Are you finding more giant house spiders in your home? How to keep them out?

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FelisCantabrigiensis@reddit

It's nearly house spider mating season. They're looking for a nice warm place to make more spiders, and houses seem great to them.

They're also harmless, and they keep the bug population down.

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Saying they're harmless has no effect for people like phobias, like myself. It is the most irritating and common comment to see. Good for you not having an irrational phobia. We know they can't hurt us. It's not a decision to terrified of them.

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Scooty-Poot@reddit

Very late to the conversation, but THIS 1000%!!!

Trust me, I’ve googled spiders enough that I confidently think I can identify every and any species in the UK which can pose even the slightest risk to me at this point, and yet I’m still eeked out even by the skinny little cellar spiders.

I know fine well that a giant house spider will not hurt me, even if it’s one of the massive ones mistaken for more dangerous species you see on the news every now and then, but there is absolutely no way I am peacefully coexisting with that monster.

To me, knowing there’s a large spider in the vicinity is genuinely more distressing than knowing there’s a dead body near me. I’ve been to the morgue on a few occasions and even identified remains at one point, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that spiders, live or dead, scare me infinitely more than corpses.

That’s how irrationally fearful I am of them - my silly little money brain genuinely thinks a damn house spider is more acutely hazardous to my health than an actual human corpse. I can’t even begin to describe the kind of distress it gives me - it’s about on par with the fear of drowning or how I imagine it must feel to fall from a certainly fatal height.

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Historical-Promise-4@reddit

I’m over here googling how to kill the now second spider on day 2 of spider wars in my house and this thread came up and this comment made me feel so seen because word for word you’re exactly saying what my brain says. I am literally more scared of a spider in the room with me than I would be a dead body, a gun, a stranger could be sitting across from me and I’d be more terrified of what this spider might do than anyone or anything else. I HATE when people say “it’s not going to hurt you!” It is TERRIFYING to coexist with it.

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ProfessionalSad4U@reddit

It's awful, this is why it's a phobia. For me it's the revulsion of having them touch my skin.

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Scooty-Poot@reddit

Yes! I get that with moths and crane flies - I don’t mind them too much if they’re sat still, but the moment they fly anywhere near me all I can think of is how gross it would be if they touched me with their weird legs and gross faces

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qbnaith@reddit

I know that. Doesn’t make me any less terrified of them.

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pajamakitten@reddit

They are more scared of you than you are of them.

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qbnaith@reddit

I don’t care.

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Pebbles015@reddit

There is a youtube channel called "mywildbackyard"

Honestly well worth watching. The sheer will of the spiders to NOT bite him despite him trying to force them to is eye opening. It really gets you to put a perspective on things.

Also, jumping spiders are cute as fuck

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qbnaith@reddit

I’m not scared spiders will bite me. I’m scared of spiders. I’m scared of seeing them, being near them or encountering them in any way.

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SpinachnPotatoes@reddit

You need to get a spider person partner.

My 6'5 blue collar worker of a husband will let out a curse followed by my name. I get about 10 minutes grace before I am going to end up with one of his steel capped boots being smacked into the wall or ceiling to kill it if I don't get it out fast enough.

I am also the same person that if a mouse is in the house I scream in panic while trying to throw things at it hoping I either kill it with my screams or the random items or runs out the house just not to be near me.

He is my mouse person. My cat is just in general an AH and keeps on bringing me more mice because apparently my hunting skills suck.

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MadWifeUK@reddit

Sort of like our house. I'm terrified of spiders so Mr Mad deals with them. He hates wee squeaky things (mice, shrews, longtails, etc) so I deal with them.

One of our cats is a brilliant fly catcher, one is reasonably good, one is a great hunter (hybrid barn/pet cat), but two are scavengers and bring in what they've found so they can receive praise. And one is great at hunting spiders, but another one likes to bring them into the living room and watch them scuttle about while mum (ie me) shrieks and dances on the sofa.

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Sean001001@reddit

Why? I know phobias aren't rational, but is there anything in particular you're worried about?

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qbnaith@reddit

No. When I see them, I’m terrified. That’s it. Even pictures scare me.

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Sean001001@reddit

I had a mate once who was scared of cows. Don't know why.

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pullingteeths@reddit

My mum had therapy for a phobia of balloons (so she'd be able to take us to birthday parties when we were little). It was successful on inflated balloons but she's still severely creeped out and disgusted by balloons that have gone down a bit and are soft/wrinkled.

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ProfessionalSad4U@reddit

Sometimes it just happens, sometimes some has happened to cause it, and sometimes it's an idea of a fear that became a phobia.

Like cows can trample a person and it can happen suddenly. Maybe they heard a few of these stories and it just stuck. Maybe not. Your mate can easily avoid cows and be fine.

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qbnaith@reddit

I have a friend whose scared of fridges.

