The most terrifying time of year – if you’re an arachnophobe – is starting early this year according to UK home owners who are already reporting an onslaught of the eight-legged invaders.
Normally, spider season begins in late August and early September as the summer warmth fades and spiders head into our houses to mate and find shelter for the colder, wetter months ahead. But according to scores of Reddit users, spider season is already beginning in the UK, much earlier than normal.
As a result, UK households are being urged to stock up on typical spider repellents like chalk and lavender.
Posting on Reddit, u/nick9000 said: “It’s normally September before my house gets invaded but I’ve already had to evict two of the buggers (or maybe the same spider twice). As an arachnophobe this is not good.”
u/Ok-Advantage3180 said: “We’ve had them in ours since June. It’s been doing my head in.”
u/PlayedThisGame said: “Yes we had an absolute monster yesterday in the kitchen (while my husband was on a tip run)… As a massive arachnophobe I shut it in the kitchen and smothered the gap under the door with a towel. When my husband got home he found it hiding under a counter while cleaning and rescued me. It then occurred to me that mid August to mid October is when the invasion occurs as a rule and am praying that like last year the cat finds them before I do.”
If you encounter a spider on the move, it’s almost certainly a male, because male spiders move around while females stay in one place.
It’s this movement – when male spiders go on the hunt for a female mate – that brings spiders to most people’s attention because they leave their sheltered hiding places such as inside walls, cellars and dark cupboards, and head for some no-strings fun with a fellow arachnid.
Millions of people in the UK are afraid of spiders, though, and frantically look for a way to keep them out.
The best ways to keep spiders out include using chalk, as well as lavender, mint or eucalyptus.
Spiders don’t like strong smells like those from lavender, and many have it growing in their garden. Simply cut some off and sprinkle it in key spider points like windowsills, near doors and dark skirting boards.
Of course, spiders are actually good to have around in your home. They eat flies, as well as moths, silverfish and other common insects, as well as smaller spiders, helping keep you home clean and other invaders at bay.