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These creepy crawlers aren't always wanted!

With more than 3,400 species of spiders in North America, chances are you're going to find one occasionally hanging out inside your house. Although spiders are beneficial because they eat pests, such as flies and silverfish, you may not want them scuttling across your kitchen floor. So, what are they doing indoors? "Generally, there are spiders that live outside and accidentally wander indoors looking for food or a mate," says Michael Skvarla, Ph.D., assistant research professor of arthropod identification, Penn State University. "They don't want to be inside and usually die within a few days. Indoor spiders, which often were introduced to the U.S. by hitching a ride on a cargo ship, can live in your house if they have a food source."

Here's what else you need to know about managing the spider population in and around your home.

"The first step is to eliminate the point of entry," says entomologist Elmer Gray, public health extension specialist at the University of Georgia. "Check for holes in screens and gaps in weather stripping around doors and windows." Replace door sweeps, the brushy piece on the bottom of doors, when worn to prevent spiders from sneaking indoors.

Remove debris near the foundation of your home, such as boards on the ground, tarps, leaf litter, and vegetation that touches the house, says Gray. Spiders will find shelter and food in these areas, so they'll set up shop, making it more likely they'll get indoors. Also, don't stack firewood up against the house. Don't forget to wear gloves when doing a cleanup; spiders are not aggressive, no matter what you've heard. But they will defend themselves by biting if they feel threatened. If they're gathering by outdoor lights, blast them with a high-pressure water stream from the hose.

Spiders like to hide in boxes and under cardboard or tarps. Tape storage boxes shut, or use plastic lidded containers to keep them out of things such as holiday decorations, says Skvarla. Also, don't leave clothes on the floor, and shake out gardening gloves and boots stored in a shed or garage before putting them on.

Spiders don't like being disturbed so dust and vacuum regularly in areas that don't get used frequently, such as closets, guest bedrooms, and basements, says Skvarla. In addition, dust the corners of any rooms, under and behind furniture, and any undisturbed area, such as cupboards, where they like to hide.

If you live in an area where brown recluse spiders are indigenous, which is primarily the Central U.S. ranging to the Gulf Coast, be aware of what they look like. Check this map to see the range of brown recluse spiders across the country. If you don't live in one of these areas, it's extremely unlikely that you have a brown recluse, says Skvarla.

The good news is the brown recluse is not aggressive (thus, the name!), though it will bite if grabbed or held against the skin. Although their bites can cause reddened skin, itching, a skin sore, and rarely, fever, though most bites heal quickly. What's more reassuring is that research has shown that even in homes with large populations of brown recluse spiders, homeowners rarely get bitten.

Black widows are another spider to watch out for; different types are found all over the U.S., mainly in the south and west. But they're shy, making their webs in out-of-the-way spots like sheds, basements and garages. Their bites cause pain and muscle cramps, sometimes severe. If you do get bitten by a spider, try to save it for identification, and call your doctor immediately if you have concerns.

Grab it with a cup and slide under a piece of cardboard, then relocate it outdoors. Or if you're not feeling compassionate, suck them up with the vacuum or smash them with a flyswatter or tissue, says Gray. Just be careful when emptying the vacuum bag if it's a brown recluse or black widow.

Sticky traps are sometimes helpful, too, especially for brown recluse. Place them along walls and in dark corners where the insects the spiders catch are, says Gray. You may trap non-target insects, too, though that's not an issue indoors where bugs aren't welcome anyhow! (Outdoors, it can be more of a problem because you may catch non-targets such as toads).

You may have heard about a new invasive species, the East Asian Joro spider, that was first found in Georgia in 2013. Although these colorful, 2 to 3-inch wide spiders look scary, they are not dangerous and have stayed in Georgia and South Carolina so far, says Gray. They don't seem to be overtaking any native species, and they do prey on one bothersome insect that other spiders don't: brown marmorated stink bugs, which is an invasive pest that damages trees and crops.

What about the reports that these gigantic spiders will be parachuting up and down the east coast soon? That came from the phenomenon, called ballooning, that occurs when the newly-hatched baby spiders look for new habitat. "Spiders are cannibalistic, so when they hatch, they need to get away from their siblings," says Skvarla. The baby leaves out a streamer of silk, climbs up high, and waits for the wind to blow it hundreds of yards—or even miles if caught in a storm—away. But overall, these spiders aren't going to bother you. If you find one of their large, sticky webs in an obtrusive place, such as by your door, deck, or near a play area, remove it with a broom.

Sorry, but sonic devices advertised to keep spiders and other pests away don't work. Save your money and work on decluttering, cleaning up their nesting and hiding places, and sealing up cracks so they can't get indoors in the first place. After all, most spiders want to stay away from you, too!