Spiders are once again making their way into households in order to escape the cooling temperatures - and they can be tough to banish for good.
As well as cold weather, spider season kicks off at the start of autumn, meaning they search for a mate until around mid-October. These factors are why you may see an influx of the larger bugs at this time more than the rest of the year.
Luckily, there are affordable and natural ways to keep them out of your home. Lemons, which cost as little as 30 pence each from Tesco can serve as a creepy crawly repellent.
The citrus fruit is a great way to turn away the eight legged creatures as they are particularly sensitive to scents. According to SFgate, spiders have sensors on their legs that help them smell and taste.
This is one reason repellents are effective with spiders - they reach out toward the repellent with their front legs, then back up before getting their bodies close to the irritating smell, reports Birmingham Live.
Lemon is one of the smells spiders tend to avoid, making it a good choice for use as a repellent. To make a simple lemon spider repellent, fill a 1 quart spray bottle with water and add 1 tablespoon of lemon essential oil - a natural essential oil, not a synthetic version. Shake it up to mix well.
You can use the spray indoors along windowsills, pipes and other openings spiders might use, but when using in your garden, be prepared to reapply the spray often. You must apply every time it rains because the repellent gets washed away, but in periods of drought, plan to apply at least every two weeks.
If you're not a fan of a lemon scent, there are a number of different scents which will achieve the same outcome. Herbs such as basil are not only good for cooking, but also repel insects.
Cinnamon is also a spicy scent that will keep your home smelling sweet while keeping spiders at bay.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
