Spider Control in the Organic Garden
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Posted by Jamie McIntosh May 29, 2009 |
For me, one benefit of moving from the south to the Midwest was the shift from palm-sized spiders to quarter-sized spiders. I know that spiders are beneficial, but that didn’t make my nocturnal encounters with the golden orb weaver any less creepy. The impressive webs these spiders wove didn’t break on contact, rather, they seemed to stretch in their efforts to catch the large prey passing beneath. At least, that’s what I imagined as I half slapped the hair off my head in an effort to dislodge the arachnids.
No organic gardener wants to kill the spiders in their garden, but it’s OK to use some natural repellants, especially if the resident spiders are aggressive or poisonous, such as the black widow spider.
- Place hedge apple fruits from the Osage orange tree around the garden to repel spiders.
- Relocate brush piles to an area of the garden you don’t frequent, as spiders seek shelter in brush and debris.
- Keep the garden meticulously weeded.
- Remove webs with a broom or jet of water before the spider builds her egg sac.
- Reduce your use of garden lights, which attract the spider’s prey at night.