Conkers to keep spiders away

[ian_g]

Just been having a chat with one of my mates via Skype and we were on the subject of spiders.

He said that his Grandad (who's 80 by the way), recommended putting conkers down in areas where you may think House Spiders would get into your house; apparently they are put off by the smell of them. My mate hasn't had a spider in his bedroom for around nine months.

Is this a well-known fact or just a load of twaddle?

Cheers,
Ian

[goosey]

I have never heard of it, but it's worth a try. I hope the conkers around here hurry up and ripen!

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by ian_g

Just been having a chat with one of my mates via Skype and we were on the subject of spiders.

He said that his Grandad (who's 80 by the way), recommended putting conkers down in areas where you may think House Spiders would get into your house; apparently they are put off by the smell of them. My mate hasn't had a spider in his bedroom for around nine months.

Is this a well-known fact or just a load of twaddle?

Cheers,
Ian

Mrs Wobble Dagger will be very pleased if this works, I will be spending the Autumn conker cladding my house

BWD

[Venger]

Originally Posted by ian_g

My mate hasn't had a spider in his bedroom for around nine months.

Not that he's seen, trust me they are there

Never heard of this one Ian, though to put a dampener on it (I need a torch to shine on my face for this)- they're already inside mwahahaha!

[Paul mabbott]

Why do you want to keep spiders out?
With the vast numbers of fruit flies that are flying around at the moment, we're pleased for a bit of help from the spiders!

[Bramble]

I have heard of this, and I have even seen a solution containing conker extract for sale (usually in those little catalogues we get throught the post or inside magazines and papers). I don't know if it works, although I did put crushed up conkers into a anti-insect herb bag I made for a musty corner, and I haven't seen any spiders there Fair enough if you don't like them running about!

[kolibri]

Hello, can anyone help ... I have encountered 4 huge house spiders in my bedroom over the past four days ... one each night!! The first three I put outside, the 4th one I killed because I got so fed up. But I'm worried - do house spiders have nests? Could there be more?? What can I do?

[Venger]

No, it's the time of year when male Tegenaria sp come inside looking for females (they don't nest but females may have webs in dark secluded corners of your house)
Try not to squash them, they aren't doing you any harm, and will actually keep your house bug free.

[m1.carson]

Hi

I've seen three common house spiders in the last two days, definitely the time of year for them, but my question is, if spiders don't like conkers, how come the trees have webs. ?

Max.

[jnb]

Of course when I saw the subject " Conkers to keep spiders away" my first thought was "your aim must be astoundingly good"

[Bramble]

Originally Posted by m1.carson

Hi

I've seen three common house spiders in the last two days, definitely the time of year for them, but my question is, if spiders don't like conkers, how come the trees have webs. ?

Max.

I think it is some kind of essential oil contained within the seed which has to be extracted, so I don't suppose the spiders will be too bothered unless it's in a high enough concentration.

As for having a good aim...I was under a spreading chestnut tree on Sunday and a grey squirrel was lobbing them in my general direction At least the spiky husks haven't developed yet!

[saintslou]

Well anything is worth a try! I too saw this in a magazine and am keeping everything crossed, I hate this time of year and I think my husband dreads the inevitable screams!

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by kolibri

The first three I put outside, the 4th one I killed because I got so fed up. But I'm worried - do house spiders have nests?

Not sure about the nests, but they can hold a grudge something rotten .

Sorry, I shouldn't take the micky because I'm quite arachnophobic myself.

When I read the subject of this thread I did wonder if you attached a shoelace to the conker whacked the little blighters .

[mrs fish]

My mum and dad swear by conkers placed around the floor edges to keep the spiders away , I told people about this on the Autumnwatch message boards last year

The theory is that the intruding spider thinks the conker is a much larger spider .

Last week we had three or four large visitors with eight legs

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by mrs fish

My mum and dad swear by conkers placed around the floor edges to keep the spiders away , I told people about this on the Autumnwatch message boards last year

The theory is that the intruding spider thinks the conker is a much larger spider .

Last week we had three or four large visitors with eight legs

Ah, right! I know they don't like lemon essential oil on a bit of tissue paper or cotton wool

[demicav]

Originally Posted by kolibri

Hello, can anyone help ... I have encountered 4 huge house spiders in my bedroom over the past four days ... one each night!! The first three I put outside, the 4th one I killed because I got so fed up. But I'm worried - do house spiders have nests? Could there be more?? What can I do?

I wouldn't worry as House spiders are there all year round, even when you don't see them. It's coming to that time of year when the males are looking for female company and you will see them more. As for breeding, it goes on in all houses, males and females will breed. We once had hundreds of house spider spiderlings in the downstairs bathroom, they were very cute, although we did move some to the shed outside. We don't have as many House spiders now as we get a lot of Cellar spiders and they love to make a meal of them. I don't know if conkers would work but Cellar spiders are guaranteed to make a difference, not much good if you're afraid of spiders though .

