Spiders/webs....

[BigKahuna]

sjhorner and Vikingstaff got me thinking today about deterring Spiders and their webs. It's a pain every time we go down to the boat having to clear all the webs. Haven't had a chance to get the Spideraway product they both mentioned so I mixed up 2 spray bottles of good old vinegar and water and went down to the boat tonight. After clearing all of the webs from the boat, lift and dock. I got my spray bottles out and soaked everything that spray would reach. We'll see what kind deterrent vinegar and water is......

 

[Jack M]

I have used vinegar in the past ,and it worked ,but vinegar is a corrosive and I dont like spraying it on my dock lines . I did buy some of the Spider Away ,this year and have so far only seen 1 .( knock on wood ) .

" Vinegar is an acid and as such can be corrosive, even in weak solutions. Distilled white vinegar has a pH around 2.4, making it more acidic than almost everything except stomach and battery acid."

Quote taken from the article below

Everything You Need To Know About Vinegar As A Household Cleaning Agent

Vinegar is an all-natural, non-toxic and very effective cleaning agent that can be used for nearly all home cleaning needs. Here's everything you should know.

prohousekeepers.com

 

[BigKahuna]

I have used vinegar in the past ,and it worked ,but vinegar is a corrosive and I dont like spraying it on my dock lines . I did buy some of the Spider Away ,this year and have so far only seen 1 .( knock on wood ) .

" Vinegar is an acid and as such can be corrosive, even in weak solutions. Distilled white vinegar has a pH around 2.4, making it more acidic than almost everything except stomach and battery acid."

Quote taken from the article below

Everything You Need To Know About Vinegar As A Household Cleaning Agent

Vinegar is an all-natural, non-toxic and very effective cleaning agent that can be used for nearly all home cleaning needs. Here's everything you should know.

prohousekeepers.com

I sprayed it on the dock and lift components. Not the boat itself. Although I wanted to soak the double Bimini because that's where alot of webs are. I hope it's not too corrosive I've been cleaning our hardwood floors with it for years! Ha!

 

[Jack M]

I didnt spray it on the boat only the dock lines . Ive read that spiders gain access on the lines .
Vinegar is good to use as long as its well rinsed .

 

[BigKahuna]

I didnt spray it on the boat only the dock lines . Ive read that spiders gain access on the lines .
Vinegar is good to use as long as its well rinsed .

No dock lines out. I guess those little bugars are walking over on the lift......

 

[Jack M]

Any way they can get to it . If there is an untreated path they will find it

 

[Vikingstaff]

I specifically spray my dock posts, backup dock lines, and sometimes the flat and side surface of dock for the stretch the boat sits at. Spider Away is effective…but sure smells horrible in the short run after spraying.

 

[Jack M]

Jeff ,how often do you reapply the Spider Away ?

 

[sjhorner9475]

I specifically spray my dock posts, backup dock lines, and sometimes the flat and side surface of dock for the stretch the boat sits at. Spider Away is effective…but sure smells horrible in the short run after spraying.

My process is the same. I agree about the smell, although my wife actually likes the smell. But then she is not the one spraying it on.

 

[Vikingstaff]

Jeff ,how often do you reapply the Spider Away ?

Hmmm…I‘d say sometimes once a week. I can get forgetful about it until unwelcomed “guests” start re-appearing. Then I get back on top of it. When I am more consistent about it, once a week works nicely for us.

 

[Jack M]

That's good to know .I did ours about 2 weeks ago . I'm going over to gas up in a few minutes, I'll reapply then too .
Thanks

 

[Timdelta]

“My process is the same. I agree about the smell, although my wife actually likes the smell. But then she is not the one spraying it on.”

Makes me wonder if maybe; you smell like the spider spray?

 

[fishtrapmike]

sjhorner and Vikingstaff got me thinking today about deterring Spiders and their webs. It's a pain every time we go down to the boat having to clear all the webs. Haven't had a chance to get the Spideraway product they both mentioned so I mixed up 2 spray bottles of good old vinegar and water and went down to the boat tonight. After clearing all of the webs from the boat, lift and dock. I got my spray bottles out and soaked everything that spray would reach. We'll see what kind deterrent vinegar and water is......

There is also a product called "Miss Muffets Revenge" that works really well for spiders - spray on once and it lasts all summer

 

[SEMPERFI8387]

No dock lines out. I guess those little bugars are walking over on the lift......

Spray all you want … they’ll get to you anyhow …

 

[BigKahuna]

Okay we just put the boat away after a rather breezy day on the lake. My wife and I walked up to the boat earlier and there was a fair amount of webs back on the Bimini from where I cleared them yesterday. So I'll have to say that the vinegar/water solution had minimal effect on them..... So I'll either try the Spideraway or Im going to contact my pest control company that we use for my house to see if they will come and "dust" the lift/dock......

 

[tinkertoy]

Believe it or not, I have found WD-40 works to keep spiders at bay on my dock.
And it smells good too.
TT

 

[Vikingstaff]

Okay we just put the boat away after a rather breezy day on the lake. My wife and I walked up to the boat earlier and there was a fair amount of webs back on the Bimini from where I cleared them yesterday. So I'll have to say that the vinegar/water solution had minimal effect on them..... So I'll either try the Spideraway or Im going to contact my pest control company that we use for my house to see if they will come and "dust" the lift/dock......

It will be interesting if they can due to environmental restrictions. At least up here in Michigan, They cannot treat docks, watercraft on the water, etc… I only know as I checked our first year on the lake. However, I am not sure if that was a “Michigan” thing, or federal EPA thing. Not sure.

 

[BigKahuna]

I've seen pest control companies across the lake from our lift "dusting" the docks. I'll find out. They use Alpine dust (Dinotefuran) at our house under the eaves, around all doors and windows etc ....Pretty effective!

 

[Baja 252]

Here in MO, at LOTO there are boats with big tanks that come spray your dock with what can only be described as a firehose of spray. They say it's all natural stuff. I hope so, cause a lot goes into the water.
On my dock, spiders like to live in the ends of the square bimini top tubing. I spray at night when they are out building webs.

 

[dclboater]

On my last boat I would just use the regular bug spray from the big box stores (HomeDefense). I usually applied it to the bimini and the boat cover, sometimes around the edge of the deck as well.. coated it before I put the boat in the water and it typically worked pretty well for the entire summer.

I haven't done that on my new boat yet as I am a bit more cautious at the moment of spraying anything on the cover that would potentially break it down. That said, I made it 15 years with the last one without any problems.