Why Does Conkers Keep Spiders Away?
WouterThe old wives tales of keeping spiders away with conkers are nothing but superstition. A few years ago a group of middle schoolers did an experiment to prove whether spiders were scared by conkers.
They placed a group of spiders in a box filled with conkers. When the spiders came to the box they climbed over the seeds. They then crawled freely over the horse chestnuts. This proved that spiders are not afraid of conkers.
However, some people believe that conkers have a chemical in them that is poisonous and repels spiders. This is why some people place conkers around their homes to keep spiders away.
The Royal Society of Chemistry decided to investigate the question. They offered a prize of PS300 for anyone who could prove the conker myth was untrue. Using the money they gave, a group of school children at Roselyon Primary School in Cornwall decided to carry out a research study.
They were awarded the RSC’s prize for informal scientific research. The pupils then made wooden bridges and tested them against a wall full of horse chestnuts. The results were surprising. The pupils claimed that the spiders were neither scared of the conkers nor did they find them unpleasant.
This proves that the British Arachnological Society, Dr Geoff Oxford, has disputed the claim that conkers are poisonous. The Natural History Museum has also stated that there is no scientific evidence to support the conkers bridge theory.
