EEK! Gross spiders everywhere! Much of the Outer Banks is experiencing a bumper crop of midges and therefore spiders this year, making outside areas of rental homes unpleasant and in some extreme cases, unusable.

Here’s a few tips on how to minimize and treat in case you’ve found yourself with the creepy crawlies.

But FIRST, a few facts about midges:

#1 They don’t bite. Neither the midges nor the typical spiders who feed on them have any interest in YOU and can’t harm you, other than gross you out.

#2 Midges are a sign of healthy, clean water. Midges are water snobs. They only lay their eggs in high quality H2O. Yay for vacationing by such pristine water!

#3They are vital to keeping the Outer Banks filled with happy creatures! Remember that nursery rhyme: I Knew An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly? It’s basically a song about the food chain. We could make one for the midges. Swallowed a fox to catch the osprey, swallowed the osprey to catch the fish, swallowed the fish to catch the spider, swallowed the spider to catch the midge…you get my point. We need those little guys!

OK, but it’s still gross to walk out of your door onto your porch into a giant spider web. I get it. So, here’s a few ideas to treat areas where you really want less together time with the bugs.

Midge Mitigation Measures

* They are attracted to light. So turn off any outdoor lights.

* Use a broom to knock down the spiders.

* If there is a spray hose near by, spray off any midge and spiders.

* After the area is cleared, use a homemade deterrent like peppermint oil, pine oil, or neem oil. I’ve also read shavings of Irish Spring soap!

* Finally, place apple cider vinegar into a bowl with a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Midges are supposedly attracted to the smell of the mix but get stuck when they land.

* There’s all kinds of chemical spider and bug spray for outdoors as well, depending on your level of creeped-outness vs. your desire to protect our fragile ecosystem.

Hopefully this helps you enjoy your outdoor area with a few less crawly friends.