Best ways to keep spiders out as temperatures dip and critters seek warmth
As summer slowly comes to an end and temperatures begin to dip, autumnal weather may bring some cozy nights and a return to school, but it could also see the return of some unwelcome guests.
When temperatures start to dip, spiders usually reappear in people's homes as the creepy crawlies seek warmth and shelter from frostier days. It's a tough time of year for the many people who are scared of the eight-legged creatures and as a result, many will try just about anything to keep them away.
Spiders will be a common sight in the coming weeks and if you spot one on the move it's almost certainly a male. Male spiders tend to move around while female spiders will stay in one place, reports Yorkshire Live. This is because they are hunting for a mate, and it's this behaviour that leads to them leaving the place they've been calling home and heading out into your home.
There are several things you can do to keep them away though:
Plug holes act as tiny gateways into cosy homes for spiders as temperatures fall (Getty Images)How to keep spiders away from you
- Use lavender, mint and eucalyptus as well as citronella: Spiders don't like strong smells like those from lavender, and many have it growing in their garden. Simply cut some off and sprinkle it in key spider points like windowsills, near doors and dark skirting boards.
- Mint: you can simply buy fresh mint from Asda for as little as 65p and sprinkle it along windowsills and in dark corners of skirting boards, where spiders are likely to lurk.
- Lemon/Citronella: You can buy sprays made from these ingredients for about £5 to £7, or
- Removing webs: If you remove a web frequently, spiders will realise that it's a bad place to spin a web and they will eventually move on and live somewhere else.
- Chalk: spiders taste with their feet, and they don't like the taste of chalk. Drawing a line of chalk around your bed, along window frames and near doorways will create a no-spider zone which they will not want to cross.
- Check your fruit bowl.
If I spot a spider should I kill it?
In short, no. Spiders are actually very beneficial to a house, catching and disposing of flies and other insects. For anyone who has ever had a problem with ants, you will almost certainly recall how there was an increasingly rotund spider lurking near the crack they use to terrorise your conservatory. Spiders are nature's caretakers.
Instead of ending that spider's hopes and dreams if you spot one you could employ the tried and tested glass and paper method. If you really care about spider welfare though (and if you've trapped the odd leg during your humanitarian efforts) you can use a 'spider grabber'. These extendable arms have light brushes which grab and contain a spider at arm's length. You can then just pop it safely out of the window and it won't come to any harm
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