Why Are There So Many Spiders in My House This Fall?

Posted on October 28, 2026

By Bobby Leon

Are you seeing more spiders than usual this fall? While it might feel like these creepy crawlers are setting the mood for Halloween, it is actually an annual, weather-driven migration.

Spiders are suddenly appearing in your bathroom, scurrying across living room rugs, and stringing up traps in basement corners overnight. As local harvest season gets underway and temperatures drop, they pack their webs and head indoors.

Here are the specific reasons why these creepy crawlers come indoors, and what we do to keep them away. 

What’s the Reason for Spider Migration?

It’s not just your house that’s becoming a motel for spiders, fall brings a spike in spider sightings across Pennsylvania. Here’s why:

Harvest Disruption

As farmers across the counties harvest crops, insects start to lose their shelter which causes them to find shelter elsewhere. When bugs find shelter, spiders follow to find their next meal. 

Mating Season

Autumn is spider reproductive season which tends to bring male spiders out in visible sight while looking for a partner. 

Temperatures Drop

Insects look for shelter when the weather drops to the 40s and 50s. Spiders follow where the food supply is present. 

Commonly Found Spiders in Your Home

Pennsylvania is home to many spider species, ranging from tiny to large, but you’ll likely only see a handful of species in your home. Here are ones we see most commonly.

House Spiders

These are the most common spiders you’ll see at home and are small, brown, and harmless. They’re the artists in your home that make webs in the low-traffic areas in your home such as the basement, wall corners, and windowsills. 

Wolf Spiders

These are the larger spiders that make homeowners skin crawl! Wolf spiders are active hunters who don’t build webs, but quickly scurry along baseboards and basement floors to catch their prey. 

Jumping Spiders

If you see a spider during the day, it’s likely a jumping spider. They hop around homes looking for insects and can be found most of the time near windows or walls where flies would be found. 

Daddy Long Legs

Also referred to as cellar spiders, you’ll likely see these in your bathroom, garage, or basement. Their slender body with 8 large legs are pretty easy to spot if you ask us. 

Yellow Sac Spiders

Often different shades of yellow and found on ceilings or walls. They hunt at night and build sacs instead of webs, typically found behind items like picture frames or anything against a wall.  

Learn More About Pennsylvania Spiders

Why Home Remedies Don’t Always Work

When you keep seeing web after web in different parts of your home, it’s tempting to grab bug spray or a broom to try to solve the solution. Truth is, these could work temporarily, but don’t solve the problem. DIY remedies often fail because:

Squashing Won’t Stop Them

Eliminating spiders on sight doesn’t make them go away. The spider you squashed likely has hidden eggs in their hiding space and the eggs can hatch dozens of spiders within days later. 

Essential Oils Don’t Eliminate Spiders

Recommend scents like peppermint or citrus oils only deter spiders from that location temporarily and don’t eliminate the reason why they came into your house in the first place.

Insect Sprays Aren’t Always Effective

Spiders walk differently than ants and other bugs found in your home, so the spray most of the time doesn’t even affect them since they avoid the spray almost completely when they’re traveling in your house. 

Aren’t Spiders Beneficial?

It is true that spiders provide excellent natural pest control for your garden by eating flies, mosquitoes, and other nuisance insects. However, while they are ecologically beneficial outdoors, letting them thrive inside your home is a different story.

A sudden influx of indoor spiders is not just a creepy nuisance. It is also a major indicator that you likely have a hidden population of other insects living in your house serving as a constant food source. Professionally removing spiders, along with the underlying bugs they are feeding on, protects your home’s hygiene and your peace of mind.

How Akita Stops Spiders Infiltrating Your Web

Getting rid of your spider problem by chasing them around the house and spraying oils in corners won’t work. To get true control of the situation, our team at Akita will help set you up with a comprehensive home protection plan that targets your current spider situation, along with other underlying insects who draw these 8 leggers inside. 

Let us handle the cobwebs and unwanted guests this fall. Schedule your service online or by calling our team for information at 717-510-1419. 

Learn more about common house spiders and our general pest extermination services here.