Brace yourselves, Brits – thousands of frisky spiders are storming UK homes as “spider season” swings into action.
The annual arachnid invasion typically starts in the first two weeks of September and wraps up by early October, with these eight-legged love-seekers on the prowl for a partner. But it seems like it has started earlier this year, with hundreds flocking to social media to express shock at finding the beasts in their homes.
During this time, it’s not uncommon to spot more spiders lurking in your living space, all in the name of romance. Before last year’s spider season commenced, arachnid aficionado Richard Jones enlightened BBC audiences: “The ones we see scuttling around in the house – they’re usually the male house spiders.”
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(Image: X)
He further explained that those startling sprinters across your floor are likely lads on a lustful quest, adding, “I think even the cleanest, smallest house will have a good 20 to 40 spiders.”
Having seen a giant spider, one person posted on Twitter/X: “UK spiders are no joke, could’ve killed me in my sleep.” And another wrote: “I’m home alone and in the bedroom and everything is quiet but I can hear a spider tippy tapping on the carpet floor and I’m just . . .”
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Typically, the critters you’ll encounter indoors are known as ‘house spiders’, hailing from ancestors accustomed to balmier habitats found in regions like North Africa or the Mediterranean.
Jones also remarked on his own abode: “Old Victorian houses like mine – with lots of little cracks and crevices and places for things to get in – I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we’re well into four figures.”
He reassured that nearly all spiders Brits might bump into are benign, with most unable to deliver a bite even if they tried. However, he did caution that false widow spiders can pack a punch with their bite but generally only lash out if they feel threatened.
Spider season sees a surge of male spiders invading homes, with about 80% of the eight-legged visitors being males on the prowl for a mate. Meanwhile, females tend to “stay put” indoors, explains Professor Adam Hart, an entomologist at the University of Gloucestershire, leading to an inevitable influx of these home-invading arachnids.
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