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Original poster

How many big house spiders have you seen in your house this season?

79 replies

JellyTot222 · 08/09/2025 05:47

I think this year has been our worst. It started early august and still going now. I’ve just had to kill one this morning and now I feel guilty. Dp usually deals with them but he’s not here. I’m fed up feeling a prisoner in my own home.

OP posts:
8TinyToeBeans · 08/09/2025 09:37

We've had 2 male giant house spiders which we've relocated to the shed - where all the ladies are!
We have one juvenile that lives by our front door and we feed her, so she's more of a pet than a wildie.
We've had a lot of little zebra jumping spiders coming in too. They make their way into the kitchen.
And maybe a couple of lace weavers.

There are no UK spiders that can harm you. They keep the pests away. They don't want to touch you - it's hard to get one onto your hand to take it outside, they know you are a giant dangerous thing!

Nothing deserves to die for simply existing, and I say that as a recovered arachnophobe. I could never kill them, but I used to run in fear! I once phoned my DP when he was 200 miles away, in the middle of the night, because I saw a spider in the house. Not like he could save me, but fear wasn't exactly logical.

Now I keep tarantulas. In getting over my fear, I fell in love with arachnids.

ICanSpellConfusionWithaK · 08/09/2025 09:37

One so far. Haven’t seen one for a few years so I wasn’t happy about it!

ninjahamster · 08/09/2025 09:40

None so far but we have lots of cellar spiders and a couple of false widows living in the house.

8TinyToeBeans · 08/09/2025 09:41

ShesTheAlbatross · 08/09/2025 07:33

If you are putting house spiders outside, you basically are killing them.

The ones you put in the garage will have more of a chance.

Show quote history

You're not. If you go around your garden you will find house spiders all over the place. We have them living in the ivy on the fence, on the underside of decking boards, in the hose reel...they like our houses, but they will not die if they live outside. They will find a little sheltered spot to take up residence.

breakfastdinnerandtea · 08/09/2025 09:52

Loads. Fucking loads. DH has described two as “the biggest I’ve ever seen”. And this one, who made the unfortunate error of getting the food and water bowls mixed up.

How many big house spiders have you seen in your house this season?
Connectingconcrable · 08/09/2025 09:55

Two but they were massive, the biggest I’ve ever seen. The first one sadly, the dog chewed. The second one is still at large somewhere.

cinquanta · 08/09/2025 09:55

None so far. I think it is still too warm outside.

inigomontoyahwillcox · 08/09/2025 09:55

Probably about 20 in the past couple of months. There is one in the corner of our bedroom which has, to date, evaded my attempts at catching her. I have admitted defeat and named her Maureen.

BearSoFair · 08/09/2025 09:57

Just one, the cat had it pinned down in her water bowl 😬 Maybe word got out and it's put any others off of coming inside!

justasking111 · 08/09/2025 09:58

Had one in the back of my car all winter once. DS loved to watch it.

Original poster
JellyTot222 · 09/09/2025 07:27

Does the peppermint oil actually work? I didn’t want to kill it but couldn’t leave it roaming the house. I’ve also seen a couple in the daytime this year too. Usually they hide until dark.

OP posts:
Gardenroomdoom · 09/09/2025 07:30

I don't believe that most house spiders die if put outside because how did they get into the first house ever built??

And why do people who live near woods etc have more of they don't survive.

Just spider propaganda. They're out there breeding and waiting for the invasion.

DinoLil · 09/09/2025 07:32

I found a wolf spider in my sink. Never seen one before, never want to see one again! Two black giant house spiders, one disappeared under the bath, one being devoured by a cellar spider last night on the side of the bath. Possibly the same one.

Gotta love the cellar spiders!

mumzof4x · 09/09/2025 07:37

Not one and we live it the sticks too ! Very lucky for me as spiders scare the pants off me

Crunchymum · 09/09/2025 07:40

Gettingbysomehow · 08/09/2025 06:29

None. I have cats.

This.

Although I have found a few little ones in the past week and they've been put outside. Hopefully the cats take care of the monsters.

Original poster
JellyTot222 · 09/09/2025 07:41

I’ve purposely kept the cellar spiders this year but I’ve only seen them catch a medium sized spider, never a big house spider.

I also struggle to believe that they die if put outside. We live by woods and fields and as soon as anything is tampered with such as tree chopping or a harvest, we then start seeing the big ones, like clockwork.

OP posts:
Ddakji · 09/09/2025 07:43

None. I have the odd cellar spider and cats. But never seen any sign of them either.

TroysMammy · 09/09/2025 07:44

None yet but they are making webs all over the garden but they are different spiders to the ones that come into the house. I have a cat who hunts them down and enjoys eating them.

Ddakji · 09/09/2025 07:44

JellyTot222 · 09/09/2025 07:41

I’ve purposely kept the cellar spiders this year but I’ve only seen them catch a medium sized spider, never a big house spider.

I also struggle to believe that they die if put outside. We live by woods and fields and as soon as anything is tampered with such as tree chopping or a harvest, we then start seeing the big ones, like clockwork.

I don’t think so either. Of the very few I’ve seen in the 20+ years we’ve lived here, 2 were living outside, most recently in the lid of the garden waste bin.

Original poster
JellyTot222 · 09/09/2025 07:49

I am extremely envious of those of you who haven’t seen any this year!

OP posts:
13SixWeetabix · 09/09/2025 07:51

I evicted a beautiful specimen that was more palace spider than house spider the other day. I had a few seconds to weigh up whether the pint glass at hand was big enough, and decided to give it a go rather than risk losing it. Aside from that I've seen one of two spindly ones and one other small thing of some description.

I do love to watch the spiders at work in the garden, but I'd prefer it if we can all just stay in our lane....

lrjh · 09/09/2025 07:53

Well I have seen spider bob twice, he has been there, in his house down the side of the bath forever.

his babies are now appearing, and whilst large are not a patch on him.

Belladog1 · 09/09/2025 08:02

lrjh · 09/09/2025 07:53

Well I have seen spider bob twice, he has been there, in his house down the side of the bath forever.

his babies are now appearing, and whilst large are not a patch on him.

I actually shuddered reading this 😬

GentleSheep · 09/09/2025 08:05

Just the one, was on a wall in a very tricky spot so I had to wait for it to move before trying to capture and release. However that plan went pear-shaped when it suddenly dropped to the floor on the stairs and - well let's say it didn't end well for the spider as it was hard to see, it started running and got short shrift from the spider catcher. I don't like killing them but sometimes it just goes that way.

Gardenroomdoom · 09/09/2025 08:10

I wish geckos would be ok in the UK. I would quite happily live with a few geckos in each room if they stopped the spiders.