How to Get Rid of Spiders on Your Lanai in Florida (Start With the Bugs They Eat)

To get rid of spiders on your lanai, take away what they came for: the bugs. Knock down the webs, cut back the lights, and clear the clutter they hide in. Most lanai spiders in Brevard County are harmless, and a spray alone will not keep them away while the bugs keep coming.

TL;DR

Spiders follow food. Fewer bugs on the lanai means fewer spiders.
Most spiders on a Florida lanai are shy and harmless. The widows are the ones to know.
A vacuum or a broom on a pole removes webs and egg sacs fast.
Spraying the outside alone usually does not last. Sunlight breaks it down, and new spiders move in.
Wear gloves when you move pots, chairs and storm shutters.

Why is my lanai full of spiders?

A lanai is a bug trap. You have screen, lights, plants, a pool and a roof overhang all in one spot. At night the lights pull in moths, beetles and gnats. Spiders build where that food lands.

Orkin and UF/IFAS make the same point: spiders follow their food. We covered the same chain in our post on why bugs swarm around your porch light. The bulb pulls in the bugs, and the spiders set up under the eaves to catch them.

That is why a lanai can look clean on Saturday and have webs in every corner by Wednesday. The spiders are not coming from far away. They are moving to where the food is best.

Which lanai spiders should I worry about?

Most of them, not at all. UF/IFAS Extension calls most spiders shy and harmless, and says they eat a lot of the insects you do not want. You will often see:

Orb weavers, like the spiny orb weaver, which has a hard, spiky, colorful body and a round, wheel shaped web.
Golden silk spiders, big, with long legs and a strong yellow web, mostly in the yard and the trees.
Jumping spiders, small and quick, often on the screen frame.
Wolf spiders, which hunt on the floor and do not build webs.

The ones to know are the widows. UF/IFAS lists four in Florida: the brown widow, the southern black widow, the northern black widow and the red widow. Brown widows like the same places you leave things on a lanai: under chairs, inside and under plant pots, in buckets, in mailboxes and behind hurricane shutters. Their egg sac looks like a small, spiky ball. Widows are timid and bite when someone presses on one by accident, like reaching under a chair.

If you think a spider bit you, call your doctor. We are not the right people for that question.

How to get rid of spiders on your lanai for good

Spiders are one of the few pests where cleanup does most of the work. UF/IFAS says routine cleaning is the best way to get rid of spiders and keep them from coming back. Here is what that looks like on a lanai:

Take the webs down. A shop vacuum or a soft broom on a pole works. Vacuum the egg sacs too, and seal the bag before it goes in the trash.
Cut the light. Turn lanai lights off when nobody is out there. Use a warm white or yellow bulb if you need one on.
Clear the hiding spots. Stacked pots, folded chairs, pool toys and stored shutters are where widows sit. Move them, or check them with gloves on.
Keep it dry. Wet corners and leaky gutters draw the bugs spiders eat.

Spray is the last step, not the first. A UF/IFAS page points out that perimeter sprays break down quickly in sunlight. If the bugs keep coming, new spiders fill the gaps within days.

What we see in Brevard

Across the Space Coast, from Palm Bay to Viera, a lot of homes have a screened lanai or a pool cage. A big screen box with a light on it is the brightest spot in the yard at night. The webs build up along the top rail, in the corners of the screen, and under the eaves where the lanai roof meets the house.

That is why our Silver and Gold plans include an eaves and soffit treatment, and the Gold plan includes pool enclosure cleaning. Taking the old webs and dead bugs off the cage is half the job. The other half is fewer bugs to feed the next spider.

What to do now

Do one full web sweep. Top rail, corners, eaves, light fixtures and the screen door frame.
Change or turn off the lanai light. A warm white or yellow bulb draws fewer bugs.
Put gloves on and move the clutter. Pots, chairs, buckets and shutters. Look for spiky egg sacs.
Pull plants and mulch off the screen. Our post on how far shrubs should be from your house explains why.
Sweep again in a week. If the webs come back fast, the bugs are the real problem.

When to call somebody

If you sweep and the webs are back in a few days, or you keep finding widows, the bug pressure around the house is high. That is a general pest job, not a spider job. Our general pest control covers spiders along with ants, roaches and the bugs they eat, and every plan is on the pricing page with no contracts.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get rid of spiders on my lanai?

Take away what they came for, the bugs. Knock down the webs with a vacuum or a broom on a pole, cut back the lights, and clear the clutter they hide in. A spray alone will not keep them away while the bugs keep coming.

Are the spiders on my Florida lanai dangerous?

Most are not. UF/IFAS Extension calls most spiders shy and harmless. The ones to know are the widows: the brown widow, the southern black widow, the northern black widow and the red widow. Widows are timid and bite when someone presses on one by accident.

Where do brown widows hide on a lanai?

Under chairs, inside and under plant pots, in buckets, in mailboxes and behind hurricane shutters. Their egg sac looks like a small, spiky ball. Wear gloves when you move those things.

Why does spraying not keep spiders off my lanai?

Perimeter sprays break down quickly in sunlight, and if the bugs keep coming, new spiders fill the gaps within days. Cleanup and fewer bugs do most of the work. Spray is the last step, not the first.