Will Walnuts Keep Spiders Away

Walnuts will not keep spiders away.
 
While there are plenty of old wives’ tales about walnuts and spiders, the truth is that walnuts won’t keep spiders away from your home or garden.
 
If you’ve been wondering will walnuts keep spiders away, the short answer is no—walnuts won’t keep spiders away because spiders simply aren’t bothered by them.
 
In fact, no scientific evidence supports the idea that walnuts will keep spiders away, so relying on walnuts to keep spiders away is likely to leave you disappointed.
 
Let’s dig into why this myth exists, what actually works to keep spiders away, and whether walnuts have any role to play at all.
 

Why Walnuts Won’t Keep Spiders Away

Walnuts won’t keep spiders away, and here’s why that myth doesn’t hold up:

1. Spiders Aren’t Repelled by Walnuts

Spiders don’t have any natural aversion to walnuts.
 
They don’t avoid walnuts in the wild, and they won’t avoid them in your home either.
 
The idea that walnuts will keep spiders away probably comes from confusion with other natural repellents like chestnuts or osage oranges, which some people claim spiders dislike.
 
But even those claims are shaky, and walnuts definitely won’t keep spiders away.
 

2. No Scientific Support for Walnuts as a Spider Repellent

There’s no scientific research showing that walnuts will keep spiders away.
 
No studies have found that walnuts repel spiders, and no evidence suggests walnuts have any effect on spider behavior.
 
If walnuts won’t keep spiders away in a lab setting, they certainly won’t keep spiders away in your home.
 
So if you’re scattering walnuts around hoping they’ll keep spiders away, you’re just giving spiders more places to hide.
 

3. Spiders Are Driven by Food and Shelter, Not Walnuts

Spiders come into homes looking for food, moisture, and shelter—not because walnuts attract them or because walnuts will keep spiders away.
 
If your home has bugs to eat, spiders will move in regardless of whether you have walnuts sitting around.
 
And if you’ve got cracks, clutter, or dark corners, spiders will happily settle in whether walnuts are present or not.
 
Walnuts won’t keep spiders away because walnuts don’t address the real reasons spiders come inside in the first place.
 

4. The Myth Likely Comes from Confusion with Other Nuts

Some people confuse walnuts with horse chestnuts, also called conkers, which are sometimes said to repel spiders.
 
Even that claim is mostly folklore, but at least it explains where the walnut myth might come from.
 
But walnuts won’t keep spiders away any more than a random rock on your windowsill will.
 
So if you’ve heard that walnuts will keep spiders away, you can safely file that under “myths that don’t work.”
 

What Actually Keeps Spiders Away

Since walnuts won’t keep spiders away, what does work?

1. Seal Up Entry Points

The best way to keep spiders away is to block their entry.
 
Caulk cracks around windows and doors, fix torn screens, and seal gaps around pipes and cables.
 
This works far better than walnuts will ever keep spiders away.
 

2. Reduce Clutter and Dust

Spiders love undisturbed spaces like stacks of paper, boxes, and dark corners.
 
Decluttering and regular dusting removes the shelter spiders seek, which does more to keep spiders away than walnuts ever could.
 

3. Control Other Pests

Spiders follow their food.
 
If you have ants, flies, or moths, you’ll have spiders.
 
Getting rid of those insects does far more to keep spiders away than walnuts will.
 

4. Use Essential Oils Carefully

Some people use peppermint, eucalyptus, or citrus oils as natural spider deterrents.
 
These may help a little, though results vary.
 
Still, they’re a better bet than walnuts if you’re trying to keep spiders away.
 

5. Call a Pest Professional if Needed

If spiders are a real problem, a pest control expert can help.
 
They’ll target the source and give you real solutions—not walnuts that won’t keep spiders away.
 

Do Walnuts Have Any Pest Control Benefits?

Walnuts won’t keep spiders away, but they do have other uses.
 
Walnut shells can be used as an abrasive in cleaning products.
 
Black walnut hulls contain juglone, which can suppress certain plants and insects.
 
But none of that means walnuts will keep spiders away.
 
So enjoy walnuts as a snack or in your baking, but don’t count on walnuts to keep spiders away.
 

So, Will Walnuts Keep Spiders Away?

Walnuts will not keep spiders away.
 
That myth simply doesn’t hold up, and walnuts won’t keep spiders away no matter how many you scatter around your home.
 
If you want to keep spiders away, focus on sealing entry points, reducing clutter, controlling other pests, and using proven deterrents—not walnuts that won’t keep spiders away.
 
So the next time someone asks will walnuts keep spiders away, you’ll know the answer: walnuts won’t keep spiders away, but a little common sense and some basic home maintenance will.