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How to keep spiders out of my house


How to Get Rid of Spiders: A Complete Guide [2022]

No matter what kind of spider you’re dealing with, you probably don’t want to share space with them. They multiply quickly and can rapidly take over your home, garden, or patio.

Don’t worry, though, there’s good news:

You don’t have to live with spiders forever.

Here at Smith’s Pest Management, we help people get rid of spiders on their San Francisco Bay Area properties each day so we know what spider control methods work and which ones don’t.

Key Takeaways

How to Get Rid of Spiders Quickly & Safely

If you have spiders in your home or garden, you want to get rid of them as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Here are our top tips to remove spiders immediately: 

In Your House or Apartment

To get rid of spiders in your house or apartment, we recommend these methods:

Outside in Your Yard & Garden

Before you take steps to remove spiders from your yard or garden, think about whether you really need to kill them.

Spiders eat insects and other pests, and can help keep harmful insects from damaging your garden. In fact, a healthy spider population may reduce your need for other pest control methods.

Since most spiders are harmless to people, it’s usually possible to coexist peacefully with them.

If you absolutely need to get rid of the spiders, here are a few things you can try:

How do Pest Control Experts Get Rid of Spiders?

If you want a more aggressive option than DIY spider removal, consider hiring Smith’s Pest Management to do it for you. Our team provides complete spider removal services, as well as spider web removal.

Here’s the process we follow to get rid of spiders:

1. Remove Spider Webs

Both venomous and non-venomous spiders make webs. If you have webs, you also have spiders on your property. In addition to being unsightly, these webs harbor pests and allow spiders to reproduce.

If you have unsightly spider webs all over the interior or exterior of your home, we’ll remove them for you with our dewebbing service.

Our team will come out every other month to remove webs from your property. We also offer an optional application of Web Out (a cobweb eliminator) to help your property stay web-free.

2. Apply Nontoxic Pesticide Spray Treatment

Because your family’s health is important to us, we offer organic and non-organic pesticide spray treatment options to get rid of spiders.

We’ll work with you to decide which treatment is the best choice for your property, then deploy the treatment to remove spider populations.

What Kind of Spider Is In My House? 7 Common Types of Spiders

When you find a spider in your home, identifying it might not be your top priority. It’s essential to know what kind of spiders you’re dealing with, though.

Besides allowing you to select the right removal tactic, identifying the spider will keep you safe and help you avoid harm from poisonous spider species.

To help you identify the spiders on your property, here’s an overview of the most common types of spiders.

1. Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders live throughout the United States, and are especially common in Missouri, Texas, and California. The spiders are small and usually grow to just under one inch in length.

Wolf spiders burrow and spend most of their lives underground. They are nocturnal and emerge from their dens to hunt for insects and other small spiders.

While wolf spiders aren’t deadly, they can bite and cause uncomfortable symptoms.

2. Brown Recluse

The brown recluse spider is identifiable by the dark brown violin shape on its back. They are ¼”-½” in length and tan or dark brown in color.

The brown recluse spider is common throughout the US. It enjoys living in warm, dry, dark places like wood piles, basements, and closets.

Brown recluse spiders are poisonous, and will bite when provoked. A brown recluse bite can take three or more hours to appear, and more than three weeks to heal. Venom from the brown recluse spider can cause severe reactions, especially in young children and older people.

3. Black Widow

Even if you’ve never seen a black widow spider in person, you probably have an image in your head. That’s because black widow spiders are some of the most notorious in the world.

Their deep black bodies feature a red hourglass shape on the underside of their abdomens, and are highly distinct from other spider varieties.

These spiders exist worldwide, with four species living in the US. They like to live in dark, moist places like crawl spaces, garden beds, and outbuildings.

The black widow spider is poisonous. Although fatalities are rare, the spider’s venom is 15x stronger than a rattlesnake’s. Bites can cause nausea, difficulty breathing, and muscle cramping or aches.

4. Yellow Sac Spider

Yellow sac spiders are pale beige or yellow in color, with dark brown accents on the tips of the legs and fangs. They are small spiders and adults are typically about ¼” in length.

Yellow sac spiders tend to live in gardens and under outdoor debris like leaf piles and compost heaps. These spiders hunt at night and actively pursue their prey, rather than trapping them in a web.

