Teh One Who Knocks
10-02-2017, 12:28 PM
Jen Mills for Metro.co.uk
https://i.imgur.com/LFd6sBP.jpg
It’s autumn, and you might think that signals Halloween, Bonfire Night and colourful leaves turning on the trees.
Yeah, it does mean all of those things.
But in less celebrated seasonal fun, it is also time for Spider Mating Season.
Early October is prime time for male arachnids to seek out a sexy female – preferably in your attic, airing cupboard or even that corner of the shower near the ceiling.
And this year, experts have warned that 150 million giant spiders will be invading our houses. These ones are dark, orangey-brown house spiders measuring around 7.5cm, and they’ll be getting down to it over the next few weeks…
https://i.imgur.com/25Rnw7H.png
Just a few of the friendly British spiders you might be hosting (Picture: Getty)
In houses across the UK, males will guard the female to stop her mating with others, she will store his sperm to produce egg sacs in spring and the male will then die (nature can be brutal)
This year is a bumper year for our eight-legged friends, as there were more flies around during the warm summer.
‘It’s boosted their population – hence 150 million are now on the march indoors as the spider-nesting season starts,’ naturalist Malcolm D Welshman told MailOnline.
Simon Garrett, from Bristol Zoological Society, said spiders would rather stay outside but have to go into houses to find a partner.
‘They’d rather stay away as there’s less food and it’s too dry and clean,’ he said.
‘It is the need to mate that changes their behaviour.’
Can I stop this from happening?
Yes, we’ve put together a handy guide on how to spider-proof your home and prevent it becoming a romantic boudoir for arachnids.
Some of the options in your arsenal:
1. Clean up after yourself
Crumbs and dirt attract insects, which in turn attract the spiders who like to eat them. Don’t turn your home into a pop-up restaurant for arachnids – clean up those toast crumbs. See also dusting away cobwebs as soon as you see them. They might have egg sacs on them. Ew.
2. Get rid of plants outside of your house
Got loads of plant pots and overgrown shrubbery underneath your ground floor windows? Piles of wood near your door? Is there ivy climbing up your walls? These are the perfect temporary housing for spiders who will then move into your home when they find a way in. Tidy up, prune, do what you need.
3. Seal up cracks and gaps
Don’t make it easy for them to come into your home.
4. Get a cat
They’ll chase them away for you.
5. Essential oils
Apparently they’re really not keen on aromatherapy, so dilute some peppermint oil or eucalyptus oil with water into a spray bottle and spritz doors and windowsills daily.
They’re not fans of tea tree oil, rose, cinnamon, citronella or lavender either, so get that oil burner out and go crazy.
https://i.imgur.com/LFd6sBP.jpg
It’s autumn, and you might think that signals Halloween, Bonfire Night and colourful leaves turning on the trees.
Yeah, it does mean all of those things.
But in less celebrated seasonal fun, it is also time for Spider Mating Season.
Early October is prime time for male arachnids to seek out a sexy female – preferably in your attic, airing cupboard or even that corner of the shower near the ceiling.
And this year, experts have warned that 150 million giant spiders will be invading our houses. These ones are dark, orangey-brown house spiders measuring around 7.5cm, and they’ll be getting down to it over the next few weeks…
https://i.imgur.com/25Rnw7H.png
Just a few of the friendly British spiders you might be hosting (Picture: Getty)
In houses across the UK, males will guard the female to stop her mating with others, she will store his sperm to produce egg sacs in spring and the male will then die (nature can be brutal)
This year is a bumper year for our eight-legged friends, as there were more flies around during the warm summer.
‘It’s boosted their population – hence 150 million are now on the march indoors as the spider-nesting season starts,’ naturalist Malcolm D Welshman told MailOnline.
Simon Garrett, from Bristol Zoological Society, said spiders would rather stay outside but have to go into houses to find a partner.
‘They’d rather stay away as there’s less food and it’s too dry and clean,’ he said.
‘It is the need to mate that changes their behaviour.’
Can I stop this from happening?
Yes, we’ve put together a handy guide on how to spider-proof your home and prevent it becoming a romantic boudoir for arachnids.
Some of the options in your arsenal:
1. Clean up after yourself
Crumbs and dirt attract insects, which in turn attract the spiders who like to eat them. Don’t turn your home into a pop-up restaurant for arachnids – clean up those toast crumbs. See also dusting away cobwebs as soon as you see them. They might have egg sacs on them. Ew.
2. Get rid of plants outside of your house
Got loads of plant pots and overgrown shrubbery underneath your ground floor windows? Piles of wood near your door? Is there ivy climbing up your walls? These are the perfect temporary housing for spiders who will then move into your home when they find a way in. Tidy up, prune, do what you need.
3. Seal up cracks and gaps
Don’t make it easy for them to come into your home.
4. Get a cat
They’ll chase them away for you.
5. Essential oils
Apparently they’re really not keen on aromatherapy, so dilute some peppermint oil or eucalyptus oil with water into a spray bottle and spritz doors and windowsills daily.
They’re not fans of tea tree oil, rose, cinnamon, citronella or lavender either, so get that oil burner out and go crazy.