Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

Join the discussion and meet other Mumsnetters on our free online chat forum.

1 2 3

Join the discussion and meet other Mumsnetters on our free online chat forum.

Chat

Anyone else noticed fewer spiders this autumn?

68 replies

Collidascope · 10/10/2020 13:44

I'm usually a nervous wreck September and October but haven't seen one in weeks, and trying to figure out if it's something about the weather this year or if it's just that we had the big vent in our loo sealed up so the bastards can't come through it anymore.

OP posts:

Thanks

Share

Report

dillydallydollydaydream7 · 10/10/2020 14:13

We've had so many! More in the house than normal and the garden... my word. The other week I counted 11 huge ones all around the fence on separate webs. Terrifying!

Thanks

raddledoldmisanthropist · 10/10/2020 14:15

The caretaker at your lab notified me that he has been informed that the new breed have a poor immune system and can catch covid. Consequently I have instructed him that he will have to triple lock the lab doors and leave all the staff inside.

Oh that's OK. The lab doors have always only locked from the outside and it's quite comfy with all the padding on the floor and walls.

Thanks

RightOnTheEdge · 10/10/2020 14:35

Oh, you'll laugh that you thought they were monsters come Christmas.
😱😭🤣

Thanks

toffeekiwi · 10/10/2020 14:59

@raddledoldmisanthropist

The caretaker at your lab notified me that he has been informed that the new breed have a poor immune system and can catch covid. Consequently I have instructed him that he will have to triple lock the lab doors and leave all the staff inside.

Oh that's OK. The lab doors have always only locked from the outside and it's quite comfy with all the padding on the floor and walls.

Perfect comfy spaces for the spiders to lay their eggs then. You'll be able to play spot the cocoon to pass the time.

Thanks

raddledoldmisanthropist · 10/10/2020 16:18

Perfect comfy spaces for the spiders to lay their eggs then. You'll be able to play spot the cocoon to pass the time.

Well at least we won't go hungry and at Christmas dinner there will be no arguments about who gets a leg- we all do.

Thanks

Cheesecake53 · 10/10/2020 16:26

We had more than last year.

Thanks

MummBraTheEverLeaking · 10/10/2020 16:36

Touch wood I've noticed less too, but then we've had conkers scattered around the house like they're going out of fashion, liberal applications of spider spray plus cats.

Thanks

Bloodybridget · 10/10/2020 16:39

Plenty here, including a monster specimen of those small body, very long legs ones that I've shown out of the house at least twice now. I don't mind them.

Thanks

ememem84 · 10/10/2020 16:57

We have two gigantic ones in our garage. I’m leaving them be. We have an understanding. Stay where you are so I can see you and everything will be ok. So far so good.

Thanks

NameChange84 · 10/10/2020 17:01

Nope I’ve had masses of them including two of the biggest I’ve ever seen - One was bigger than my hand and was utterly terrifying.

Thanks

WiseUpJanetWeiss · 10/10/2020 17:05

We have dozens of the spindly cellar spiders everywhere. They appear to be eating woodlice - although I don’t know where the woodlice are coming from - and leaving their shells all over the place. No massive monster spiders yet though.

Thanks

Itsonlymakebelieve · 10/10/2020 17:07

They must all be at my house, every evening there’s one scuttling across my living room Floor. My DH hates them so I have to put them outside, I even have a glass and piece of card sitting ready cause it happens so regularly. They are the small body looong legged type.

Thanks

BangingOn · 10/10/2020 17:09

We have had far fewer than usual, but I have let the cellar spiders stay this year and I have seen them eat a couple so possibly that’s why.

Thanks

surlycurly · 10/10/2020 17:09

This time last year my house was practically floating on them. So far this year I've only seen two. They both terrified DD into promising to move out, so I'm hoping for more.

Thanks

dementedma · 10/10/2020 17:10

Much less than usual, thank God!! Long may it last. I'm usually a wreck at this time of year.

Thanks

CoronaIsWatching · 10/10/2020 17:10

Yes I have, live in an old house in the country and we are always infested this time of year. However I've only seen two since the beginning of September. Normally I see at least one huge one every night. Very odd. Maybe it's regional?

Thanks

mumwon · 10/10/2020 17:35

Maybe they are escaping covid? Migrated down south? or they are immune & carrying covid & they moved up north?
New troll suggestion for cause of covid spread -

Thanks

JeanClaudeVanDammit · 10/10/2020 17:37

All of them seem to be in my garage. The entire country’s worth.

Thanks

madcatladyforever · 10/10/2020 17:40

I have my entire house smoke fumigated every third year, put the cat in the cattery for a couple of days and go away. It really does keep the spider population to practically zero. Since I've been doing this I just don't get them in the house.

Thanks

NancyBotwinBloom · 10/10/2020 17:41

We've had loads here. A couple of weeks ago I was in bed and one tan across my bare arm and shoulder.

My husband had to catch it because it ran in the quilt.

I was screaming.

Thanks

MayYouLiveInInterestingTimes · 10/10/2020 18:28

I haven’t seen any big ones in a while now I think of it, but we’ve got several small house and garden spiders with egg sacs.
I tend to see the big ones late at night out of the corner of my eye moving very fast. I don’t scream much.

Thanks

toffeekiwi · 10/10/2020 18:49

@NancyBotwinBloom

We've had loads here. A couple of weeks ago I was in bed and one tan across my bare arm and shoulder.

My husband had to catch it because it ran in the quilt.

I was screaming.

Enjoy your new quilt.

Thanks

TheCatsWhisker · 10/10/2020 19:22

I've not seen decreasing in spiders, but hardly seen any Daddy long legs.

Of which I am so glad as I hate the little fuckers!

Thanks

battlestargalactica · 10/10/2020 19:29

@raddledoldmisanthropist

As an arachnologist I can confirm that spider numbers in the UK are down around 70% this year.

We've been expecting this for about the last 10 years because hormone levels in egg samples have been indicating a very very rare event called Mechacoagmentarius. The last time this happened in the UK was around 210-230 AD.

Basically all the spiders are still around, indeed more than in previous years, but they are busy spinning giant underground cocoons. Once inside the cocoons they will join together to make larger spiders (probably between the size of a dog and a horse) which we should start seeing around Christmas.

Exciting times in our lab, I can tell you.

thank you for the biggest laugh i've had all week. my fella always warns me how credulous i can be and i brush it off.

i genuinely googled this

Thanks

RedDiamond · 10/10/2020 19:43

@raddledoldmisanthropist

Perfect comfy spaces for the spiders to lay their eggs then. You'll be able to play spot the cocoon to pass the time.

Well at least we won't go hungry and at Christmas dinner there will be no arguments about who gets a leg- we all do.

That's a bugger! I only like the breast.

Thanks

Flip

1 2 3

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.