Yellow sac spiders are mildly poisonous. Their bites can be painful, and may cause symptoms like lesions at the bite site, itching, and swelling. Usually, reactions are mild and do not require medical attention.

5. Jumping Spider

Jumping spiders earned their name because of their incredible jumping ability. There are more than 4,000 known species of jumping spiders in the world, including about 300 species that live in the US and Canada.

They are black, brown, or tan in color, and grow to about ⅛”-¾” in length.

While jumping spiders can bite, the venom is not poisonous and the spiders are not a threat to human health.

6. Hobo Spider

Hobo spiders are light to dark brown in color, with stripes down the center and sides of their bodies. They have an oblong abdomen, and typically grow to one inch-1 ¾” in length. They build funnel webs in naturally occurring holes, crevices, or cracks.

Since they are poor climbers, they rarely live above ground level. They like dark, moist areas like basements, window wells, and crawl spaces.

The spiders will bite in defense, and their bites can cause mild pain and redness. Hobo spider bites are commonly confused with brown recluse bites, which are far more medically severe.

7. Daddy Long Legs

Daddy long legs are a common occurrence in California.

As a species, Daddy long legs are victims of misinformation. For example, some claim that daddy long legs are the most poisonous spiders in the world, but their fangs are too short to bite humans.

Fortunately, this is just a myth. 

Daddy long legs are not poisonous spiders, and their bites do not present a risk to humans. These spiders make webs from silk and are primarily scavengers, although they hunt occasionally. Daddy long legs like to live under objects like rocks, logs, and ledges.

8. Grass Spider

Grass spiders are common throughout the US. They build funnel webs in grass or landscaping, and hunt by lunging out at insects that pass. Grass spiders are brown in color, with two black lines running down either side of their backs. Grass spiders multiply rapidly, and can quickly take over your yard or garden with their silky webs.

What Attracts Spiders to My Home and Yard?

With so much space outside, you might wonder why spiders are making their way inside your home.

Here are a few of the most common things that draw spiders indoors:

Are Spiders Taking Over Your San Francisco Bay Area Home? We’re Here to Help!

You don’t have to live with spiders forever. Here at Smith’s Pest Management, we help residential and commercial customers in Northern California from Marin to Monterey get rid of spiders.

If you’re coping with a spider infestation, contact us today for reliable removal services you can count on.

How to Keep Spiders Out of Your Home

While it's possible to remove spiders once they've invaded your space, these expert-approved ideas will prevent them from entering in the first place.

Nashia Baker, Associate Digital Editor at Martha Stewart

By Nashia Baker October 06, 2021

Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.

Spotting spiders in your home is always a little spooky, but do keep in mind that they are usually seeking refuge in your space for a specific reason. "They enter our homes in search of food, water, and shelter," Chris Lambton, a gardening expert and HotShot partner, notes. "Spiders eat other insects, so if they are in your home, spiders will have a food supply." Think: flies, ants, fleas, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and moths (more creatures you'd rather not see!). Plus, as Kari Warberg Block, a pest prevention expert, author, and the CEO and founder of EarthKind®, says, the aforementioned bugs could carry disease-causing pathogens, so having spiders around can actually be helpful. But since your space gives these pests a sense of safety, it also gives them a secure place to reproduce (ah!). and some of these critters can be deadly. To rid your home of spiders, heed our expert-approved tips, ahead.

Close off and block entry points.

One of the best ways to keep spiders at bay is simply by blocking their points of entry. "They enter your house through small cracks, air vents, holes in screens, or other openings," Lambton says. Get a magnifying glass, Warberg Block adds, and find the tiny cracks in your walls. From there, seal the openings with caulk, screening, or weather stripping.

Keep your home clean.

This likely goes without saying, but tidying up your space is also a helpful pest prevention tactic. Vacuuming often, cleaning corners and crevices (plus windows, junk rooms, and basements), and frequently checking behind your recycling stash of cardboard boxes (spiders like these!) will prevent them from nesting in these hiding places. The same goes for the areas outside of your home. Warberg Block notes to regularly check and clean your exterior lights, windowsills, woodpiles, and all entry points.

common house spider on the floor in a home

Credit: CBCK-Christine / Getty Images

Get rid of spider webs.

