Nutmeg Oils

• The essential oils of nutmeg contain about a dozen major ingredients, including eugenol and isoeugenol. These two related compounds, classified as aromatic ethers, comprise about 4 percent of the oil. Insecticides made from essential oils like eugenol don't need approval by the Environmental Protection Agency because they're considered minimum risk to people using them. Essential oils work by disrupting pests' neurotransmitters. Since people, pets and other vertebrates don't have those neurotransmitters, they aren't affected. According to Clemson Cooperative Extension, eugenol is a fast-acting contact pesticide that doesn't linger in the environment and poses a low risk.
  
  

Formulations

• Pesticides containing eugenol are available in granular form or as a contact dust. Eugenol found in these products usually comes from cloves instead of nutmeg because clove oil contains more eugenol than do nutmeg oils. Applying a dust formulation to spider webs is more effective than using aerosols or liquid sprays. However, according to entomologists at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, using pesticides isn't as effective as vacuuming up individual spiders and their egg sacs.
  
  

Home-made Recipes

• Make your own spider repellent by combining several drops of nutmeg essential oil with a few drops of dishwashing liquid and a couple of cups of water. The dishwashing liquid makes it easier for the oil to mix with the water. Some people mix different oils together. Other oils containing eugenol include cinnamon, lemon balm, basil and clove. Put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray on spider webs or on individual spiders around your house.
  
  

Spiders

• Spiders are often blamed for bites but, according to entomologists at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, 80 percent of 600 suspected spider bites turned out not to be caused by spiders. Many spiders are physically unable to bite through human skin. Most spiders that can bite don't bite unless accidentally trapped against your skin. Spider bite symptoms include slight swelling, redness and itching. Only three spider species are a serious problem in North America, including widow spiders, recluse spiders and yellow sac spiders.