Pest Control

[SnakeyJ]

Has anyone tried any Spider / Insect repellants to prevent the 8 legged beasts from setting up home in their observatory.     Although I have no particular beef or phobia of mini beasts, I'm quite keen to keep the blighters from setting up home in my observatory.

Regular hoovering is the alternative, but like to offer a dissinsentive before resorting to lethal force.

[Stargazer33]

Horse chestnuts are supposed to keep them away. But I have also heard that someone found a spider sitting on one that they put in the corner of their room specifically to ward off the multi-legged blighters!

[Andy McK]

Spiders will keep the flies out, just watch the old lady doesn't swallow them, she could die

I was told some pine cones left lying around does the trick....

[Gina]

I prefer spiders to flies but their webs can be a nuisance at times.

[glappkaeft]

The only thing we have found that works is an airtight observatory with high quality filters and mesh nets on the ventilation inlets/outlets. 

[SnakeyJ]

We very nearly had a fire at a local school last year, where a spider had nested within a computer power supply - not sure if it was wet silk or spider that was electrically conductive, but it caused the PSU to burn out quite impressively.

[emadmoussa]

I leave spiders alone, but when they go amok and  start spinning webs around the house I just suck them into hell with a vacuum cleaner.

[Gina]

When I clean the house I try to avoid picking up spiders with the vacuum - spiders do a good job of catching flies and flies are far worse IMO.  Can't stand flies!! 

[SnakeyJ]

The only thing we have found that works is an airtight observatory with high quality filters and mesh nets on the ventilation inlets/outlets. 

Thanks Glappkaeft, though having some trouble reconciling 'airtight' and 'observatory'  - though I could undoubtedly make some improvement by skinning the inside of my walls, this sounds almost impossible to achieve in practice!   And there's nothing to stop the blighters parachuting in or hitching a ride in on my clothes during a nights observing.

Maybe a repellent spray or an audible noise?   Might have a copy of my solo guitar ballads somewhere!"!

[SnakeyJ]

Spiders will keep the flies out, just watch the old lady doesn't swallow them, she could die

I was told some pine cones left lying around does the trick....

Cheers Andy - I can try the pine cone theory out, along with the conquers.    Lots of little old ladies around these parts, but not sure I want any of them dying inconveniently in my observatory - just haven't got the free space!

[SnakeyJ]

Horse chestnuts are supposed to keep them away. But I have also heard that someone found a spider sitting on one that they put in the corner of their room specifically to ward off the multi-legged blighters!

Cheers Bryan,

My lad has a big bag of conkers, so sure I might persuade him to lend me a few for scientific research!

[SnakeyJ]

I leave spiders alone, but when they go amok and  start spinning webs around the house I just suck them into hell with a vacuum cleaner.

Um, thanks Imad, but prefer to reserve the hoover as the ultimate weapon of last resort - Plan X 'Spiders Assured Destruction (SAD)' can only commence after all other methods of persuasion and deportation have failed.

[SnakeyJ]

When I clean the house I try to avoid picking up spiders with the vacuum - spiders do a good job of catching flies and flies are far worse IMO.  Can't stand flies!! 

With you on the flies Gina and definitely not anti-spider, just want to discourage them nicely.   They're more than welcome to setup web on the outside, looks great on a bright dewey morning.

[emadmoussa]

Um, thanks Imad, but prefer to reserve the hoover as the ultimate weapon of last resort - Plan X 'Spiders Assured Destruction (SAD)' can only commence after all other methods of persuasion and deportation have failed.

Oh, sorry, I meant to say...usually a vacuum cleaner is the last resort. I don't particularly enjoy that. Same applies to salting slugs...I usually leave them alone, but when they started climbing on the mount and telescope it was the final straw for me

[SnakeyJ]

Oh, sorry, I meant to say...usually a vacuum cleaner is the last resort. I don't particularly enjoy that. Same applies to salting slugs...I usually leave them alone, but when they started climbing on the mount and telescope it was the final straw for me

Ah its open season on slugs round here - especially if they go near my veg!    I've been trying to train the cats to hunt and eat them, but I think the thrill of the chase is lost below 30cm/hr so have had to resort to egg shells, beer traps and even chemical warfare!

[emadmoussa]

Ah its open season on slugs round here - especially if they go near my veg!    I've been trying to train the cats to hunt and eat them, but I think the thrill of the chase is lost below 30cm/hr so have had to resort to egg shells, beer traps and even chemical warfare!

I'm thinking a slug-size computer controller machine gun... salt bullets powered by beer

[glappkaeft]

Thanks Glappkaeft, though having some trouble reconciling 'airtight' and 'observatory'  - though I could undoubtedly make some improvement by skinning the inside of my walls, this sounds almost impossible to achieve in practice!   And there's nothing to stop the blighters parachuting in or hitching a ride in on my clothes during a nights observing.

Basically you need to build an observatory with just a single hinge. This is a small one build by one of our members

and this is the one the club built to house the 41 cm RC.

[SnakeyJ]

Great build ideas here - thanks.

typed on my mobile with Tapatalk

[Mav359]

I've heard almonds do the trick, never tried myself. For a more hi tech approach there are those things you plug into the mains that is supposed to scare all the insects away, depends on whether you obs always has power to it.

[r3i]

No such thing as an airtght observatory - you have to open the roof at some stage to observe don't you?   The light blighters will be queuing up outside waiting for this to happen.

I evicted a huge one the other day but what's even worse is when they start nesting inside your scope.  I had to dismantle my RC to evict one and clear out its web from inside the tube.

[SnakeyJ]

I've heard almonds do the trick, never tried myself. For a more hi tech approach there are those things you plug into the mains that is supposed to scare all the insects away, depends on whether you obs always has power to it.

Has anyone tested any of these - mains power is available.

I think I might get the kids to collect some test subjects and test effects in an old aquarium tank, though the close confines may lead to some inter bug warfare.

[Cath]

Spiders are OK really, apart from the big ones. 

It's when you get wasps and bees making it their home when the problems start - found that out for ourselves.

[SnakeyJ]

Spiders are OK really, apart from the big ones. 

It's when you get wasps and bees making it their home when the problems start - found that out for ourselves.

5-10 years hence we'll look back on our native wasps and see them in a new light if those Asian Hornets migrate here - they really are bad arsed dudes!

[glappkaeft]

No such thing as an airtght observatory - you have to open the roof at some stage to observe don't you?   The light blighters will be queuing up outside waiting for this to happen.

Actually we find very few insects in the observatory and they get fewer as the temperature starts to approach 5-10 degrees C and then they disappear. Now if Swedish (and British) weather was better and the summer time had darker nights insects could become more of a problem. The observatory only gets used around 20 times per year but not even daytime maintenance work in the summer results in more than a handful insects. If you compare this to the old observatory there are several places where you can find hundreds of insects (beneath the decking, behind the flat-screen and under the insulated box for electronics).

The main reason for the dust-tight design was original to get rid of dust, pollen and mice (severed cables, urine and feces everywhere is no fun) as well as insects and it has worked extremely well. 

[zillah]

Apparently spiders don't like peppermint oil (I think it is). Get a bottle of the essential oil, pop it into one if those misting spray bottles, a few drops of washing up liquid and top off with water. Spray around the edges and corners every now and then to keep the buggers away - also smells rather nice too!

For midges / mosquito's and possibly flies, citronella oil .