PixabayWith so many people seriously terrified of spiders it’s a wonder we haven’t learned this simple trick to keep them away sooner.
No longer will you either have to hide in fear, get the vacuum out or find somebody to come to the rescue, because this is actually really easy.
All you need is some peppermint oil and some water.
See, I told you it was easy.
PixabaySo bad news – you need to go around the house, vacuum, dust and clean. Then mix five drops of peppermint oil into a 500ml spray bottle of water and spray it around the house.
Healthline advises applying the spray around doors and windows, around the outside perimeter of your home, and in any nooks and crannies where spiders may be hiding.
The website says you should try applying the spray once a week at first but if the spiders reappear before the week is up, you should try spraying the peppermint solution every few days instead.
PixabayYou can also try placing peppermint plants in strategic places in and around the house.
And, if you’re like me, you’ll be happy to know the eight-legged creatures won’t come to any harm, as it doesn’t poison them, it just acts as a deterrent.
If you can’t be bothered to mix up the solution yourself, there are a number of products available online.
PixabayIf you don’t like peppermint, there are several alternative essential oils you can try.
These are: lemon, eucalyptus, lavender, tea tree, or citronella oil.
Spreading cedar mulch – typically shredded or chipped wood – around your home may help deter spiders and other bugs from moving in, but realistically, who is going to do that?
This is probably useful information anyway at a time like this, because there are reports of giant house spiders invading the UK’s homes, with around 150 million Eratigena atrica currently nesting in the dusty corners of your house.
*Reaches for the peppermints*
These spiders measure up to 7.5cm and are usually a dark orange-brown colour. The warm summer produced more flies for the spiders to feed on and with this, the spider population dramatically increased this year.
WikimediaBut here in Britain there are no deadly spiders in Britain, so really, what is there to be scared of?
Andrew Whitehouse, of the charity Buglife told the Guardian:
The likelihood of getting bitten by a spider is extremely rare.
The vast majority of our British spiders are too small – they can’t get their jaws wide apart enough to nip you.
WikimediaYes, we’ve read in the media many time about ‘false widow spiders’ here in the UK, but they are not aggressive creatures.
Andrew added:
I’ve never been bitten by a false widow spider, but I’m told it is not much more than a bee or wasp sting.
Occasionally there could be complications if there is an allergic reaction or bites become infected.
Walt Disney PicturesLet’s go ahead and end this article with a little something Roald Dahl wrote in James and the Giant Peach, shall we?
Should her looks sometimes alarm you
Then I don’t think it would harm you
To repeat at least a hundred times a day:
‘I must NEVER kill a spider
I must only help and guide her
And invite her in the nursery to play.’
Wise words.