"To make your home less attractive to spiders, wash old webs off outside areas with a garden hose—particularly under roof eaves," notes Warberg Block. "In the home, vacuum up existing spider webs and spray the area with a mixture of half a cup of water, half a cup of vinegar, two tablespoons of liquid dish soap, and twenty drops of thyme oil." She says that this scented mixture will prevent them from attaching their silk to sprayed surfaces. In turn, they won't be able to make new webs.

Fix leaks.

Leaks are never ideal, but this issue can prompt spiders to enter, too. Anything from a leaky faucet to water dripping from the ceiling can invite them in, so you'll want to get those repaired as soon as possible.

Think about landscaping.

Tending to the greenery around your home can also keep spiders at bay, including your lawn and plants. As long as these are trimmed and cut back, you'll be able to limit spiders' access to your house, Lambton says. Go the extra mile and create distance between your shrubbery and your home altogether. Warberg Block explains that this separation will lessen the chance they have of wandering inside.

Play music.

"Spiders don't have good eyesight, so they rely on vibrations they feel in their web to detect an insect that could be their next meal," Warberg Block says. "Turn music on in an area where you've spotted spiders and the vibrations will interfere with their ability to pick the perfect time to feast." They'll then move to find a quiet area elsewhere.

Turn on the lights.

If you ever want to catch a spider that you think is lurking, hit the lights. Since they avoid bright spaces, they usually make their webs where it's dark. So, if you see a spot in your home where it's usually dark, keep the light on for a while and they will likely try to find a new hiding spot. If you're trying to keep them at bay in an outdoor dwelling area (like a garage or porch), yellow-tinted lights are better than standard bulbs; spiders aren't attracted to this type of light.  

Exterminate safely.

If you see a spider, you can easily exterminate on contact with a bug spray, like the Hot Shot Ant, Roach & Spider Killer ($13.01, amazon.com). Deterrents can also do the trick; consider EarthKind's Stay Away® Spiders Deterrent ($25.80, earthkind.com), which you can place in an infested area to banish critters for at least 30 days. However, you can also enlist the help of a professional. "While 80 percent of people choose the DIY approach, 20 percent of households turn to pest control professionals," Warberg Block says. "Before hiring a technician, you'll want to verify that they are licensed to apply pesticides in your state, that they are insured, and find out if they will be using an integrated pest management (IPM) plan that includes getting rid of the current infestation as well as taking steps to prevent future problems. "

Sure ways to get rid of spiders in your home

August 22, 2017 Likbez Do it yourself

To clean the house of spiders, you can run to the store for poison, or you can get vinegar, lemon and a couple of folk remedies from the shelf.

If you do not live in hot countries, spiders crawling into the house will not harm you. Unless they scare and cause a desire to say goodbye to uninvited guests once and for all.

What causes spiders to appear

Spiders can settle in your living space for several reasons:

  1. You are warm . In autumn, when it starts to get cold outside, spiders look for warm corners.
  2. It's very humid here . Most often, spiders settle in bathrooms and kitchens, and this is no coincidence. These arthropods feel most comfortable in a humid environment.
  3. You have a lot of food . Spiders are predators, they feed on flies, midges and cockroaches. If you find a spider at home, it means that insects are hiding somewhere. nine0016
  4. You are dirty . Actually, because of the garbage, flies and cockroaches start up, and they are a tasty bait for spiders.

How to get rid of spiders

Clean up

First of all, do a general house cleaning. Vacuum all baseboards and corners. Shake crumbs out of kitchen drawers. Look under the tub, behind the toilet and behind the sink and clean everything there. Collect the web using a stick with a damp cloth wrapped around it.

Then start fighting the spiders. Yes, yes, the problem was not solved by cleaning the web: uninvited tenants and the eggs they laid are still hiding somewhere. nine0003

Use traditional methods

Spiders cannot stand strong smells. Therefore, improvised means with bright aromas can be used as weapons.

