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Why you shouldn’t spray your home with insecticides

Think twice before calling in a fumigator. - by Rachael Jones
  • 18 Mar 2022

Have the creepy crawlies made their way into your home? Or have they always been there, but now they are popping around more frequently?

WATCH: Bug free and beautiful

Following reports of an increase in spiders in the home, it’s only natural for people to call in a fumigator. But, before you reach for the phone, experts say spraying your home with insecticides can do more harm than good. Not to mention, the critters usually return within a few weeks.

"Customer service is important. Some technicians turn up to [a customer's] door and don't explain to the customer what they are going to do... and afterwards the expectations. It's pest control, not pest eradication," Sam Yehia, owner of Sydney Best Pest Control told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"If you can't spray a spider, you can't kill it. When it comes to funnel webs, wolf spiders, or mouse spiders - ground spiders - you won't ever completely get rid of them with just spraying because they roam around hunting."

The reality is, killing every bug in your garden with insecticides can destroy the ecosystem.

avoid-insecticides-summer-spiders
Getty

Macquarie University post-doctoral researcher Lizzie Lowe told the publication: "You shouldn't actually want every insect in your garden dead. You want to have the good guys to help control the bad guys... so you don't have these massive outbreaks of creatures.”

How to repel spiders from your home naturally

Did you know spiders hate the smell of peppermint? With that in mind, you can use this nifty hack to move spiders out of your home for good.

Method

  1. Start with getting rid of as many of the current creepy crawlies already in your house.
  2. Get out the vacuum and search out any obvious signs but also seek out any nooks and crannies. This will suck up any webs, spiders and even egg sacs you aren’t even aware are there.
  3. Fill a spray bottle with water.
  4. Mix in 20 drops of peppermint oil.
  5. Spray the mixture through any cracks and all corners in your house. Hopefully, the smell will move any remaining spiders from your home or deter any new ones from moving in.

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