This is why you're seeing more spiders than usual in your home this summer
For people with arachnophobia (the fear of spiders), it’s the worst time of year – spider season.
Unfortunately, it has arrived early this year. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is spider season?
Usually we see spider season in early autumn, generally around the beginning of September.
This is because male spiders have spent the summer filling up on a steady diet of flies, moths and other insects, and have become sexually mature – thus they head indoors in search of a mate.
Once the spiders are inside your house they can start an indoor populations – with the females hatching out hundreds of eggs that contain lots of tiny spiders.
Why is it here early?
It’s all down to the weather – thanks to the wetter August we’ve been having, it has triggered a premature mating season.
We have seen some hot weather in Portsmouth this month, but we have also had thunderstorms and long periods of rain.
The heavy rainfall and mixture of cooler conditions and heat waves is encouraging the spiders inside.
They can often be found in kitchens and bathrooms because their prey can be found in these moister areas – attracted by food and water.
How to keep spiders out of your house
These are some tips and tricks to keep your house as spider free as possible:
- Keep your house clean and airy with regular vacuuming and dusting
- Keep your house filled with natural light and try to avoid keeping the blinds or curtains closed during the day or for long periods of time – spiders love dark and hidden locations
- Invest in essential oils – strong scents will ward off spiders, so things like tea tree, rose, citrus, peppermint and lavender and all work
- Seal up any cracks that could allow a spider into your house, or to use it as a hiding hole – grab a caulking gun and target spider access points like the walls, floors and ceilings