  1. Dilute 15-20 drops of peppermint essential oil in 1 liter of clean water. Pour the solution into a spray bottle. Treat baseboards, corners and all cracks in the house (in the floor, under window sills, at thresholds). This will force the spiders to change their location. Mint can be replaced with eucalyptus or tea tree.
  2. Combine ½ cup table vinegar (9%) and the same amount of water. Using a spray bottle, treat the places where the spiders accumulate. After contact with acetic acid, arthropods will die. To scare off new spiders, pour some vinegar into small containers (such as bottle caps) and place them in the corners of the room. Do not use this technique if there are small children at home: they can accidentally drink poison and burn the mucous membranes.
  3. Slice maclura (an inedible orange) or common lemon, crush horse chestnuts or hazelnuts, and spread around the perimeter of the room. A strong smell will force the spiders to leave. nine0016
  4. The smell of sheep's wool is equally unpleasant for spiders. Therefore, put a piece of wool or yarn near the web.

Buy poisons

Among the variety of poisons, it is better to choose aerosols. Most of the time, spiders sit in their webs rather than running around the house, so crayons and gels from household pests, as well as traps, will not have a quick effect.

Spray should be sprayed on skirting boards, corners, door and window sills. At the time of processing, people and animals should be removed from the premises. After 15-20 minutes after the procedure (approximately how long it takes the aerosol to act and dry), be sure to ventilate the room. nine0003

Take precautions. Handle only with gloves and a sheet mask. And be sure to read the instructions on the package.

Or Ultrasonic Repellers

Special insect repellers can be found in hardware stores. They also work on spiders. The devices emit sounds that are inaudible to humans and unpleasant to arthropods. And the spiders leave the inhospitable territory.

How to scare away new spiders

It's simple. The main thing is to keep the house clean and a low level of humidity. Clean regularly, dispose of leftover food in a timely manner and do not accumulate garbage. Wipe dry all surfaces in the kitchen, and leave the bathroom door slightly ajar - let the room ventilate. If you have an air conditioner, turn it on from time to time in dehumidifying mode. nine0003

See also:

15 ways to get rid of spiders in the house

Basharat | 10/25/2019 | Updated | Uncategorized | 82 177 views | 8 comments

Article 9 content0003

Spiders are harmless to people living in countries with a temperate (rather than continental) climate. The maximum that they are capable of is to cause a feeling of fear or hostility due to their uninvited "settlement" in the house. Fortunately, you can get rid of uninvited guests. We have collected the most effective ways to get rid of spiders in the house.

Why do spiders appear?

You are probably wondering why and how these arthropods appeared in your house (or apartment). The reasons for this may be different:

  1. When it's cold outside, your house is warm (and spiders love warm cuddly spots).
  2. High humidity in your home . It is known that spiders often make webs in rooms with high humidity: in bathrooms, in the kitchen, etc.
  3. In your house there are many other insects which, by the way, spiders like to eat (for example, flies, midges and cockroaches).
  4. Your home, to put it mildly, is not sparkling clean and tidy . We all know that buildups of debris and pollution cause cockroaches, and cockroaches are one of the favorite "foods" for spiders. And why shouldn't they come to a place where they can eat their delicacy often and a lot?

Do I need to get rid of spiders?

We get irritated even when we just see a spider. Meanwhile, these arthropods benefit . Spiders feed on insects that fill the human dwelling. Some of these arthropods are capable of catching over 500 harmful insects per day. Their extermination is an important mission of spiders. nine0003

Surprisingly, these arthropods are, in a way, natural forecasters. By the behavior of spiders, you can determine what the weather will be like. For example, if this creature tears its web, it is considered that there will be a thunderstorm. The appearance of small spiders portends warm, long sunny days. If a lot of these arthropods are observed in the spring, then it is believed that the coming autumn will be cold.

It cannot be said that there is no harm from spiders at all. But this is rather a negative reaction of a person to them. So, for example, some people are so terribly afraid of spiders that at one glance at them they almost lose consciousness. And, of course, the webs woven by arthropods do not decorate our houses and apartments at all. Perhaps, the networks weaved by them, and the appearance of these arthropods are the main reasons for the dislike of people towards them. nine0003

After weighing all the pros and cons of spiders, each of us must decide whether to fight them or let them fight other insects in our homes.