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_B10nicle@reddit

That sounds chilling.

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MaxDaClog@reddit

Wish I had that phobia, might lose a bit of weight 😕

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Woshambo@reddit

I have a partner who's scared of washing the dishes

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hallerz87@reddit

Same. Halloween sucks with all the spider decorations everywhere.

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simmonator@reddit

Everyone can probably tell you that a phobia is an irrational fear. And yet people still try to reason other people out of them. I’ll never understand that impulse.

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pullingteeths@reddit

I will say that rationalisation has helped lessen my fear. Specifically reminding myself over and over how physically fragile spiders are and how even if the absolute worst happened (a giant one on me) I could "defeat" it by barely swatting it with my hand and it would crumple like tissue paper. I prefer to catch and release them if I can but the knowledge that killing them easily is an option makes them slightly less scary. Fear certainly isn't fully going away though, I can't stop the visceral reaction and fight or flight response kicking in when I see one.

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hallerz87@reddit

They’re unable to put themselves in the shoes of the person with the phobia. Simply doesn’t compute that the fear is irrational and not based on more rational concerns.

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SteveGoral@reddit

I agree with this so much.

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ProfessionalSad4U@reddit

Same, Idgaf if they could bite me or hurt me. I'm terrified of them touching my skin or me accidentally killing them (start of the phobia when I stepped on one twenty years ago). Why do people feel the need to comment the most cliche placations.

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honeythorn_@reddit (OP)

I wish I could be finding jumping spiders in my house instead they’re so cute

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Pebbles015@reddit

Also, you can get them as pets. Cheap and easy to keep. Look up some videos on YouTube. Might help overcome your phobia.

I used to be terrified of spiders too. A learned behaviour from my mother but I've learned to live with them. They are honestly not as bad as we think. I hate flies much more.

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Pebbles015@reddit

We do get them. Zebra spiders. About the size of a grain of rice and usually found on the edges of the ceiling. They behave in the same way as the big ones.

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pullingteeths@reddit

Doubtful. I'm more of a danger to them than vice versa but I doubt they're particularly scared of me.

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GlasgowGunner@reddit

How was this measured? Doesn’t seem true.

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TheLionfish@reddit

I'm pretty sure at this point it's getting close

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ExperienceInitial364@reddit

they don‘t seem to have a panic attack upon meeting me sooooo I, respectfully, doubt that

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Tanjom@reddit

I'm old school, kill it with fire type of old school. The bug population needs to go up at this point imo, i never see bugs anymore.

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dragodrake@reddit

They aren't all quite harmless - false widows can fucking hurt, and can be dangerous to some pets.

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DrachenDad@reddit

false widows can fucking hurt

That is a different spider

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dragodrake@reddit

Yes, but were talking about 'giant house spiders in your home' - I don't think most people are giving too much time to the specifics of arachnology, its not a blanket rule that spiders are harmless in the UK. There is a decent chance (especially if you live in the south) that you will have false widows in your home. And they are not completely harmless (which is not to say they are deadly or anything).

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DrachenDad@reddit

There is a decent chance (especially if you live in the south) that you will have false widows in your home.

We do and we do.

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Flaky-Carpenter-2810@reddit

the reddit hive mind has decided you are wrong and should be downvoted

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Bacon4Lyf@reddit

Well he is wrong. House spiders are a specific breed, a breed that false widows are not. We’re talking about house spiders

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sonicboom5058@reddit

You're right, there's no chance that this person just calls every spider in their house a house spider. They must necessarily be referring to the specific breed.

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Delicious-Cut-7911@reddit

my dad told my mother that as he bent down to pick up a spider with his bare hands. He got a bite bad enough that he yelled in pain.

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Curious_Chip_6577@reddit

okay great! so how do you keep them out

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jbkb1972@reddit

Ok, I’m with the OP yes we know they’re harmless and all that bollocks talk oh they won’t hurt you. But please understand what a phobia is.

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beorrahn1@reddit

You can't "keep them out" as they're in your house all year round. The reason you're seeing them is, as others have said, it's their mating season so instead of hiding under floorboards/behind cupboards/etc they're out an about.

You might not want to hear this, but the absolute best way to stop having the "giant house spiders" (or Eratigena Atrica as they're more properly known) is to use other spiders, specifical Pholcus Phalangioides, AKA Cellar spiders or Daddy Long Legs.

You wouldn't think it to look at them with their tiny bodies and skinny little legs, but they are the best spider-killing spiders in the UK, and among the best in the world. They will easily kill any and all Eratigena that wander near them (as well as other spiders, wooflice, flies, etc), and being smaller and less scary are slightly more acceptable for people who hate spiders.

