Spider season: Three reasons you need these expert hunters in your home - and how they can help you
You should think twice before casting any spiders you find out in the cold 🕷
- Autumn is ‘spider season’ in the UK, when people typically notice more of them inside
- But experts say very few spiders here can harm or even bite us at all
- Instead, they may even prevent you being bitten by other insects
- They could also help protect your houseplants and your pantry
Spiders are expert hunters, and if you’re kind to them, they can put these skills to use for your benefit.
In the UK, the autumn months are sometimes informally known as ‘spider season’. This is when you might notice more of the eight-legged arachnids scuttling around your home, with some species on the lookout for love at this time of year - while others are just trying to find a place to escape the winter chill.
While you’ll hear a lot about how to make your home less desirable for them, many experts say making your peace with the spiders that share your home is not only kind to them, but could be helpful for you. We’ve reviewed sources from nature charities to pest control companies to find out just how sparing that friendly house spider could help you out.
Here are three of the most important reasons to consider keeping them around:
1. Protecting you from bug bites
Some of the concern around spiders may come from a fear of being bitten. But of the hundreds of species present in the UK, only about 12 are actually able to bite humans. They’ll usually only do this when threatened, and their bites are unlikely to do any harm.
Instead the Wildlife Trusts says that the sorts of spiders you might find in your home may actually help prevent you from being bitten or stung by other insects. Many of them will happily get rid of any wasps or mosquitoes which make their way inside too.
According to pest control service PestUK, some will even eat fleas or bedbugs – although if you have an infestation of either of these, you probably shouldn’t leave the job to spiders alone.
2. Providing free pest control
In a similar vein, spiders act as natural pest control agents – and keeping them around can save you from having to use insecticides or other chemical treatments to keep insects at bay.
In the kitchen, spiders will protect your pantry by snacking on houseflies, or species like the Indian meal moth that will infest your pasta, rice or flour. They may even help to protect your houseplants from aphids, fungus gnats or whiteflies – especially species like the zebra jumping spider.
More importantly, their presence can actually be an early indicator that you have a pest problem. This is because they will usually only show up when there’s food to be had, UK gardening expert Jane Perrone says, which can be the first sign of a developing problem.
3. Giving nature a helping hand
The Wildlife Trusts say that the UK’s spider species are “amazing animals” – but they are also a vital part of our ecosystems. They protect us and the crops we rely on for food from all kinds of pests, and also help to keep all sorts of wider ecosystems in balance by “feeding on an astounding number of insects”.
“It's estimated that across the world, spiders eat between 400 and 800 million tons of insects and other invertebrates a year. Many of the insects they eat are considered pests of food crops, garden plants and even people, so having spiders around is a great natural alternative to pesticides,” the charity’s experts added.
Not only that, but a study by the University of Oxford’s biology department found that they themselves act as an important food source for bird species like goldcrests and great tits, while their activities can even create new habitats for other wildlife.
Here is our guide to identifying some of the most common spiders you’ll find inside your home this spider season – as well as what you do if you find an unfamiliar one.