Conkers may drive spiders bonkers

Published on Friday 2 October 2009 22:05

ONE of Britain's most eminent academic societies is looking into whether horse chestnuts can repel spiders.

Members of the public have contacted the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) claiming that spiders suffer from "conkerphobia" – a morbid fear of horse chestnuts.

Apparently, leaving conkers near doors or on window ledges will guarantee that no arachnids scuttle into homes.

To see whether the stories are true, the RSC is offering 300 to anyone who can back the claims with persuasive evidence.

The 46,000-member society is also consulting biologists and insect and spider experts.

One theory is that there might be a chemical in conkers that spiders hate. John Edwards, of the RSC, said: "We have been told by external contacts that conkers do prevent invasion by spiders. Apparently, they have to be fairly fresh to have their deterrent effect.

"But there are claims on the web – pardon the pun – that spiders don't like them at all and steer clear."

Members of the public are being invited to send photographic or video evidence, or supported written accounts, to the RSC at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, by 31 October.

The RSC has also launched a new service called ChemSpider, which has nothing to do with eight-legged beasties.

It is a free. publicly available database providing access to some 22 million chemical structures.