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fungjob@reddit

Yeah made up I've got cellar spiders in mine. Only seen one big house spider in 3 years. Thought it was strange got lots of cellar spiders though. Now I know this I'll leave them along ♥️

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BitchInBoots666@reddit

Omg thank you for this comment.

I used to get A LOT of giant house spiders in my house. Huge ones. But the last 2 years I've hardly had any. The only thing that's changed is I've stopped killing those big skinny legged dudes around the place. I still suck them up the hoover if there's quite a few, but I started leaving them if they're just chilling in a corner alone. There's been one big one in my upstairs lobby for a month or so now.

It's honestly really helped my phobia. That's why I started leaving them, to try and get myself used to spiders in general. Now when I do see a big house spider I don't freak out. I still get a racing heart but I can deal with it better now.

So thank you for the information. It's good to know that my experiment has been a success lol.

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Hitonatsu-no-Keiken@reddit

It's honestly really helped my phobia.

Me too. It helped just observing them and learning their behaviours and knowing they stay mainly on the walls out of my way. Sometimes one makes its web in the kitchen next to the taps so I try and be considerate by turning the tap on slowly so as not to disturb it! It sounds silly but it really helps me to see them as friendly little things.

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Hitonatsu-no-Keiken@reddit

A cellar spider in my house carried a little bundle of eggs around with it for a few weeks and settled in the corner of the room and it's babies (about two dozen) hatched there. They weren't a problem to me, cellar spiders are very well behaved!

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Connect-Smell761@reddit

Daddy-long-legs in the UK are actually crane flies, not spiders. I think in the US they refer to actual spiders.

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EllieEllie25@reddit

UK - to me a daddy long legs is the spider, and one with wings is a crane fly

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tobotic@reddit

I have also heard people call them "flying daddy long legs" 😆

I prefer "daddy long flying legs".

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hillbagger@reddit

I believe Daddy Long Legs can refer to 3 different creatures: The insect also know as Crane Flies; Spindly spiders or cellar spiders; and a tick like arachnid which mostly lives on fields of crops.

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Sabrielle24@reddit

Not sure what tick-like arachnid you mean, but I’ve always known ‘daddy-long-legs’ to refer to:

— Cellar spiders (pholcidae, true spider)

— Harvestmen (Opilione, arachnids, but not true spider)

— Crane flies (winged insect, 6 legs)

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hillbagger@reddit

I meant harvestmen. I was probably wrong to call them tick-like.

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Sabrielle24@reddit

Given your description, I did wonder if that’s what you meant 🙂 Opiliones are often confused for Pholcidae, as they look similar to the untrained eye, so tick-like might be a bit misleading!

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Dazzling-Kitchen-221@reddit

Daddy long legs has multiple meanings, including in the UK, and one of those is cellar spiders. I've heard it refer to crane flies much more than anything else, but it has always been used to refer to some spiders in Britain as well. Harvestmen as well. It's not just a US usage.

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Plantagenesta@reddit

The additional beauty of the cellar spiders is that, being quite small and wispy looking, and inclined to stay in corners, you often don't notice them much either.

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cmpthepirate@reddit

Yeah the dog sorts them out for me 😅

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Rossco1874@reddit

Lucky you my dog watches them walk across the floor not even arsed by them. He hates flies though & if there is a fly in the room all hell breaks loose.

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PlayedThisGame@reddit

I remember seeing a huge house spider a couple of years ago and told my husband to come quick, I then realised it was dead as a daddy long legs came OUT OF THE CORPSE of this house spider! Brutal! I leave the DDLs if I can. I'd rather them than those monster house spiders

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oktimeforplanz@reddit

My cats don't really kill them, so much as paw at them until maybe eventually they die, but sometimes I need to put them out of their misery as I find them in the morning twitching and missing some limbs...

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AutumnSunshiiine@reddit

Hmm. We have a fricking invasion of these things. I don’t mind them so much — and if they’re eating the nasty horrible fat black spiders which run super quick then they can stay in their corners from now on.

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AsAboveSoBlowMe33@reddit

I can absolutely attest to this. Always had a strong aversion to the large common house spider, and it's turbo speed. Yet the corner dwelling cellar spiders are everywhere but mind their business and stick to their spots. They are like room mates and I even avoid vacuuming them. I try to leave windows open to bring in some food now and then as I worry they are hungry at times...

I never knew until now they were also acting like bouncers to the scary ones!

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bonzo-best-bud-1@reddit

Was literally coming here to say this.. excellent advice! Cellar spiders are the best. They keep the silverfish population under control as well as the big hairy spiders.

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hwoppy2@reddit

The best way to deal with Common House Spiders is to adopt them. Give them a name. All my house spiders are called Dave. When one scuttles across the floor a casual “alright Dave” puts everyone at ease.

