![]() Myth: “Hedge apples” (Osage orange fruit) or horse chestnuts can be used to repel spiders. Claims abound that hedge apples around the foundation or inside the basement will repel boxelder bugs, crickets, spiders and other pests. The use of the hedge apples for insect control is one of the most enduring pest management home remedies. Folklore says that if you place halved or whole Osage orange fruits around structures, it will repel pests like spiders. Spiders are ever-present in most yards and gardens, sometimes making their way inside. Some people place hedge apples around the outside of their homes to repel insects, suggesting that the fruits may be harmful to insects. The large, yellowish-green hedge apple may smell bad and look rather ugly, but the grapefruit-sized fruits are not toxic to people or animals. And, yes, those are actually seeds as well. They’re actually seeds, but I like calling them nuts since we’re all familiar with pine nuts. Monkey Puzzle trees produce these amazing big edible nuts! Okay. What are the balls on a monkey puzzle tree? ![]() And those who can look past the hedge apple’s bumpy, ugly exterior, eat its seeds. This is largely due to the unpalatable taste of its fruit despite its orange-like smell. Hedge apples, also known as osage oranges, are generally considered inedible. However, it does show that concentrated amounts of the chemical in the hedge ball will act as a repellent, but only in a laboratory setting where the substance can be extracted in quantity. ![]() And the good news is, using hedge apples to repel these pests couldn’t be easier! Do hedge balls really work?Īfter more research and study, it was found that these fruits do NOT repel insects and arachnids in any way. The oils in hedge apples are well known for repelling pests such as spiders and mice. One of the more creative uses for hedge apples we will discuss below: using them to repel pests such as spiders and mice. It’s not scientifically proven, but the oils in the fruit may act as a natural insect repellant - that is, until the fruit rots and attracts fruit flies, Stavish said. What are monkey balls good for?Īs for humans, they collect the fruits and put them in their basements to deter spiders and insects. … Beyond the flesh, the seeds are edible and can be toasted. Some animals such as squirrels do consume the seeds, but the fruits earned their inedible reputation due to livestock choking on the fruits and dying. ![]() Osage oranges are a peculiar fruit as both humans and most animals choose not to consume the bitter flesh. The weird, bumpy fruit looks a little like a lime-green brain and contains a substance that repels spiders and many insects. They’re the fruit of the tree Maclura pomifera. Monkey balls are also called osage oranges or hedge apples. Monkey balls, for those who have not had the pleasure, are softball-sized “fruit” that have a surface texture much like an alien brain from the movie “Mars Attacks.” Some people evidently call them hedge apples despite the fact that they look nothing like apples and grow on trees, not in hedges. Monkey Balls are a peculiar fruit and the trees from which they fall are known as hedge apples, bowwood, bois d’arc (French for “wood of the bow”), bodark, geelhout, mock orange, horse apple, naranjo chino, wild orange and yellow-wood. Monkey Balls | The Los Angeles Flower Market.
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