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Entomologist trashes idea that horse chestnuts can keep spiders out of your home this fall
Humans have long turned to horse chestnuts to stop spiders in their trackers, but an expert entomologist has warned against the old wive’s tale for your arachnid problem.
September each year marks the start of spider season when the eight-legged critters venture into your homes to escape the elements. Everyone has their own methods for dealing with spiders, whether a�skilled pickup method�or combinations of chemicals that�repel them. Just don’t use conkers, an expert has said.
Keep things moving to dissuade spiders from your home
While there is no denying the potential applications of spiders, it’s said that around 15% of the population has an overwhelming fear of them. With that in mind, how can you keep them from your home?
Farmsense’s Dr. Tracy Ellis, who has extensive experience with arachnids through her work as an entomologist, told The Focus that you can reduce the amount of spiders in your home by targeting prey like flies, ladybugs, and stink bugs.
Because spiders will only stick around where there is a constant supply of yummy meals, you could decrease their presence by fixing gaps, holes, and routes into your home.
“Seek to repair punctures in screening, worn door sweeps, gaps around windowsills and cellar doors,” Dr Ellis explained. “Sticky traps placed in discrete locations in the basement might give you a hint on what prey is crawling in your home.”
The aim of the game is to make your home as inhospitable to spiders as possible, which means consistently moving things around to stop your home’s spiders from getting comfortable.
And don’t even think about taking house spiders outside, because we all know how that ends.
Horse chestnuts are not the spider solution you think they are
Horse chestnuts, or conkers, are small reddish-brown stones contained inside spiky green shells on trees. In the UK a popular children’s game is based around shiny stones.
Though it’s not immediately clear where the old wive’s tale came from, it’s been widely accepted that conkers stop spiders for centuries. Some theorize that it’s down to chemicals in the conkers, while others claim spiders are straight-up terrified of them.
Not only is that line of thinking completely wrong, but it could make your problem worse.
The doctor said: “Horse chestnuts may exacerbate the spider population because they may contain larvae of the horse chestnut weevil that could end up being more food for your spider population.”
