Spider pheromones could be used as repellant: SFU researchers

Researchers at Simon Fraser University are studying a globally invasive species of spiders to develop a more humane way of keeping them out of people’s homes.

The study involves the false black widow spiders, which are commonly found in buildings and are often mistaken for the black widow or cupboard spiders.

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Ph.D. candidate and spider researcher, Andreas Fischer, says the females of the species release pheromones that are thought to be used to control how attractive they appear to males.

“But we found that this chemical that males can taste chemically breaks down and one of the breakdown products is what flies away with the air and attracts the male in the first place,” he said.

The goal, Fischer says, is to build tools using the pheromones that will serve as a humane alternative to pesticides to keep spiders from becoming a nuisance.

“To do this, you have to understand how [spiders] communicate because we do not understand at all,” he explained. “So we investigate how they talk to each other with these chemicals.”

Fischer says only insects are known to actively change pheromone timing and production, adding further research is needed to confirm if arachnids can do the same.

Many people experience an irrational fear of spiders, known as arachnophobia, which Fischer chalks up to a combination of media representation of the animals, as well as something that may be inherent in humans.

Fischer says there is only one species of spider, the black widow, considered to be “medically relevant” in Vancouver, meaning the effects of its bite are worse than a mosquito.