Households urged to boil lemon peels in water in June

Households across the UK are being urged to boil lemon peels in water in June to keep spiders away.

Peak spider season in the UK doesn't begin until around early September, but unfortunately the warmer months can also cause a spike in activity, with the eight-legged creatures commonly spotted around homes during June as the summer season arrives. The transition from spring into summer sees spiders become more active as they emerge from winter dormancy, and eggs laid in previous seasons often start to hatch around this time, which means more close encounters in your home. This combined with the abudance of household pests like flies and ants at this time of year when temperatures are warm can also lure spiders out of hiding in search of food.

Spiders find their way into homes through cracks, caps, open windows and doors, so sealing these shut is an obvious solution to keep them out, but there is another layer of defence you can try – and that requires a few lemons.

Spiders have a sensitive sense of smell and don’t enjoy strong aromas, especially citrus fruits like lemon. As such, you can utilise this by making a homemade spray solution to spritz around your home to help deter the creatures from entering.

In its online advice on keeping spiders out of your home using natural deterrents, The Happy House Cleaning Services said: “Spiders hate citrus fruits! You can easily prepare green repellent by squeezing half a lemon and mixing it with water. Pour this liquid in a spray bottle and spray around the house.

“Spiders usually nest in wall cracks, corners of the walls, and the hidden, dark places – behind cabinets and wardrobes, heavy pieces of furniture, corners of walls and ceilings, cracks in wooden flooring.

“Another way to get rid of spiders is to sun dry citrus fruits peels and grind them in a food processor. Sprinkle this powder around the house once every week and the spiders will soon disappear. You can use grapefruit, orange, lemon or lime peels, or mix of all of them.”

To make a homemade spider deterrent using citrus fruits, pest experts recommend soaking lemon peels (or orange, grapefruit or lime if you don’t have any lemons) in boiling water, along with a few drops of essential oil, and leaving this to stew overnight before transferring it into a spray bottle.

Then simply spray the solution into entry points around your home, including around windows, doorways and any cracks or gaps you can find.

Lake Norman Pest said: “If you have oranges at home and you tend to throw the peels, better stop doing it, especially if you have spiders at home. Orange peels help in repelling spiders, and it will not cost you much.

“The crawling insect is not friends with citrus scents, and it can be the most effective solution for your problem. You only have to cut the peel in chunks and place it inside a container with boiling water. Soak the orange peel overnight and place the extract on a bottle and spray it on places where spiders are usually hiding.

“If you don’t have orange peels, you can also use grapefruit and lemon. Whatever citrus fruits you have, spiders don’t like it, and you can use it to drive them away completely.”