We have a two story pool cage. How do you get rid of a lot of spiders and webs at the top of the cage. I can't find a pest company who can reach the top and the pressure washer people said if I don't kill the spiders first they will be back within a week. Any suggestions??

It's kind of labor-intensive, but taking a broom head on the end of an extending handle and sweeping down the webs will eventually encourage the spiders to seek their prey elsewhere, which is why they spin in the first place. If you're not concerned with staining, a little wasp spray applied to the webster will kill the spiders it contacts, but the spray can stain or smear on painted surfaces and will mar vinyl.

Pest control companies do use a mop type of broom sometimes lightly infused with insecticide to control spiders. But I think part of the issue is with the height of the pool cage. To rig a broom to sweep the ceiling 2 stories above a pool sounds like it might be too difficult.

The pest control companies probably don't want to bother with renting a boom lift or a boom lift can't fit inside your cage. Or their ladders aren't tall enough. Or they don't want to build a catwalk system. Or the bid would have to be too expensive. Or they're just plain old declining the job - not enough skills, experience, or imagination. A boom lift you could rent probably wouldn't be able to extend over the center of your pool. You do have a dilemma. What kind of bid did you get from the pressure washers?

Regardless of whether pesticides or a pressure washer is being used, the spiders will return. It just might take longer if pesticides are used. How would the pressure washers get close enough to the ceiling to knock the spiders down?

I am surprised that the pressure washing people declined the job, if they thought they could get enough pressure onto the ceiling/cage to do the job. Spiders are tenacious and can survive a strong jet of water, by hiding. Perhaps this is why they declined. But if the spiders get a direct hit they can be knocked to the ground. Look for a company that can wash with hot water. This will increase the kill. Most of the spiders should fall into the pool where they can be cleaned up or into the gutters where they should wash out into the lawn.

Once, the spiders and webs are removed, can you exclude the spiders from the enclosure/cage? If not, then you will be regularly washing or treating for spiders when they come back, and they will come back, but probably not as soon as 1 week. Are there lots of trees and bushes in proximity to the cage? This increases the habitat for spiders and their prey.

The other thing to consider is that spiders are beneficial, and don't bite people that often. My guess is that you like a clean house and you have guests coming over and you want to clean out the webs as much as you want to get rid of the spiders. If the pressure washing people can reach the ceiling, and the price is reasonable, ask them to do the job anyway. You're really just cleaning, anyway.

I just happened to check one of the big box home improvement stores yesterday. A 40 foot extending handle is in the paint section for around fifty dollars. A webster head is eight. How much does the pressure washing company want per visit?

The DIY method also offers the advantage of immediate availability. Any other method will take a period (weeks? Months?) to achieve noticeable control.