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Existing-Wing8447@reddit

Ours are called Fred, other names included Fredrik, fredrina, fredling, Freddie, (fuufred when he's in the shower) we just pretend it's one Spider roaming about the house every September

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TwistedTea8623@reddit

I've got one called Spindleshanks (after the spider in Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids) but did encounter both male and female eratagina today, managed to capture and remove the male, female ran off before I could get a glass. I am unsure which Spindleshanks was, as I named them after first seeing it two days ago at a distance in my room. Hopefully, I find the female again and remove it before any other male specimen decide to wander into my domain.

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Rudahn@reddit

They’re all known as Trevor in our house.

“Christ Trevor you gave me a real fright scuttling around like that. Sorry pal I’m gonna have to evict you if you keep getting in the way. Keep yourself to yourself though and we’ll be reet, yeah?”

It never completely eliminates the initial ‘OH MY GOD’ feeling when you first see one, but it certainly takes the edge off and makes it easier to catch them in a glass and yeet them out of a window.

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pr8787@reddit

Our house is full of cellar spiders. They’re much less “scary” than house spiders or wolf spiders and actually tend to eat all the other types! Because of this I haven’t seen a different type of spider indoors for as long as I can remember.

In our house they’re known as Timothy, all other spiders are Jimothy! My youngest will say “there’s a Timothy in the corner of my room” and I’ll answer “that’s good! It means you won’t have to worry about any jimothies getting in!”

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msmoth@reddit

Our house is also full of cellar spiders. I had been leaving them alone once I knew about their other-spider-eating abilities but there are so many this year that we've had to remove some. We got back from holiday on Thursday and they'd practically taken over.

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honeythorn_@reddit (OP)

My little sister calls all the cellar spiders we find Dave :)

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Badgerfest@reddit

Our youngest is scared of spiders and this is exactly how we deal with it!

"Dad, there's a spider in my room!"

"Oh that's just Dave, he's here to look after you and make sure you don't get any flies in your room."

Other names may include Gertrude, Cyril and Doris.

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Morris_Alanisette@reddit

Apparently the thin spiders eat the fat spiders so if you find any thin ones, bring them into the house to get rid of the fat ones. Then once you've got rid of the fat ones, release some birds to eat the thin spiders. Then get a cat to catch the birds. Once the cat runs out of birds it'll go and find another home.

Job done.

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solman07@reddit

I know an old lady who swallowed a fly....

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TwistedTea8623@reddit

I don't know why

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No-Door7081@reddit

She swallowed the fly

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Boring-Rip-7709@reddit

Raid ant spray works instantly.

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cakehead123@reddit

Even the giant ones? Any flailing or just instant death?

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TroubleSalad@reddit

I tried this and the bigger ones flail a little after but they die pretty quick. I can handle small spiders and I chill with them but the bigger ones give me the chills

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shs1965@reddit

Citronella spiders

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ans-myonul@reddit

This is the time of year where you're most likely to find them in your house, they tend to move around in later summer/early autumn.

I'm terrified of spiders and I live alone so I use this to get rid of them, I've had it for a few years and it's never failed me: https://www.thebestthingsdirect.co.uk/bug--buster----vacuum-spider-catcher-8174-p.asp

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Stxrry_System@reddit

I want it known im trusting you blindly on this LOL i have a phobia and i haate hairspraying them </3

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ans-myonul@reddit

I have a phobia too and I've gotten some pretty horrifying critters out of my flat with no issues - not just spids but also craneflies. I would advise you to keep some spare batteries around somewhere because the battery in this thing seems to run out pretty fast, also it has a pointed plastic tip on the end and you'll need to remove it before use in order to get the spider out unharmed. Other than that it does work, it's basically a more humane version of sucking them up the vacuum cleaner

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Friends_Fan_@reddit

I use this, and it’s been amazing, until there was such a big boy on our conservatory ceiling that the vacuum wasn’t strong enough, and after struggling with it for a solid minute, I had to give up, and I guess it just lives there now…

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2121wv@reddit

Out of curiosity, how close do you have to be to dispose of the spider once you've caught it?

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ans-myonul@reddit

You just turn off the vacuum and it comes out by itself, although you might have to shake it a bit

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Sweet-M_M@reddit

Much appreciated!

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Ashamed-Pressure-433@reddit

Spiders dislike the scent of menthol and eucalyptus, so an effective way of keeping them at bay is to smear some vapour rub near door frames or openings. This has proven effective, plus it doesn't harm the spider.

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brit953@reddit

Stop living in a giant house and move to a normal house that only has normal size spiders ?

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honeythorn_@reddit (OP)

It’s a 2 bedroom council house 😂

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Mental-Jellyfish9061@reddit

My kids have been moaning this past week about the number of spiders. I haven’t really noticed - but they certainly have

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Sweet-M_M@reddit

Honestly I just call for my mum to kill them, yes I am indeed 24.

