Giant house spiders are invading homes across the UK as the autumn mating season gets under way, with males venturing indoors in search of a partner. The creatures, which can have a leg span of up to 10cm, are among Britain's largest arachnids and can be as big as a human hand.
The mating season typically runs from August to September, and male spiders seek out warm, dry places while looking for females. This means they are often found in homes, sheds and garages during this period.
Dr Chris Terrell-Nield, an ecologist at Nottingham Trent University, said the spiders are not dangerous despite their size. He told Nottinghamshire Live: "The spider that is coming into houses at the moment is the house spider and it is one of Britain's biggest spiders. The males are up to 10cm across the leg span and can be the size of your hand - that is the top range but it can be two thirds of that size. The size is down to how much they have eaten."
Dr Terrell-Nield explained that this time of year, male spiders have "the urge to mate" and start wandering to find females. After mating, the female lays eggs and the male usually dies. He added: "They can do zero to 60 in one second and people lose track of where they have gone."
People are likely to encounter three types of spider in their homes during this season: the house spider, the daddy long legs spider, and the cross spider. All are harmless to humans, according to Dr Terrell-Nield, and play a vital role by eating large quantities of flies and other insects. He stressed that the spiders are more scared of humans than humans are of them.
