yep, geckos

 

[Lefou]

One of the best fights I ever watched was a hungry gecko take on a big Luna moth. It might've had something to do with the Red Horse malt liquor I was drinking.

 

[Kent88]

Get a bunch of frogs for your garage.

What happens when you want to get rid of the frogs?

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

Prolly got a mess of these in there ....you have to tame 'em with a chair and a whip.

 

[iijakii]

What happens when you want to get rid of the frogs?

That's future OP problem, and screw that guy.

 

[BudBernerBrewer]

Impressive responses. No need to search other forums, ask here and intellectuals will respond. In snow country we don't have spiders that big...wow

 

[balrog]

Prolly got a mess of these in there ....you have to tame 'em with a chair and a whip.

Yee frickin' gads! KILL IT WITH FIRE!

Bet it would take care of the frogs...

 

[ToddHarkins]

Encountering the occasional spider is a normal part of life, but if you start to notice a large number of spiders in and around your home, you should call an exterminator like Exterminator Fairfield County CT from Yale Termite & Pest Elimination Corp. to inspect your home for spiders that pose a health risk to your family. Spiders are one of the most feared and reviled creatures on earth. The more bugs that are drawn to the food, the more spiders you will have. Keeping your lights off will reduce both your bug and spider populations. Removing a spider web does not get rid of a spider unless you take out the spider at the same time. There are commercially available spider traps that will ensnare spiders on a sticky surface. One can also get rid of spiders the natural way, or by trying some DIY methods.