how to deter black widow spiders from crawl spaces/attics - do mothballs work?

Question

also heard chestnuts have some effect on turning spiders away

Answer 1

Get ortho home defense and spray inside/outside perimeter of your home... It kills all bugs...It's guaranteed for 12 months...

Answer 2

You can deter those spiders and most common spiders with "Monkey balls" These are green crater like balls that grow on trees found in many parks. You pick them up in the fall and just toss them in the corner of a room. I am NEVER troubled with spiders since a friend turned me onto these. And YES moth balls do work!!!!!! They are a must for wool sweaters and suits!!! They are also good in gardens to keep the rabbits away!

Answer 3

I had to look that one up. I remember what my granny use to say and do. And she was correct.
Wood piles, clothes piles,attic spaces and crawl spaces.
Control

Control efforts should target black widow spider webs because that is where the spider spends most of its time. Control is best achieved by following an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy, which involves using multiple approaches such as preventive measures, exclusion, sanitation, and chemical treatment when necessary. IPM requires a thorough inspection of the building to locate the pest. An inspection preferably should be done at night because the black widow spider is nocturnal.
Preventing Spider Bites

In order to prevent spider bites, be sure to wear gloves and a long-sleeved shirt when handling stored cardboard boxes, firewood, lumber, and rocks. Be sure to inspect these clothing items for spiders before putting them on. Shake out clothing and shoes before getting dressed.
Exclusion

Install tight-fitting screens on doors and windows to prevent entry of black widow spiders. Also install door sweeps. Seal or caulk cracks and crevices where spiders can enter the house. Install yellow or sodium vapor light bulbs outdoors since these attract fewer insects for spiders to feed upon.
Sanitation

In order to reduce black widow spider populations, it is very important to eliminate their potential hiding places indoors and outdoors. Black widow spiders are often found in undisturbed, cluttered areas indoors, so discard old boxes, old clothing, lumber, and other unwanted items in basements, crawl spaces, garages, and outbuildings. In such areas, store any items off the floor and away from walls. Remove piles of lumber and rubble outdoors. Remove ivy and other heavy vegetation from the foundation. Do not store firewood against the house. Note that these measures also reduce harborages for the spiders’ prey.

Vacuum thoroughly indoors to remove black widow spiders and their webs and egg sacs. After vacuuming, immediately place the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic bag, seal tightly, and discard in a container outdoors—this prevents captured spiders from escaping into the home. Wash off the outside of the house using a high-pressure hose, paying particular attention to window wells and other undisturbed areas where webs are built.
My granny did not say that, she did, yet she was not a scientist, this person is,
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-Fact/2000/2061A.html
Susan C. Jones, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Entomology
Extension Specialist, Household & Structural Pests
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-Fact/2000/2060.html
That is Ohio, it helps if you say what state you are in and when you see the activity.
Is pretty basic stuff, remove the spiders food supply and they will remove themselves.