Sex-Crazed 'Hand-Sized' Giant Spiders Invade UK Homes

It's that time of year again - giant, sex-crazed spiders are taking over our homes in their annual invasion.

Arachnids the 'size of your hand' are looking for mates and with the weather turning more wintry by the day, they'll be doing it in dry, warm spots - like under your pillow and on the couch.

Male house spiders are those big lads that seem to move at the speed of light - their leg span can grow to up to 10cm and, lucky us, it's their mating season.

During August and September, you can see the horrible beasts take over garages, sheds and of course, your house, as they try to find a female mate.

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Dr Chris Terrell-Nield, an ecologist from Nottingham Trent University, says the spiders can disappear before your eyes. Between the moment you set eyes on it and the amount of time it takes you to find the nearest hard object to squish them with, they can be gone - going from 'zero to 60 in one second'.

Dr Terrell-Nield told the Mirror: "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. They are not dangerous but they can give you a nip.

"They have biting fangs. These things have been breeding and started their life span in the spring.

"This time of the year, August and September, the male spiders have the urge to mate and start wandering and looking for females.

"When they find them they mate and she lays eggs and the male usually dies."

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Dr Terrell-Nield added: "Spiders do an incredible service for us because they eat vast quantities of flies.

"The reason people are frightened of them is because the way they move. They look imposing.

"It is the same reaction when people see a mouse. But we are far more dangerous to them than they are to us.

"They come inside because it is warm and dry in houses so it is attractive to them."

Methods said to help keep the blighters away include using citrus peel and peppermint oil around the house, as well as keeping it clutter-free so they have fewer places to hide.

Topics: UK News, Spiders, Animals

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events before joining LADbible. In her spare time, Amelia likes music and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward