At home with Spiders

Autumn is the time of year when many of us get our houses invaded by rather large and (for some of us) rather scary eight-legged creatures.

For the most part, these are male House spiders (Tegenaria species) and they are on the prowl and filled with intent! They are on the search for females and will explore every corner of your house looking for the lady spider of their dreams.

It is quite easy to work out the gender of a house spider. The males have smaller bodies but longer legs than the females and the palps (like tiny legs either side of their jaws) look like little arms with boxing gloves. They are the ones more prone to running across your carpet.

The female palps are slimmer and the body can be twice as big. Females tend to stay put in their webs, which might be located behind a bookcase or in an air vent. It is very much a case of come and find me fella!

The species of house spider you get will partly depend on where you live. In the south-east it tends to be Tegeraria gigantea. In the west it tends to be Tegenaria saeva and in the north it could be either of these two or even hybrids (where the two species have interbred). The smaller Tegenaria domestica is found everywhere but may be declining as the larger species spread north.

House spiders are basically harmless but if you don’t like to cohabit with them, we recommend you use a humane spider removal device and release them into your garden.

Tegenaria Male © Steven Falk Tegenaria Male © Steven Falk

Spiders in the bath

Two suggested ways of getting them out:

  • Capture (e.g. place a glass over the spider and then insert thin paper underneath) &release outside
  • Place a towel or cloth on the side of the bath, hanging down to the bottom.  Spiders etc. do not like smooth surfaces so will crawl up the towel out of the bath.  If the spiders are tiny, once onto the towel, shake outside or simply leave until the spiders are gone.

Help us to stop the extinction of invertebrate species

Become a member

Join a community of invertebrate champions and access exclusive member benefits from just £3 a month, all whilst supporting our vital conservation work.

Membership

Donate to support us

Every contribution helps us to save the small things that run the planet by restoring vital habitats and rebuilding strong invertebrate populations in the UK.

Make a donation today

Engage with our work

Stay up to date with our work and help spread the word by following us on our socials and signing up to our monthly BugBytes email newsletter.