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By Bethany Baker

Why use chemicals and harm other people as well as the spiders?

Natural spider repellent methods are as effective as chemicals, but they do not poison humans, animals and the environment.

If you are too scared to kill spiders on your own, then repelling them is an option you may want to take until you are able to hire the services of a pest control professional.

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An effective Natural spider repellent that has been used by many to ward of pests such as spiders is the citrus spray. You can easily make it at home without having to spend too much. Spiders have been known to be over-sensitive to citric acid that being exposed to large doses of it can kill them.

Repel Spiders with Natural Essential Oils:

Stop using treatments or chemicals to kill the bugs in your house and instead use natural spider repellent. Some are more dangerous for smaller children then for the spiders! Instead create a safe, simple way to get those spiders out! How does it work? Spiders taste through their feet and hate the taste of peppermint and citrus. All that the mixture contains is water, Essential Oils (Peppermint & Lemon) and an empty spray bottle.

Steps:

1st fill the spray bottle with water

2nd add 10-15 drops of each different scent

3rd shake well for it to blend

*also shake before each use to mix the separate oils into one blend*

Areas to Spray:

Make sure to coat any cracks, openings, or other entrances with the essential oils inside the house. Don’t miss the tricky places they hide in such as under cabinets or furniture, garage places, and anywhere in between. For the outside, mainly spray places around doors and window panes.

Hedge Apples- Myth or Fact?

Don’t be fooled! Toxicologists at Iowa State University discovered hedge apples could be found repelling to some spiders but not enough to keep them away! The natural spider repellent were too low to be considered an effective repellent for spiders.

Hedge apples are produced by the Osage-orange tree (Maclura pomifera) and are yellowish-green. They are mainly found in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Hedge apples are not poisonous but could irritate the skin as well as clog up the esophagus of a house pet causing it to die.

Chestnuts

Chestnuts around the exterior walls of every room in the house as well as on all the windowsills is known to prevent spiders such as the wolf spider. Many confuse this spider with a tarantula but wolf spiders contain less hair on their body usually.

Wolf spiders are very common in the United States and can be found anywhere from grasslands to woods or even lakes. They are seen outdoors and wander into houses and buildings to be found. Some wolf spiders can walk on water and eat prey which you might find common if you live near a lake or pond. They also feed on crickets, cockroaches, and other small insects. Wolf spiders are not considered to be poisonous, although a bite may cause a reaction in certain individuals so get them out of your home!

Natural Spider Repellent Around the House

Keep it clean

Use natural spider repellent to get rid of the spider’s most comfortable habitat, then you will force the spider away. Spiders come in all sizes and can find their way into your home. When they are outside, they are beneficial, because they eat other insects. Spiders are always on the lookout for new food sources. When they enter the home and remain, it is because they are finding food sources, such as other insects or crumbs, and food left around.

The more you tend to your house, the less they can hide in the corners. An untidy living space is an invite for spiders to live and stay. Seal any extra openings and keep crevices closed off. Sweep or vacuum weekly to get rid of the unwanted spider webs and spider-egg colonies. Reduce or eliminate piles of papers, boxes, bags, and other clutter to reduce potential harborage areas. Check boxes, plants and firewood before bringing it into the home to ensure that spiders are not hitching a ride.

Extra Food

Food can be a major attraction to not only spiders but many other insects as well. Unkempt vegetation can breed spiders so tend to that garden. Cut down bushes and trees to get old vegetation away. Keep your trash bins away from the house because spiders will stay around them, hoping to catch the bugs that are attracted to them.

Vinegar Water

Another simple natural spider repellent and easy mixture is combining the same amount of water and vinegar together using it as a spray around the house. Vinegar is not harmful to humans but contains acid that spiders hate.

Friends

Abolish all other insects the spider could feast on for this will keep them coming. If there is no food for the spiders to live off of, then you will have no problems. Don’t let anything come in or out!

Glue Traps

Rather than use poisons, you might want sticky spider traps which is another convenient natural spider repellent.. You can get these flat sticky cardboard traps and place them out of the way under furniture. Spiders seem to travel near the walls, so a good location to place traps is along the walls. Mice glue traps also trap spiders. Place glue traps where you find spiders are most common in your house. As they walk you will catch them in a non-chemical way. You can replace them as they get used.

Lights

Lighted outside porch lights attract all kinds of insects and in turn attract spiders. A regular light bulb is in the blue light spectrum that attracts bugs. Changing the light bulb to a sodium type bulb will help keep bugs away. Sodium type bulbs also use less power.

Lemon Juice

Get a wet cloth and spray it with lemon-dusting polish to wipe down all of the counters in your home. Make sure to get around windows as well. Once the spiders taste the lemon through their feet, they are out of there and your natural spider repellent has worked!

Pets

Cats are a great and friendly way to get rid of spiders. They are able to reach high places and jump very fast to kill, eat, or even play with them! Dogs are good too except they can not reach the windows where spiders mainly come from.

Where can you Find Them?

Check to make sure outside doors close properly, check that windows without screens are not left open. If screens are in place, check the screens, for holes, and proper fitting. Check around the foundation of the house for entry spots, check around vents; make sure they are sealed.

Look for any space that insects are able to enter into the home. Spiders love to be found in dark corners so keep an eye on them. Before you bring boxed items, from the outside, or garage, into the house, check to make sure that no spiders are inside.

Cardboard is a wood product and spiders love cardboard. They are very fond of wood, which is where you can find most of them. They love to hide in houses where it is cool when it’s hot and humid outside. They prefer bathroom sinks and tubs where a close water source is by.

Why not Pesticides?

Most people think pesticides are harmless to the environment but little do they know they can be quite harmful to our health. Pesticides are meant to kill bugs and also give human health risks too. However, in most cases the treatment is too small to have a large impact on us. The health effects depend on how toxic and what type of pesticide it is. Symptoms of over-exposure include itchy eyes, nose, throat, or skin, burning, stinging, vomiting, coughing, headache.

The gardeners among us are all quite familiar with the use of pesticides and other dangerous chemicals in the never-ending war against insects, weeds and rodents. The more pesticides are sprayed, the more likely it is for them to interfere with human and even pets health. This is also another good reason why to use natural spider repellent for you and your family’s safety. The two poisons that are most commonly involved in accidents with dogs are pesticides containing disulfoton and snail bait containing metaldehyde. Disulfoton turns up in many different pesticides, and is particularly harmful to dogs if ingested.

Dogs are also attracted to this flavor and no realize how harmful it is to them. In addition to keeping your dog away while the chemicals are in use, it is important to store any potentially harmful products in a place where no pets could ever get in to them.

EPA

The EPA was put in place in 1970 by President Richard Nixon to conduct environmental assessments, research, and to educate Americans. The EPA can determine what the effects of pesticides on humans are and whether they are acceptable to the environment. EPA stands for environmental protection agency and they assess risks related to pesticide active ingredients, as well as with groups of pesticides that have a common toxic effect.

They have a cooperative agreement with Oregon State University that provides them with text information and science-related subjects including pesticides.