What to do when you see a spider: first steps

If you see a spider, don't be scared. There is no need for panic here. It will be easier for you to catch and deal with him if you are cold-blooded. It is important to determine which spider it is - poisonous or harmless . The vast majority of these arthropods are harmless to human life and health. However, some species are still dangerous. nine0003

In order to understand what kind of spider is in front of you, pay attention to its appearance. So, if he is black, without hairline, but with a large tummy, on which a red spot in the form of an hourglass is noticeable, this is a black widow. If you notice a pattern in the form of a violin on the back of the spider, this is a brown recluse spider. Both of these species of arthropods are very dangerous to humans.

How to get rid of harmless spiders

If you find a spider on a ceiling surface, do the following:

  1. Take a clear glass and a sheet of cardboard.
  2. Sit on a chair.
  3. Using a glass and a sheet of cardboard, place the arthropod in the glass. How to do it? Bring the glass to him and make the spider fall into the glass. Immediately cover the glass with a sheet of cardboard.
  4. Release the spider outside.

This method can be used if you find a spider anywhere (not just on the ceiling). If the arthropod is comfortably nestled in the web when you see it, just hold a glass under it and cut the web with scissors. The spider will instantly be in the glass. But he will get out of there very quickly if you do not immediately close the glass with a sheet of cardboard. Having done this, you can safely release the spider into the street. nine0003

How to get rid of poisonous spiders

If you realize or suspect that you have a dangerous spider in front of you, follow the instructions below:

  1. Don't get stung . In general, you should be interested in information about whether poisonous spiders live in the area where you live.
  2. We recommend that you keep the Insect Collector in your home for this case. Usually such products are produced by companies that manufacture children's toys. You can, in principle, and replace it with a simple vacuum cleaner. By the way, if your vacuum cleaner has a high power, then it will easily suck the hermit spider. With a black widow, of course, it will be more difficult for him - she is more difficult. nine0016
  3. If you are not afraid, then you can catch dangerous spiders as well as harmless ones, using a glass and a sheet of cardboard. But the size of these objects must be larger, because otherwise the risk of being stung by a poisonous arthropod increases.
  4. When you catch a dangerous spider, throw it away from residential areas.
  5. If you are still unable to avoid being bitten by the venomous spider , bandage the area immediately above where it stung you. Call an ambulance and explain the situation. Don't panic by any means. The fact is that when a person feels fear, the poison circulates more intensively in the blood. You should keep the bite site below the level of the heart until the ambulance doctors help you. nine0016
  6. It is recommended for your own safety when you see a spider, spray it with a special agent against insects and arthropods.

Precautions

How to get rid of spiders forever?

If your home is literally filled with these arthropods, it is worth taking urgent measures to "evict" them. People living in apartments need to work together with their neighbors to solve this problem, since spiders tend to roam from one room to another. The best way out here is to call specialists who will do the pest control. The problem will be solved once and for all. During the processing of apartments, no one, except for professionals, should be in the premises (neither people nor animals). nine0003

Professional pest control is the most effective way to get rid of spiders permanently , even if there are a lot of them in the room. However, it must be understood that potent chemicals are used for this treatment, which are dangerous not only for arthropods, but also for human and animal health. Therefore, before carrying out disinfestation, it is necessary to remove all food products from the apartment and move pieces of furniture. After processing the premises, wet cleaning of the premises is mandatory. Also, do not forget to ventilate the apartment. So you and your loved ones will avoid poisoning. nine0003

Often disinfestation helps to get rid of these arthropods forever . But it also happens that after some time after processing, the spiders return again. Then you should think, maybe in your home every now and then there are reasons that provoke the appearance of these arthropods (for example, garbage, insufficient cleanliness, etc.).

Types of spiders that live in houses and apartments

According to scientists, spiders appeared on earth a very long time ago - more than 400 million years ago. To date, there are about 40 thousand species of these arthropods in the world. Most of them do not pose a danger to humans and animals. If a person is bitten by a harmless spider, then he will feel only a slight burning sensation at the site of the bite and redness. In order to get rid of these symptoms, you just need to treat the damaged area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe skin with hydrogen peroxide. If this tool is not at hand, an alcohol solution is also suitable. The burning sensation will pass quickly. nine0003

Spiders that live in residential areas are mostly harmless. Moreover, they benefit a person by ridding his home of more harmful insects. Spiders are small. They move on legs (long and thin). These arthropods have a brown or yellow body.

