Do conkers get rid of spiders? ... The belief states conkers produce a noxious chemical which repels spiders, and as such, some people choose to place conkers around their home. The idea is a simple old wives tale with no scientific basis and people have proved the link to be false.

Do conkers keep spiders away?

Putting conkers around the house to deter spiders is an old wives' tale and there's no evidence to suggest it really works. Spiders don't eat conkers or lay eggs in them, so there is no reason why horse chestnut trees would bother to produce spider-repelling chemicals.

What does conkers do to spiders?

Conkers might not repel spiders

Unfortunately, there's no proof this is true. The story goes that conkers contain a noxious chemical that repels spiders but no-one's ever been able to scientifically prove it. There's hearsay that if a spider gets close to a conker it will curl its legs up and die within one day.