Why do chestnuts repel spiders

The question also remains as to whether other common species of household spider would be similarly affected. We also plan to identify the specific semiochemicals that cause the repellency. For the average consumer, the results offer some evidence to the potential repellency to spiders of chestnut and peppermint oil, but they cast some doubt on that of lemon oil.

But, for the entomologist, more questions abound. Or, if these semiochemicals have physiological effects that might be even toxic. Enter your email address to subscribe to Entomology Today. You'll receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

Learn how your comment data is processed. Subscribe to Entomology Today via Email Enter your email address to receive an alert whenever a new post is published here at Entomology Today. Giant house spiders are said to be eyeing up breeding grounds under the nation's sofas and beds as the spider-nesting season starts.

They seek out white walls and surfaces so they stand out to potential mates — so that's why they often seem to appear in the bath. Naturalist Malcolm D Welshman said the warm summer in produced more flies for the spiders to feed on and with increased food the population dramatically increased.

The spiders, that go by the scientific name Eratigena atrica, can grow to three inches in size and are among the quickest in the world covering two feet per second. But reassuring arachnophobes, Simon Garrett, head of Conservation Learning at Bristol Zoological Society, said: "Spiders don't specifically want to enter your home, in fact, they'd rather stay away as there's less food and it's too dry and clean.

Professor Fritz Vollrath, from the prestigious university's department of zoology, is embarking on a series of experiments with house spiders and the hard brown seeds to see if there is any truth in the myth. Ways of keeping spiders at bay in the autumn months when they flourish has been a long-standing mission for many.

One age-old method to scare off arachnids is to place conkers around the house. The old wives tale states they are either repelled by a chemical they secrete or the animals are scared of them. Either way, there is no reason to believe the myth as it has never been scientifically tested. Although completely unfounded, the urban myth states they contain a noxious chemical that deters the eight-legged beasts. But no scientific test has been carried out, and Professor Vollrath is set to end the mystery.

The experiment comes as the summer draws to an end and people see an invasion of spiders from gardens into their homes. This is when the creepy crawlies are at their biggest after a season of feeding. As their life cycle begins to expire the females come into the warm to lay their eggs. Academic research leader Professor Fritz said: 'It is probably a myth but nobody has scientifically tested it. Whilst conkers may be ineffective, the professor said spiders can hear and do respond to sound and vibrations so can be scared away.

Arachnids have long caused fear for many humans but according to the professor, their intricate silk webs are a wonder of the natural world. He is now using the silk to create 'living' implants that he believes could be used in medicine. Speaking on the Zoe Ball breakfast show he said: 'The web is a unique structure. If we were to scale up a spider to the size of a human the web he or she, mostly she, would build in about half an hour would be the size of a cricket pitch and could catch a small aeroplane.

There is, as of yet, no scientific proof that spiders are scared of the large seeds. It is made in ambient pressure, ambient temperature and the only solvent is water. It turns out that aescin, which can be extracted from conkers, has anti-inflammatory effects and is an effective remedy for sprains and bruises for humans. The Victorians wrote recipes for making conker flour.

The seeds were shelled, ground and then leached to remove bitter flavours. We recommend sticking to self-raising! If moths are munching their way through your winter wardrobe then conkers could be the answer. The horse chestnut seeds contain a chemical called triterpenoid saponin that wards off pesky pests.

Place fresh conkers in among your clothes and as they dry out they emit the moth-repellent. Pick up some conkers on your next woodland walk for all your household needs.

The saponins in conkers are soap-like chemicals that are sometimes added to shampoos and shower gels. It is thought that the Vikings, who were apparently surprisingly clean, made their soap out of soaked, crushed up conkers.