Now only last week I was holding a Tarantula named Rose and she was ever so sweet. Now in comparison to a House spider she was a whole lot bigger but I've never held a House spider, not least because they move at the speed of light, I am more nervous of them, I don't kill them though, they do much good in the home.

[naturelover]

i get lots of spiders in my conservatory in the roof,its made of thick wooden beams,what gets me is how do they get in?mind you i dont mind spiders i just dont like their webs hanging around,i get rid of them next day there back people say i should kill them, no way i couldnt live with my guilt if i did, they got as much right to live as much as we have,Just remembered something that will make you laugh,a few years ago my husband sold our grandfather clock to a dealer little did he know he also took our lodger the BIG black spider who lived in it for quite some time,he would come out for a walk every night across the living room floor,my dog shandy would watch it and i would say LEAVE IT bless her she never hurt it once.

[cayden]

interesting idea. i dont mind the spiders so much as the cobwebs. theres one in the corner where i plug in my laptop but the spider and i have an agreement, it used to cobweb over the plugs, so i kept breaking that half of the web, so long as i plug something in at least once a week it doesnt put the cobweb over the plug aocket anymore. more than a week n it attempts to get back over it.

[GRH]

Originally Posted by mrs fish

My mum and dad swear by conkers placed around the floor edges to keep the spiders away , I told people about this on the Autumnwatch message boards last year

The theory is that the intruding spider thinks the conker is a much larger spider.

I don't think this is the case. Spiders have good senses, based on sensing air movements and vibrations, as well as chemo-senses. They have poor eyesight (apart from a few families like jumping spiders and wolf spiders), and other spiders would generally be detected through direct contact or contact with silk (female spider silk contains phermones, strands of which the males follow to find the female). If conkers are repellant to spiders it's probably because they contain poisons (they're poisonous to people too, after all). Why specifically conkers I don't know, as spiders webs can be found on lots of (more poisonous) plants.

Greg

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by GRH

I don't think this is the case. Spiders have good senses, based on sensing air movements and vibrations, as well as chemo-senses. They have poor eyesight (apart from a few families like jumping spiders and wolf spiders), and other spiders would generally be detected through direct contact or contact with silk (female spider silk contains phermones, strands of which the males follow to find the female). If conkers are repellant to spiders it's probably because they contain poisons (they're poisonous to people too, after all). Why specifically conkers I don't know, as spiders webs can be found on lots of (more poisonous) plants.

Greg

almost worth a research project to find out if are there fewer spiders in the leaf (and conker)litter beneath horse chesnuts than other trees?

[Wildwood]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Why do you want to keep spiders out?
With the vast numbers of fruit flies that are flying around at the moment, we're pleased for a bit of help from the spiders!

So it's not just me with the fruit fly problem.

I have heard of the conker discouraging spiders idea but I've never tried it as I like spiders. However, there was an enormous spider in my bedroom the other week, possibly the biggest I've ever seen, and it was removed to the garden as I didn't fancy sharing my bed with it.

[ian_g]

Really interesting read and I'm glad some of you have heard of this 'technique'.

I noticed a House Spider on top of our wheelie bin the other day and as I thought about getting my camera out, it ran across the lid of it and fell into a Garden Spider's web (female).

I was ready to watch the House Spider devour the Garden Spider, surprisingly though, the Garden Spider won the battle, and very quick it was too.

One question I have from the threads above... what's a Cellar Spider?

Ian G

[ian_g]

Just Googled Cellar Spider... we have quite a lot of those in our house too. I'm surprised, to say the least, that House Spiders are afraid of them! They don't look like 'hard men' spiders in my book

[demicav]

Originally Posted by ian_g

Just Googled Cellar Spider... we have quite a lot of those in our house too. I'm surprised, to say the least, that House Spiders are afraid of them! They don't look like 'hard men' spiders in my book

Yes, it's hard to believe but Cellar spiders can and do eat spiders much larger than themselves. I was shocked to learn this quite a while ago and since then I have witnessed it several times. Those large house spiders don't stand a chance, although they do have speed on their side.

[sofa87]

Originally Posted by Bramble

I think it is some kind of essential oil contained within the seed which has to be extracted, so I don't suppose the spiders will be too bothered unless it's in a high enough concentration.

As for having a good aim...I was under a spreading chestnut tree on Sunday and a grey squirrel was lobbing them in my general direction At least the spiky husks haven't developed yet!

hiya

just wondering if you guys knew... people are now eating grey squirrels in the UK... to save the red i guess

its on the bbc website : BBC - Tyne - Features - Squirrel on the menu



Well, thats ONE way of saving the Red Squirrel. But really....squirrels???


As for spiders, I get freaked out by the big ones, but i can never kill them. I normally leave them be! I tried the conker thing in school, I think it only lasts so long...