Wasps and Spiders on the Boat Dock: Lifts, Covers, Boxes

The 2-minute dock walk

Go spot by spot:

• The dock roof and rafters. The most common place for paper wasp nests.
• The lift canopy and cables. Look under the canopy edge and along the frame.
• The lift controls and motor housing. A nest here means a sting right when you reach for the switch.
• The boat cover's edge. Wasps build under the lip where it hangs.
• The dock box. Check under the lid and the underside before you reach in.
• Pilings and lights. Where most of the webs are.
• The seawall cap. Webs and the odd wasp nest along the gaps.

Spiders on the boat dock: who's who

• Spiny orb-weavers. Small, spiky and colorful, with webs strung between pilings. Webs are a nuisance. See the spiny orb-weaver.
• Golden silk orb-weavers. Big golden webs, often at head height. A bite is rare and mild. See the golden silk orb-weaver.
• Brown widows. The one to be careful with. Look under the dock box, along rails and in tight corners. Read more in spiders in the pool cage.

Knock down webs with a broom where you walk; the spider will usually rebuild somewhere else. Spiders follow the insects to the lights, so fewer bugs near your lights means fewer spiders. Turn off lights you don't need.

How we treat the dock from the land side

We treat the land side of docks and seawalls, and we never apply anything over or toward the water. It's the same rule as in our no-see-um post. Wasp nests on the dock structure are part of the dock add-on, and we treat them from the land side or the dock. Nothing is applied over or toward the water. If a nest is out over the water, like under the far end of the dock roof or on the lift canopy, and we can't reach it from land or the dock without that, we'll tell you the options at the inspection. See wasp nest removal.

We also treat docked boats on board: the galley, the cabins and the bilge. See roaches on a boat and rats on a boat. Our home plan doesn't cover a personal dock or boat slip. Docks and slips are a separate add-on service, quoted after the inspection. Keep kids and pets off treated areas until dry, and follow your technician's instructions.

For the home, our general pest plan is $125 per quarter, about $42 a month, and monthly or custom schedules are quoted after the inspection. For plan customers: "If pests come back between visits, so do we, at no extra cost." There are no long-term contracts and no cancellation fees, just a simple service agreement. We're family-run and licensed, with 30+ years in the business, and hablamos español. See living on a canal and pest control in Lighthouse Point. Browse more guides.

Dock wasp and spider questions