But there are also large spiders, reaching a length of up to 4 cm. They live on the streets and weave their webs there, which can be seen on balconies and loggias. Yes, these spiders can enter your house or apartment, but they won't stay there for long. They simply do not know how to live in a closed space. They need freedom, the street. Even food in the form of insects (cockroaches, midges, etc.) does not attract them as much as will. nine0003

Attention! These arthropods do not bite and never attack humans. On the contrary, at the sight of a person, they try to run away and hide from sight. It just so happens that they are endowed with a frightening appearance.

The following species of these arthropods settle in houses and apartments: It is also called a window spider. It has a small abdomen (up to 1 cm long) of an oval or almost round shape and long legs up to 5 cm. Usually, harvestmen have from 6 to 8 legs. He spins webs in the dark corners of the room or under the windows. After the haymaker weaves a web, he settles down in it in a position upside down in anticipation of food. When prey (a midge, a fly or another insect) gets into the web woven by it, the haymaker spider injects its poison and eats the victim. nine0016

  • Tramp spider . Spiders of this species enter houses and apartments through open doors and windows. Surprisingly, hobo spiders do not weave webs at all. They are able to hunt insects without using this trap. They lie in wait for the victim, when she does not notice anything, they attack her, put poison into her and eat them. The spider then looks for food elsewhere. Outwardly, arthropods of this species are similar to long-legged. They also have a long belly and thin, long legs. Tramps are not dangerous for a person in the Russian climate. The harm from their bite will be if the stung is in an area with a hot climate. The fact is that under the influence of high temperatures, the poison of a tramp spider can cause inflammation of the skin. It should be noted that these spiders, like nomads, do not stay long in one room, but constantly change their habitats. nine0016
  • House spider . This eight-legged gray or black arthropod can grow up to 14 cm long. The home spider weaves webs in the form of a pipe. Usually he settles on the walls or near the light bulbs. Predators that eat small insects are females of this species. Small house spiders usually do not cause fear in people. It is not difficult to take them out of the dwelling into the yard.

    • How to get rid of spiders indoors

    Spider chemicals

    Remember! Whatever chemicals you use to control spiders, take precautions. If you are cleaning an apartment or house yourself, be sure to wear protective clothing and a hat, trying to completely protect your body. Don't forget to wear a face mask. After finishing work, wash your hands and face thoroughly with soap and water.

    How to get rid of spiders with folk remedies

    In the event that after a short time after the general cleaning you again saw spiders or cobwebs in the house, we recommend using folk remedies to fight them, which will get rid of them forever. Their undoubted advantage is that they are completely harmless to people. nine0003

    Preventive measures

    Did you manage to get rid of spiders in your house? Congratulations! But that's only half the story. You need to take preventive measures so that you do not have to face them again. Don't worry, it won't take much time or effort, much less money. But you will notice the positive effect of taking preventive measures almost immediately (of course, if you perform the recommended actions not negligently, but conscientiously and regularly). The key here is persistence. Watch your house relentlessly, and you will not have to see hordes of spiders in it. nine0003

    So, what should be done? Clean up, clean up and clean up again! Cleanliness and order in the house is its main defense against spiders and insects. Do not leave food and other waste in the house, but immediately try to take out the trash. Your kitchen should not have a mountain of unwashed dishes, otherwise cockroaches will appear, and spiders will come to hunt for them. Do not forget: flies, midges and any other small creature are food for arthropods. Therefore, do not lure either one or the other with uncleanness in your dwelling. nine0003

    Rating of effective remedies for spiders

    1. Raid from ants and cockroaches. This product is guaranteed to kill a spider when sprayed directly on it. The advantage of Raid also lies in the absence of an unpleasant pungent odor. The duration of action of the remedy after treatment is about a month. Raid is intended for indoor use only. At the time of using the aerosol, children and animals should not be there. With Raid, you achieve several goals at once, since it is equally effective against ants, cockroaches and spiders. Hazard class 4.
    2. Spray Joker Bun. The drug is designed specifically for the extermination of spiders. It does not have a strong odor, but it has a detrimental effect on spiders and insects. This spray is contraindicated for use in catering premises. The agent must be sprayed in residential premises in the area of ​​​​window and doorways, as well as baseboards and in the corners. The contact of the spider with the spray leads to its death every minute. Keep the product out of the reach of children and pets.

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