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pullingteeths@reddit

My mum isn't scared of them but for that reason I don't trust her to care enough about whether it gets away so I have to do it myself to ensure it's removed from the house.

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BitchInBoots666@reddit

Tbf I used to squeal for my dog to come and deal with them until I was 40. Now I've been leaving cellar spiders alive to try and combat my phobia, and have learned from this thread that the cellar spiders are eating the scary ones.

I wondered why I hadn't had any big ones this year lol.

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Sweet-M_M@reddit

I had a huge one this year thankfully screaming for my mum helped that spider was after me for days and was making its way upstairs to my room

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thehealingprocess@reddit

My big strong wife sorts them out for me. She's my hero.

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jbkb1972@reddit

My wife does the same me, and I get rid of the wasps

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honeythorn_@reddit (OP)

This makes me feel better as an 18yo that cries at the sight of them😂

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jbkb1972@reddit

I’m a 52 year old man a d I live in fear of these fucking fuckers.

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Sweet-M_M@reddit

😂😂😂 don’t blame you!

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ConfusedViolins91@reddit

I'm in my 30s and still do the same!

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LettusLeafus@reddit

I rarely see them in my house mostly due to my cats. Apparently giant house spiders are a tasty snack, so this time of year I usually just find the odd leg lying on the floor as the only evidence they've been about.

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Deciduous_Dan@reddit

London zoo friendly spider program is great, my wife was terrified of house spiders and scared of the tiny ones too, one evening at the zoo and she's fine with them, as you can't really keep them out this might be a good option

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kairu99877@reddit

Get a small dog. They'll eat then.

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honeythorn_@reddit (OP)

We do actually have a small dog! She ate one she found in the kitchen

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kairu99877@reddit

Excellent.

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Purple_Jump_7403@reddit

Apparently, they don't like conkers.

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jbkb1972@reddit

I’ve heard this before, but does it work? I will try anything.

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uktravelthrowaway123@reddit

Doesn't work unfortunately

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jbkb1972@reddit

Ok thank you, shame

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Strawberry-lem0nade@reddit

Peppermint oil! Dilute a few drops in water and spray round the room, round doors windows etc. I do this every year and rarely see the buggers. I swear by it.

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AJMurphy_1986@reddit

Is there any science behind this?

I can't think why spiders wouldn't like peppermint

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Chl0thulhu@reddit

I don't know if it works for spiders but a lot of animals and bugs are deterred by the smell of peppermint or more so by eucalyptus. They just dislike the smell.

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2xw@reddit

No. Scientific experiments concerning this indicate that you have to spray it directly on to the spider for it to act as a deterrent. The effect is purely psychological.

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AJMurphy_1986@reddit

Is there anything that works?

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uktravelthrowaway123@reddit

Indorex spray inside will repel/kill them if you're alright with that

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Flat_Marzipan_78@reddit

This is lifesaver stuff. It’s not great cos it’ll kill basically everything but it really works. Only problem is I can’t spray it in my office cos the gecko lives there so will just have to let her run about and eat any spiders lurking!

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2xw@reddit

Lots of people in this thread have recommended various pesticides which obviously work but as someone into spiders that makes me sad. Other than that, keeping your house really, really clean will work - spiders are in your house cos there is prey in your house for them to eat. My girlfriend is a bit of a neat freak and we barely get any spiders.

If you can tolerate one species, cellar spiders (normally live up in the corner of rooms) will eat every other type of spider.

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AJMurphy_1986@reddit

Appreciated.

The house isn't too much of a problem, I have an office at the bottom of the garden, and we are in a constant war as to who owns the office......

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2xw@reddit

Ooooo yeah if I was a spider I'd love that. Not too warm, not too loud, and the birds can't get at me. Might want to check it's fully sealed, and it might be worth running a dehumidifier in there every now and again - invertebrates need water. If all else fails, pesticides will work, much as it pains me to say so - you won't actually be able to damage the local spider population whatever you do.

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AJMurphy_1986@reddit

There's a shed next door, they are welcome to move in there!

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ProfessionalSad4U@reddit

Insects don't like mint or citrus, spiders follow insects.

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Strawberry-lem0nade@reddit

Not a clue, all I know is it works 😂 I live in a really old house and used to get tons of house spiders every year. I’d be constantly living on edge. Since spraying the peppermint spray I’ve noticed I’m not seeing them

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AJMurphy_1986@reddit

Guess I'm off to buy some peppermint oil

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Groundbreaking_Pool6@reddit

My kid screamed and I ran up and there it was, a unit of a spider spread out like an only fans model! I screamed even louder! It swerved when I poked the Hoover attachment . I went outside and emptied the Dyson and it was that big, I saw it skittle off and cross the road in the dark. The spindly “skeleton” spiders keep these brutes out? I’ll never sweep these guys up again now I know that

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scooches66@reddit

Get yourself a spider catcher, life changing!

