Spider deterrent in the garden (merged)

lexie55_2

Buy a cover.

A_Clock

sprinkle some Bicarbonate of Soda over it? Thats meant to keep insects away

angelavdavis

How about trying a thick band of vaseline around the bottom of the pole?

A_Clock

sweetnskint wrote: »

i would use a big stick and keep breaking the webs -they might move on if you keep on top of it!-worth a try!

I use a 6 foot bamboo cane :rotfl:

I posted in another tread a min ago, that Bicarbonate of Soda is meant to keep insects away, might be worth a try in the house at least

arkonite_babe

We have a thread similar to this already, I'll add your query to it so all the replies are together. Posts are listed in date order so you'll need to read from the beginning to catch up

smileyt_2

Hi

Found this online

You can mix up a potion with 5 table spoons of natural soap i.e. lavender or peppermint to 1 quart of water, then add 1 ounce of Neem Oil (available at most heath food shops) and then lastly add 1 to 5 drops of essential plant oil i.e. lavender oil, garlic oil, tee tree oil. Mix it all together and shake well and then spray in the area affected. The Neem Oil is a natural insect repellent

or this

Spider repellant for both indoor & out:
Mix coconut oil and some white vinegar and put into a spray bottle...pay close attention to ceiling corners.

The link I was looking at is http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf279075.tip.html but I warn you not to click on any advertising links as they seem to have big photos of spiders.

The only problem with the sprays (assuming they do work as deterrents) is that the spiders will probably run which may be a bit much for your phobia to cope with. Maybe you could find a friend or neighbour to do the spraying for you. Anyway, good luck. I'm not phobic myself but I don't particularly like them. I think we are hard-wired to be wary of things that scuttle so it's not surprising that so many people then develop phobias of spiders.

I'd be interested to know if these work.

anniewoo

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Conkers is a good wives tale, but unfortunately thats all it is. I don't want to stop you trying it though

I thought this was an old wives tale too,but I thought I would give it a try last autumn/winter.I usually get a lot of those big hairy spiders during the autumn :eek: but after placing conkers all around the lounge and hall,I didn't see a single one last year :j

It may have been a coincidence of course,but I am taking no chances and will go out looking for some more conkers this week to replace the old ones.I also saw a spider spray in Savers chemist which was derived from horse chestnuts and was supposed to deter spiders from coming into your house.There must be something about the smell of horse chestnut/conkers that they don't like.

I have trained myself to handle small ones,but those giant ones still give me the shudders :eek: :eek: I would like to add that I would never kill one though,I do the glass and card routine,very gingerly :rotfl:

jiblets1

I'd heard about the conkers myself. The information I was given suggested that you needed to drill small holes in them first ( to allow the scent to excape I would assume)

coolcait

jiblets1 wrote: »

I'd heard about the conkers myself. The information I was given suggested that you needed to drill small holes in them first ( to allow the scent to excape I would assume)

The conkers or the spiders? :eek:

Sorry.

I've also heard that lavender is a good deterrent, and intend to try that out in the house.

OP, I sympathise. I was drawn to this thread in the hope of suggestions which might help me with a similar problem (and there are quite a few on here it has to be said, so thanks to those who have contributed).

Is there any plant in your garden which seems to attract them? When we moved into our last house, there was a small plant in the back graden which was literally crawling with spiders. You could hear them scurry if you walked in that part of the garden :eek: :eek: (I have no idea what it was I'm afraid - OH is the gardener). When we got rid of it (triple bagged for OH to carry it through the terraced house :eek: while I hyperventilated) it definitely reduced the number of the beasties in the garden.

BTW, neither of my children have developed my phobia. DD even did a project on spiders because she finds them so fascinating... So I know what you mean when you say that you are taking care not to pass the phobia on.

Good luck with finding a solution.

~Chameleon~

mrbadexample wrote: »

:think: I think you're looking at this from the wrong perspective. Garden spiders live in the garden - it's in the job description. You'll never get rid of them, and IMHO, you shouldn't be trying.

I think the title of your post should be: "How can I overcome my phobia?" There are various methods of treatment, which usually work along the lines of increased exposure, starting with pictures etc. and building up to (probably) holding a tarantula. Have you considered any such option? In the long run, overcoming your phobia would prove far more worthwhile than a lifelong losing battle against our 8-legged friends.

MBE has got it spot on! :T

I used to be incredibly phobic of spiders from a very young age, to the extent I would actually vomit if I had to spend any time in the same room as one _pale_

Educating myself about them and gradually observing them from a safe distance helped me to overcome my fear, and then eventually handling my friend's tarantulas (Chile rose). Having said that I still can't bear to touch or hold a house/garden spider but I no longer have a problem with them being in the same room or at close quarters in the garden, as long as I can see where they are.

At this time of year there are lots of garden spiders in every nook and cranny but I just leave them be to do their thing and keep my beady eye on them