Will citronella repel spider species? Well, let’s dig into the facts.

Citronella is a grass from South Asia from which citronella oil is extracted. This essential oil is known for its fragrance and pest repellent properties.

It is one of the most popular spider repellent plants.

Citronella For Spiders

Because this oil is contained within citronella (lemon) grass, the grass also does a good job of repelling pests. Pests repelled by citronella include fleas, mosquitoes, and flies.

Other pests include gnats, ants, and several other insect pests. So, how does this treatment fare against spiders?

This is where we seek to dwell.

If you’re wondering whether your spider problem can be resolved using citronella, this article should be of immense help.

You only need to read on as we cover the different aspects of citronella as a pest repellent.

Uses of Citronella

If you’ve known or read about citronella, you should know that it has lots of other uses apart from pest control.

This essential oil is known to provide a wide range of benefits that include serving as an antifungal agent, helping with wound healing, fighting fatigue or improvement of mood, as well as being used for food flavoring.

Citronella is also used in perfumes, for the treatment of parasitic infections and also as an antibacterial. All of these are important benefits that make this essential oil highly desirable.

With that said, let’s shift our focus back to its pest repellent effect. Will citronella repel spiders?

Will Citronella Help in Spider Treatments?

Citronella will repel spiders when used in the right way. Its fragrant essential oil when sprayed around targeted areas does a good job of driving these arachnids away.

To get the desired effect, the right mixture having the proper concentration of citronella oil needs to be prepared.

Consider citronella treatments as a way of marking your territory to drive out spiders. An invisible barrier is created whenever you spray citronella oil around your home.

Spiders, including other pests such as those mentioned earlier, are driven off from your surroundings.

Citronella Treatments Can Fail

Citronella oil treatments for spiders aren’t foolproof. In other words, these aren’t 100% effective as treatments administered could turn out ineffective.

This is mostly due to application techniques used, the concentration of your spray solution, and also whether it’s applied in the right way or not.

If at all you should use citronella treatment, it should be applied as a backup.

This way, you tend to get the best possible results. Also, you mustn’t focus solely on the effect which is spider presence.

By resolving the causes, less time and effort will be spent on treatments such as citronella oil use.

How Citronella Works

So far, there are no clear explanations as to why essential oils like citronella repel spiders and other pests. One of the common explanations provided is the scent given off by citronella.

According to these claims, spiders hate the smell and stay out of treated areas.

In a bid to keep your home free from spiders, you only need to apply around infested areas. Plus, there’s no harm in trying as a lot of other benefits are derived from citronella use.

So, how can one go about applying this treatment? You’ll have to first make your repellent solution.

How To Repel Spiders Using Citronella

To make your citronella spray, you’ll need a spray bottle (preferably glass), lemon-scented dish soap, as well as water. Now, add about 1 quart of water that will need to be poured into the spray bottle.

This is followed by about 5 drops of citronella oil and between 1 to 3 drops of lemon-scented dish soap.

Close the spray bottle and shake the contents vigorously. Now, your citronella spider repellent is ready. Using this spider repellent mixture, target infested or problematic areas for treatment.

You can also douse spiders with this spray. The frequency of treatment also matters.

You’ll have to do this repeatedly as the scent slowly wanes. Consider applying at least twice a day for about a week or two. Does this seem like too much work?

That’s the price you have to pay to expel spiders from your surroundings.

Focus More on the Causes

Irrespective of whether citronella spider repellent is effective or not, it’s best you have a preventive treatment mentality. Oftentimes, spiders stray into homes due to the availability of favorable conditions.

As long as such favorable conditions remain, spiders will return even when treatments are administered.

At best, your citronella treatment will only offer temporary relief. Spiders will return when it’s safe enough to do so. So, what are these attractions that spiders find irresistible?

Three key factors are responsible for their presence; food, warmth, and moisture.

Speaking of food, this is the primary attraction for these arachnids. Spiders feed on insects. You may want to consider them as natural insect controllers. Asides from the food, spiders will move in to seek shelter.

These pests love cluttered surroundings. Also, your leaky pipes draw these arachnids to damp areas.

  • Eliminating the Causes

To have any chance of getting spiders off your property, you’ll need to take appropriate actions to keep your home spider-free.

These include keeping your home clean and tidy, installing screens to prevent insects from getting into your home. These are snacks for spiders.

You might want to also remove any potential spider attractions by clearing up excess vegetation, woodpiles, compost, grass clippings, and leaves.

Ensure all sources of moisture leaves are fixed and turning off your lights when not in use.

Insects are attracted to light, and spiders move to such areas to prey on these insects. Do you have bins kept too close to your house? This attracts flies which in turn attract spiders.

By moving these bins away, you’re making it less likely for spiders to be around.

Consider Calling for Pest Control

Some homeowners complain about the inefficacy of citronella as a spider repellent.

As always, such may be due to the application method used and whether all infested areas were covered or treated as frequently as necessary.

If you continue to get little to no results, it’s best to pay for a professional spider treatment.

Citronella does repel spiders, but there’s a lot more to spider treatment than focusing on the effects. While treating the effect using citronella, also consider finding out why spiders are around your home.

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