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TIP-ME-YOUR-BAT@reddit

I don’t mind them myself but the Mrs and daughter are terrified.

Some actual advice in regard to keeping them out although depends on your home layout:

We use spider-ex (Amazon) around the edge of the windows, it a spray developed to keep spiders away from CCTV cameras. Works great for a month or two between sprays.

Also, During summer we have a few windows which always remain slightly open for airflow and we have magnetic fly screens over the inside of the frames.

Can’t say I’ve seen more than 2 spiders indoors this year (in a country area), and I had to remove one of those from the cats who were playing with it.

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indecisivewitch4@reddit

They are HOUSE spiders, I have a deal with mine , sort the flies and I’ll leave them alone. No running scarily across the living room floor and disappearing. I did have some issues with some fecking enormous young spiders, but it was resolved, they won as I hate flies more .

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sjr606@reddit

My Mrs is as scared as you of them

I've been using this spray off amazon this year. They hate it and it kills them. I spray all the windows and doors from the outside once every couple months and it's vastly reduced the number of spiders we see in the house this year

You can also use it inside the house too if needed. It's brilliant stuff

Link: NOPE Spider Spray

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shrewpygmy@reddit

We use a version of spray by Rentokil and it’s magic on all things with more than two legs including house flies

Lasts ages and they only have to touch it once.

Sprayed it around my garage door once as a test, found no end of giant dead spiders shortly after.

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swallowyoursadness@reddit

I lived in a cottage out in the sticks for a while. The spiders were horrendous. The giant house spiders. So many of them. Two or three encounters a day at the height of the season. I had one on bare leg. One fell in my daughters bed while she was asleep (my worst spider experience to date) had one crawl into my light fixture while I was reading at night (I slept downstairs that night)

I'm ashamed to admit that they got hoovered up or they got the Russel brand book (this became the dedicated spider killer after the scandal came out) I know it's wrong, I know they're harmless, I know they kill other bugs. But I'm too scared to even catch them and there's no point putting them outside anyway. I used to be too scared to even hoover them or kill them but living in that house forced me to face that.

If it's any consolation to you be thankful your not in the most spidery cottage in the country which is what that place felt like.

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Nedonomicon@reddit

Spiders eat flies

Flies are more annoying than spiders

Pick a team

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PlayedThisGame@reddit

I haven't actually seen one yet but I'm expecting to any day now! We get the majority of them in the living room. I put conkers near the cracks when they're available and that tends to help keep some of them at bay, the plug in alarms did not work at all nor did my peppermint spray. We adopted a cat last September and to be fair I saw ONE after that! So I'm hoping she's on the case with it. I hate them too, one year a gigantic one shot across the room, my husband managed to get rid of it and just as I'd calmed down another one came from the opposite direction. Never seen two in one night before, I was absolutely hysterical!

Seems to be mid August to mid October the majority of them appear to do their dirty business and there's a couple of weeks either side where the odd one has forgotten their calendar. I had one in December once and was horrified and confused. If I see them they have to go one way or the other! The cat does eat them if she spots them (according to my husband).

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SpinachnPotatoes@reddit

By using a glass and a paper and taking them outside and dumping them closer to the neighbour's fence. Preferably with a conversation about boundaries and while they are welcome to visit you in the garden that coming into the house uninvited is not appreciated and just downright rude.

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Firstpoet@reddit

Love spiders. It's not Australia. The day we don't have spiders is the day to worry- like few wasps this year. Worrying.

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Action_Purple@reddit

Conkers on the windowsills. Done this every year for about 5 years and had zero house spiders!

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2xw@reddit

Some primary school children won a prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry for proving that this is a useless old wives tale.

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Action_Purple@reddit

Well that's a shame. Seems to work for me though so I'll keep doing it! The terror is too much otherwise

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firefly232@reddit

I feel like such a hypocrite saying this as I am a very untidy person, but I think that cleaning out the corners would be a good thing so that you know they're not there, and the airflow makes then less likely to build webs etc.

My mother swears by having conkers on the windowsills and in the corners, but I don't think there's any scientific evidence for this.

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Actual-Butterfly2350@reddit

Indorex spray is what I have found best. Technically, it is for fleas, but someone recommended it to me for spiders, and it really works! I spray religiously now every August, and it has hugely reduced the amount of spiders I get. I spray all of the floor, plus round doors and windows.

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thenewfirm@reddit

I have a phobia of spiders too. Everyone says to just leave them alone but that's not always practical. I lived in a badly converted pub cellar for a few years and the ones down there were massive, once I'd sprayed id occasionally come home and find a dead one on the carpet. The place to focus on is skirting boards and behind furniture, basically their hiding spots.

