Spider invasion will see millions head into UK homes in search of mate

Millions of spiders will be making their way into UK homes this month as the annual spider invasion reaches its peak.

This is because female spiders typically stay indoors, and when mating season rolls around in the first few weeks of September, the males will "stop at nothing" to seek out partners to mate with. It means the critters are now heading into our homes, with the population set to double. Experts at Cleankill Pest Control say the average house has a population of around 40 "resident spiders" - almost all of which are females.

With 28m households in the UK, that works out at 1.1bn spiders living in our homes at any given time, but with male spiders now heading indoors, the population in our homes is set to double - to more than 2.2bn arachnids. That's 80 in each and every home in Britain.

Mating season means females will lay hundreds of eggs, which soon turn into little spiderlings. Pest control expert Robert Collins said despite there being more than 650 species of spider in the UK, there are 11 which are the most commonly seen indoors.

Among those are the diving bell spider, which can live underwater, and the giant house spider, which can run at 1.5ft per second, the zebra jumping spider - which leaps at its prey - and the false widow spider.

Mr Collins, who has worked as pest controller for more than 20 years, said: "September is a lovely time or year, but it is also the start of spider season here in the UK. This can be terrifying for some homeowners, especially those with arachnophobia." He added: "Spiders are searching for a mate, which means they are now entering people's homes."

Chris Davis, the technical manager at pest control experts Cleankill Pest Control, warned that randy spiders would stop at nothing to get into our homes to seek out a female. He said that the first few weeks of September are known as 'spider mating season' as males come out of hiding to find a mate - often a female living indoors. Female spiders don't move around as much as males - often staying put in their webs for their entire lives, while male spiders 'wander around' looking for a mate and hunting.

Chris said: "It is incredibly hard, if not impossible to stop spiders from coming into your home. At this time of year, male spiders are in search of females, so are making their way into peoples' homes to find a mate. You can expect to see a lot more spiders in your homes now...so get the vacuum cleaner ready!"

Experts at the Natural History Museum say spiders are great "eco friendly pest controllers" for the house as they eat bugs and other critters, but warn that 12 species have a bite so powerful it can pierce human skin. Among the most commonly seen spiders are the house spider, the giant house spider, false widows, lace weaver spiders and the largest of all, the cardinal spider, which has a leg span of more than four-inches.

A spokesman for the respected museum said male spiders are now "leaving their webs in search of females", adding: "They frequently enter homes through open windows, chimneys or gaps beneath doors."

Meg Skinner, of the British Arachnological Society, added: "Spiders are around our homes and gardens all year round but now we are seeing a lot more house spiders indoors. They tend to wander openly around. This is because males are looking for females to mate with. The females generally stay put in a corner."

The most common types of spiders that invade UK homes

Common fox spider - A fast-moving spider that chases prey.

Green orb-weaver spider - A small spider with a bright green abdomen

Diving bell spider - This spider can live underwater and spins a web capsule with a trapped air bubble for breathing and laying eggs

Giant house spider - This spider is quite large and spins sheet-like webs. Able to sprint across the floor at a pace of 20 inches per second

Harvestman spider - A spider with a tiny body and a fused abdomen and head. This spider has very long, thin legs that it can shed when attacked

Zebra jumping spider - Identified by black and white stripes. This spider stalks and pounces on prey

Money spider - The most common spider in the UK. There are 270 species of money spiders in the UK

Tube web spider - This spider has a distinctive green jaw and three groups of two eyes. It spins funnel-weave webs in cracks in buildings

False widow spider - Featuring a skull-shaped marking on the abdomen, this spider is often mistaken for a black widow

Lace-weaver spider - This spider weaves a flat web over a wall crevice, which creates a silken tunnel where it grabs its prey

Cellar spider - This spider has long limbs and can often be found in corners of rooms where they create loose webs from which to hang. It may move erratically when trying to scare off a predator