If you’ve spotted a large spider racing across the living room floor recently, you’re certainly not alone.
September and October are the time of year when many of us suddenly start noticing more spiders around the house — sometimes rather large ones!
But despite some of the alarming headlines that appear every autumn, it isn’t necessarily because Britain has suddenly been invaded by millions of giant spiders.
There’s actually a much simpler explanation.
Why do we see more spiders in September?
For many spiders, autumn is mating season.
Large house spiders spend much of their time tucked away in webs in quiet areas such as sheds, garages, lofts, behind furniture and in cracks and crevices.
During late summer and early autumn, however, adult male house spiders begin wandering around looking for females.
That means a spider which may previously have remained completely unnoticed suddenly starts running across your carpet, climbing a wall or appearing in the bath.
And unfortunately for anyone who isn’t a fan of spiders, September is one of the best times of year to spot them!
Are spiders actually coming into our homes for winter?
Some spiders certainly can enter our homes from outside through open windows, doors and small gaps.
However, many of the house spiders we see have already been living alongside us.
They are simply much easier to notice when the males leave their webs and start wandering around looking for a mate.
Keeping windows and doors open during warmer weather can also make it easier for wandering spiders to find their way inside.
How big can house spiders get?
This is where some of the scary autumn headlines can get a little carried away.
You may have seen claims about enormous spiders measuring 15cm or more heading into homes.
According to the Natural History Museum, house spiders found in the UK can reach up to around 12cm when their legs are included.
That’s still a fairly impressive spider — particularly when one unexpectedly runs across the floor!
The spider’s actual body, however, is much smaller. Much of that impressive size comes from its long legs.
And there isn’t good evidence that every autumn brings a new generation of increasingly enormous house spiders.
What does happen is that some of our larger spiders become much more visible at this time of year.
Why do spiders end up in the bath?
Finding a large spider sitting in the bath in the morning can lead to another common assumption — that it has crawled up through the plughole.
Thankfully, that’s generally not what has happened.
A wandering spider can fall or climb into the bath while moving around during the night and then find itself unable to climb back up the smooth sides.
If you want to help it escape, you can place a towel over the side of the bath to give it something to climb.
Alternatively, the familiar glass-and-card method can be used to carefully move it elsewhere.
Can you stop spiders coming into the house?
It probably isn’t possible to completely spider-proof a home, and spiders aren’t generally something we need to eliminate.
They actually do a useful job by feeding on flies and other insects.
But if you’d prefer to see fewer of them, there are a few simple things you can try.
Check around doors and windows for obvious gaps, consider draught excluders or insect screens where appropriate, and keep particularly cluttered areas reasonably tidy.
Closing windows in the evening can also reduce the opportunities for spiders and other insects to wander inside.
Removing webs will make an area less attractive temporarily, although another spider may eventually move in.
And remember — even a very clean house can have spiders. Seeing one doesn’t mean your home is dirty.
What should you do if you find one?
If you don’t mind spiders, the easiest option is simply to leave them alone.
They aren’t interested in us — that large male racing across the carpet is probably much more interested in finding a female.
If you’d rather move it, place a glass or container over the spider, carefully slide a stiff piece of card underneath and move it somewhere sheltered, such as a shed or garage.
Spiders are an important part of our environment and also act as natural pest controllers by eating other insects.
So while having one suddenly sprint across the living room floor might give you a fright, your eight-legged autumn visitor is probably just looking for love.
And unfortunately for him, your living room might simply be on the way.