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uktravelthrowaway123@reddit

Was just gonna say this, if you want to actually see fewer this is something that genuinely works

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Trick-Bid-3409@reddit

I've been seeing then since March this year. Very unusual.

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algypan@reddit

I went and bought some fine white bug netting from Amazon for my windows. I actually really rate it. Can be a pain in the arse if you have to open and close windows a lot but it's kept bugs out and to be honest I don't notice it. I was worried it would look shite but it's pretty good. Think it was about a tenner, so worth a go!

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TheEbsFae@reddit

Mint at the windows and doors. Spray. They hate it.

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uktravelthrowaway123@reddit

Also gonna recommend something like Indorex spray to keep them out

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velvetinchainz@reddit

Same I had two recently in my room and one in the bathroom and the last couple of nights I’ve seen one crawling around my ceiling but I’m trying to convince myself it’s just a moth (even though deep down I know it’s a giant spider) cause I am deathly afraid of spiders. I mean I have severe arachnophobia so every time I see a. Spider I instantly have a full blown panic attack and run out of my room and try and get someone else to kill it. I can’t even kill it myself due to the fact I can’t look at them for more than a second. I’m currently laying awake with all the lights off so I don’t need to look at the spider by accident and I’m too scared to turn on the TV in case I see the spider crawling around in my peripheral vision.

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MCfru1tbasket@reddit

I've got two in my bathroom. They have a corner each (very territorial) and they have snacks they've wrapped up. Honestly they're wild pets. I tidy up their loose webs and one has even compromised with a net system to catch the odd moth that's very neat and tidy.

I promise my house isn't the set of the Adam's family., quite the opposite. But if I let a couple spiders chill I don't have a hallway filled with crazed late summer moths, they end up as food.

I fully understand the fear of them. We can't comprehend what looks like erratic movement, thus fear, but man they're super calm and totally Harmless, like most things if you leave them alone.

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Honest_Scot@reddit

I regret reading this thread. I’m meant to be going to sleep and all I can think about is spiders in my room.

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honeythorn_@reddit (OP)

I am so sorry 😂

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Inner-Signature5730@reddit

yeah thanks for this, same is happening to me now

a few weeks ago i was falling asleep but opened my eyes briefly and saw one RIGHT in my face

needless to say i slept in the living room

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Honest_Scot@reddit

My own stupid fault 🤣🤣.

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ProfessionalSad4U@reddit

SAME

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Physical-Cheesecake@reddit

I've had years of barely any spiders, now all of a sudden, false widows everywhere. And I'm so arachnophobic that I recently panicked at the sight of my guinea pig's long black claws that needed a trim 😳

Does anyone know if those insect screens for windows are worth getting, or do they get into the house in other ways?

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ProfessionalSad4U@reddit

Nets on my windows to stop bugs and spiders getting in

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Thestolenone@reddit

I don't mind spiders but my cats keep the house spider free anyway.

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Dense_University5798@reddit

Same.

This morning I opened the bedroom door to find a huge house spider dead on the floor.... a few of its legs were found elsewhere. Cat looked pretty pleased with himself. Offered him his favourite wet food for breakfast lest he decode to apply his love of dismemberment toward his keepers.

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Blueskiesbrowneyes@reddit

Get a cat. Mine is the chief spider catcher of the house.

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nivlark@reddit

It's mating season for them.

A spider's brain is tiny and operates mostly on instinct. Yours is large and capable of higher thought. So it will be a lot easier to get over your irrational phobia than it will be to convince the spiders to stay away.

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jbkb1972@reddit

No phobia is irrational, people with a phobia know whatever it is can’t hurt you. Unless you have a phobia of something you won’t understand.

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2121wv@reddit

Why do ask subreddits attract these gratingly smug replies like this?

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KingKhram@reddit

Is this your 1st year in the uk? We don't have venomous spiders in the UK. If you want to get rid of them then please find a way of leaving them outside, rather than killing them

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jbkb1972@reddit

I hate killing them, but when you a really bad phobia it’s very difficult.

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honeythorn_@reddit (OP)

Nope I’ve lived here my whole life and they’ve always been my biggest fear, money spiders? Fine, cellar spiders? Chill, but giant house spiders, I’ve always had a huge phobia of them even tho they’re harmless 😅

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anabsentfriend@reddit

I'm with you. I posted the other day about finding a giant house spider in my bedroom. I eventually managed to contain and release it outside the next day, but I'm still shaking over it. I keep thinking I can see the shadows of spiders in my peripheral vision. The one I had was an absolute beast of a thing.

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throwaway_ArBe@reddit

I had one about a year ago that was so big I had to call my mum to rescue me. She spent 20 quid on a taxi up to mine 😂

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KingKhram@reddit

I have a phobia of spiders, but I respect them. They really don't want anything to do with you (same as you for them). You really can't do anything about them getting in your home, but maybe just use a envelope or something similar to shoo away. These guys just want to eat all the other annoying creatures in your home

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2xw@reddit

The vast majority of spiders are venomous. We just don't have any dangerous ones in the UK.

