Nobody wants to see this...You'll be noticing a lot more spiders around the place soon.
Well Summer is just about winding down for 2019 and Autumn is gearing up to take over, which means, unfortunately… it’s time for peak spider season.
Why is Autumn peak spider time? Without getting into the gory details it’s the eight-legged mating season.
During this period female spiders will sit and wait in webs, while male spiders begin to roam around searching for a mate.
Which explains why you'll be seeing more spiders on the move about the place (chances are they'll always be male spiders looking to get lucky).
In fact, according to Professor Hart, an entomologist at the University of Gloucestershire, 80% of the spiders you’ll see this season will be male.
‘’They are on the hunt for mates and females ‘stay put’ indoors, so there is an inevitable influx of home-invading arachnids,’’ he told the BBC.
Here are a few tips said to keep spiders away from your home:
Seal openings:
Spiders will exploit little cracks and gaps which can open up around your doors and windows, so fill them in where you can.
You can also spray pesticide in these areas to deter creepy crawlies.
Strong smells:
It’s said spiders hate smells like citrus, vinegar, eucalyptus and peppermint.
Leave peel from lemons and oranges where spiders might like to enter as a deterrent. The peel will need replacing every few days as the smell won’t stay.
Don't leave 'spider food' laying around:
Stuff like crumbs in the carpet can attract insects… which in turn attracts spiders.
While you can make an argument that the spiders may help control your insect problem, we’d rather have as little of either as possible.
So keep things clean.
Cedar wood:
Rather than changing furniture, buy a few blocks of cedar wood and place them by doors, windows and any other gaps that spiders may come into the house. According to experts they don’t like the smell.
And remember if a spider or two does pop up in your bathroom, don’t be too quick to show them the bottom of your shoe.
Spiders play an important role in keeping the numbers of other insects at bay…
Just like Mufussa explained to Simba all those years ago, it’s the circle of life.
