Wasps and Spiders getting into our house....any rabbit safe remedies?

[doodlebugger]

With spring here in full force, we are suddenly finding a lot more spiders and wasps/bees coming into our house. We are doing our best to stop them from coming in, and we are treating the outside of our house, but I am worried about if I keep finding them inside - especially if they get near the rabbit cages! I have found one spider already hiding in the folded edge of a sheet that is under one rabbit. Thankfully we found him before he could get to the rabbit, but I'm worried about other spiders. We also found a few wasps in the house recently and I am worried if they get into the main part of our house where the rabbits are, they could get stung? Is there anything I can use that is rabbit friendly? Or will I just have to get each one that gets into the area?

What should I look for in case my rabbit has been bit or stung? Just watch to see if they are itching anywhere or in pain?

 

[ts786]

Yes, you will want to use an insecticide that contains Permethrin. Permethrin is extremely toxic to anything lacking a spine, but it is practically non-toxic to mammals. (LD-50 values for both ingestion and skin contact indicate a much lower toxicity than many other products.)

Obviously you would want to keep pets in an enclosed area while everything you sprayed can dry, but once it has dried it has a very low toxicity even if ingested.

Some products will use multiple insecticides or an insecticide with an IGR. Unless you have an infestation, use a product that has Permethrin listed as its sole active ingredient. Note than Permethrin is more expensive than many other products, but it is worth the premium. I tend to buy Bengel Roach Spray because their flagship product is a Permethrin-only spray and is available in smaller sizes on Amazon (if you buy pure Permethrin it's usually only sold in large quantities and is ridiculously expensive.)

 

[doodlebugger]

Thank you! That is very helpful!

 

[MaryAnne]

From Medirabbit:

Although successfully killing ticks, the use of insecticide products containing pyrethrin, permethrin, amitraz must be avoided, due to their secondary toxic effects in rabbits. Fipronil is forbidden for use in rabbits.
This may be as ingested, though.

And permethrin is extremely toxic to cats. This is why you don't use Dog flea solutions on cats.

Is it possible you can apply the permenthrin around the area but not where the rabbit normally is?

Permethrin is also a wonderful treatment for ticks, killing them on contact. I always spray it on my yard shoes when out and about.

 

[ravenmoore36]

Look for swellings or respitory problems too. We use tea tree oil as a deterant.

 

[doodlebugger]

We decided not to use anything indoors. We sprayed heavily outdoors around the house, and the two wasps that were in the house were apparently carried in after my husband had spent an afternoon battling them (we believe they came in on him because they were dying). We also have not seen any spiders lately. We have a bug zapper racket that we will use indoors if we find any more, and we will just kill any spiders we come across.