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SpookyPebble@reddit

Slight correction, we do have venomous spiders here but none are medically significant.

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Maleficent-Sink-6367@reddit

I am not seeing them alive but my cats keep presenting me with their carcasses

It's horrifying but not as horrifying as the live spiders so I praise their murderous behaviour.

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Gunbladelad@reddit

I don't often get any large ones in, bur afriend used to get some so big they had their own names on the rent book...

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indigo263@reddit

I haven't seen any giant house spiders crawling around yet, just the occasional small ones that seem to like decorating the corner of ceilings.

I used to jump a bit at the sight of the massive house spiders but no longer do, so I'm gonna say what I think helped me get over that - catching them. If you can't face doing it yourself, then have someone else do it... Large glass, piece of card to pop underneath. I'd sit and just watch them for a short while before moving them outside (even though they'll just crawl back in again lol), and it oddly helped? No idea why, but my brain went from being scared to thinking they're actually pretty cool. Now I can catch them no problem without having a mini panic! 😅

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Marlobone@reddit

Even then once you awhile you get a real ugly one that looks like a mutated monster

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PsychologyPig@reddit

My boyfriend is finding a lot more giant spiders in my home but I'm not, mostly because I keep forgetting to wear my glasses.

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Marlobone@reddit

No kidding one nice thing I’ve noticed of having worse eyesight is spiders are less scary because they are more of a blur lol

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Global-Anxiety7451@reddit

Get a cat

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Triana89@reddit

I had a very sweet cat once who as a kitten loved to crunch spiders. Then he was a few years older he stopped bothering. A few years after that he started running away from them. So your milage may vary.

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Sweet-M_M@reddit

Do they actually work?

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throwaway_ArBe@reddit

One of mine won't bother with spiders, the other loves to kill them but then she sits there spitting out spider legs so I'd rather deal with them myself

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Morris_Alanisette@reddit

Only if they feel like it.

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Appropriate-Bad-9379@reddit

I have a good hunting cat, but last year, I had such a huge house spider, it was too big to fit in her mouth- yuk. She had to release it and the bloody thing ran towards me! I do have cellar spiders ( which are fine), but this giant confounded everyone ( until I killed it with a shoe, in extreme panic). I couldn’t stop shaking afterwards…

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SPAKMITTEN@reddit

Just pick them and put them out the nearest window

At max even the most hench ones leg span is about 70mm so easily grab-able

Also you know that story/fact that over your lifetime you’ll swallow approximately 8 spiders while sleeping…… well it’s closer to 8 per night

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Relevant_Cancel_144@reddit

Apparently conkers keep them away - spiders don't like the smell of them

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2xw@reddit

Disproved by Cornish school children unfortunately.

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anabsentfriend@reddit

My friend followed this advice. She carefully put a small pile of conkers in the corners of the room. She sent me a photo a couple of weeks later of a spider sat on the conkers.

The thing I also worry about with deterrents is that the spider will pun away from the conkers / peppermint, etc, and get into bed with me.

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EmilyDickinsonFanboy@reddit

I keep hearing about distilled white vinegar mixed with water in a spray bottle. Apparently they avoid it and if you spray it on them it instantly kills them. I haven't got round to trying it yet but when I do I won't be fucking around with diluting it.

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2xw@reddit

Course it kills them lol distilled white vinegar is an acid. If you spray it on any living thing it'll be at least an irritant.

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Eyupmeduck1989@reddit

I will say that air seems like there’s loads more of the thin spindly spiders this year. Someone suggested it was because we have fewer wasps this year

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CardiffCity1234@reddit

One September in my house I was seeing up to 3 of those massive fuckers a day.

I only ever saw them downstairs and they stayed away from me, so we had a truce.

Then one day one crossed my duvet in bed inches from my face, then it was all out war.

I put down sticky trips everywhere and I couldn't believe the amount of spiders they caught. I think it's because my house is surrounded by dense shrubbery in all directions.

Don't seem to see them as much now but that one year was so bad. Have a young cat now who hunts spiders for fun.

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AbzExtreme@reddit

Peppermint oil and the like, the aroma is to intense for them so they stay away, Be careful if you have cats and dogs as this can be toxic to them

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Upstairs-Passenger28@reddit

It's getting colder at night so in come the spiders my cat Hunt's them down

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CarlaRainbow@reddit

I bought this peppermint spider spray from Amazon. It def works because twice a spider was coming down the conservatory window and I sprayed the peppermint spray nearby and both times the spider climbed back up and away. It's impossible to get rid of all spiders with the spray because you can't spray everywhere where spiders might get in. But it's made me feel a little better spritzing all the windows and doors.

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