I’m not terribly fond of spiders, though I will tolerate most as long as they are outdoors and away from areas where I might inadvertently come into contact with them.
However, I absolutely can not stand black widows and brown widows! I know, they aren’t as deadly as the name implies but I don’t care, I still don’t like them. Unfortunately they do like the many crevices in my rock work. They hide there during the day and come out after dark, sometimes building webs across pathways.
Every couple of weeks or so, I go out on “spider patrol” with a flashlight and a can of Raid, and blast every black or brown widow I can find.
Besides spiders, I’ve had some problems with cats, squirrels, skunks and possums. They get into the tunnels, knock over trains, dig up ballast and pile dirt on the tracks.
Mothballs in the tunnels help somewhat. Laying concrete blocks all along the base of the fence helps too, as it prevents skunks and squirrels from digging under.
Last summer I tried some of the pepper based repellent. It worked fine in dry weather but turned into a smelly, moldering mess after the first rain and I had to muck it all out.