You may have noticed an increase in the number of spiders around your home recently. While some people appreciate the intricate beauty of their webs, others are repulsed by the sight of these creatures and go to great lengths to eliminate them. For those who don't suffer from arachnophobia, it can be difficult to comprehend why so many individuals find spiders unbearable.
Even the largest British house spiders, with a leg span of just 6-7cm, are minuscule and pose little threat to humans. Dr Geoff Oxford, a spider expert and enthusiast as well as the honorary secretary of The British Arachnological Society (britishspiders.org.
uk), explains that only about a dozen of Britain's 670 spider species possess jaws strong enough to pierce human skin and potentially inject venom. However, he emphasises that these spiders are not aggressive towards humans and will only resort to biting under extreme circumstances and even then, most verified spider bites result in minimal or no reaction. According to Dr Oxford, the reason we're encountering more spiders in our homes currently is because autumn is the time when they reach maturity and emerge from their hiding spots, such as behind furniture and within cracks and crevices, in search of a mate.
In his view, this is a positive occurrence as spiders are invaluable creatures, particularly due to their crucial role in consuming large quantities of unwanted creepy-crawlies in our homes. "Spiders do a great job as a natural insecticide, and pro.