Does Peppermint Oil Keep Spiders Away? What Actually Keeps Them Out
Peppermint oil is the spider remedy everyone has heard of, and it has been tested. It works on some spiders and not on others, and even where it works it only keeps a spider from moving in. This article covers what the study found, which smells spiders avoid, what draws them to a house in McKinney or anywhere else, and the steps that keep them out.
- In a published study, peppermint oil kept 2 of 3 spider species away, and lemon oil kept none away.
- A scent may stop a spider moving in, but the researchers say it may not make a settled spider leave.
- Outdoor lights draw insects, and the insects draw the spiders, says the University of California.
- Sealed gaps, tight screens and less clutter are the steps the University of California gives for keeping spiders out.
- Texas A&M says only 2 spiders in Texas are truly dangerous, the black widow and the brown recluse.
Does peppermint oil keep spiders away?
Peppermint oil keeps some spiders away, but not all of them. In a study reported by the Entomological Society of America, 2 of 3 spider species avoided peppermint oil in more than 75 percent of choice tests, and it had no significant effect on the third, a cobweb spider common around homes.
The study was published in December 2017 in the Journal of Economic Entomology by researchers from Simon Fraser University, the University of Ulm and the University of Toronto Scarborough.
They tested the three spider remedies recommended most often online, peppermint oil, lemon oil and chestnuts, on adult females of the brown widow, the cross orb weaver and a cobweb spider called Steatoda grossa. Each spider went into a Y-shaped tube with a scent in one arm and nothing in the other, and a choice counted once it stayed in an arm for 30 seconds. The Entomology Today write-up of the study adds the limit that matters most at home. All three species mostly stay put once they build a web, so a repellent can only be said to keep spiders from entering an area. It may not make a spider that has already settled in leave.
What smells do spiders hate?
Spiders do not all react to the same smells. In a study that tested the popular scents, peppermint oil and chestnut repelled the brown widow and the cross orb weaver in more than 75 percent of tests, while lemon oil, the remedy recommended most often online, had no significant effect on any of the 3 species.
The third species, the cobweb spider Steatoda grossa, was not significantly affected by any of the three.
So a smell is a gamble on which spider you have, and the researchers say it is still an open question whether other common house spiders react the same way. A peppermint oil spray at a door is an extra on top of the steps further down this page, not a replacement for them.
What attracts spiders to your house?
Spiders come to a house for the insects they eat and for quiet places to hide. The University of California says outdoor lighting attracts insects, which in turn attracts spiders, and that clutter indoors and against the foundation gives them hiding places. Spiders are also carried in on plants, firewood and boxes.
Which room they turn up in usually says which of the two is driving it.
A spider by a door or a window at night is there for the insects the light pulled in. A spider in a garage or a storage room is there for the shelter. The University of California’s spider guide notes that black widows spend most of their time hidden in woodpiles or in clutter in the garage, and that the spiders seen out in the open during the day are unlikely to bite. Our article on where spiders hide in your home goes room by room.
Are spiders attracted to food?
No, spiders do not eat human food, so crumbs and fruit do not draw them in directly. The University of California describes spiders as predators of insects and other bugs. Food draws spiders only by drawing the flies, ants and roaches they eat, so cleaning helps at one remove.
That is why a spotless kitchen with a porch light burning over the back door all night can still have spiders by the door.
The fix that lowers the spider count without aiming anything at spiders is dealing with the insects. A house with a cricket or roach problem will keep feeding spiders until that problem is gone.
How do you keep spiders out of your house?
You keep spiders out of a house by closing the ways in and cutting off their food. The University of California says to seal cracks in the foundation and gaps around windows and doors, keep screens tight, keep clutter off floors and away from the foundation, and keep outdoor lights off the walls.
The table sets those steps beside the home remedies, with what the evidence says about each.
| Method | What the evidence says | Worth doing? |
|---|---|---|
| Peppermint oil | Repelled 2 of 3 species in more than 75 percent of tests, with no significant effect on the third | As an extra, not a fix |
| Chestnuts | The same result as peppermint oil in the same study | As an extra, not a fix |
| Lemon oil | No significant effect on any of the 3 species | No |
| Sealing cracks and gaps | The University of California’s first step to stop spiders entering | Yes |
| Tight screens | Keep out spiders and the insects they prey on, the University of California says | Yes |
| Lights off the walls | Outdoor lighting draws insects, which draws spiders | Yes |
| Less clutter | Takes away hiding places indoors and against the foundation | Yes |
The scents were tested on 3 species. The building steps work on every spider, because they shut out the insects as well.
How to keep spiders out, step by step
- Seal cracks in the foundation and gaps around windows and doors. The University of California lists this first, because spiders enter through cracks and other openings.
- Check that every window and door screen seals in its frame. Good screening keeps out spiders and also the insects they hunt, the same guide says.
- Move outdoor lights off the walls and away from windows and doorways, so the insects they attract gather away from the way in.
- Clear the ground next to the foundation of trash, leaf litter and heavy plants, and trim plants back from the house, as the University of California advises.
- Indoors, vacuum up spiders with their webs and keep clutter off the floor. Wear gloves when clearing a garage or storage room, where a black widow may be hiding.
The University of California also says insecticides will not give long-term control of spiders outdoors, which is why every step above changes the house rather than the spider. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says the only truly dangerous spiders in Texas are the black widow and the brown recluse, and our article on common house spiders in Texas shows how to tell them from the harmless ones.
How Pest Me Off handles spiders
Pest Me Off identifies the species before treating, because where we treat depends on it. The technician removes the active spiders, knocks down the webs, pulls the egg sacs we can find, treats the perimeter and knocks back the insects the spiders feed on. We treat around your pets, tell you when the treated areas are dry, and the family is back inside once it dries.
Our spider control service covers Plano, Frisco, Allen and the rest of Collin County, with same-day service Monday through Friday when you call before noon, and no-contract options. Get a free estimate and we will tell you which spider you have and what is feeding it.
More spiders every year? Same-day spider control in McKinney and the surrounding cities when you call before noon.
We identify the species, remove the webs and egg sacs, treat the perimeter and knock back the insects the spiders came for. No-contract options.
