Home / Editor's Pick /

Peak Spider season: Boom in house spiders thanks to weather

09:00
8 September 2024

Peak spider season
Boom in house spiders thanks to weather

house-spiderArachnophobia is one of the most common phobias in the UK and Ireland, making this time of the year a struggle.

Are you starting to notice more of our eight-legged friends recently? It’s spider season, so you might need to prepare yourself for some visiting arachnids.

House spiders love the warmth that homes offer, and right now we are entering the peak of their activity.

Every house has spiders, whether you can see them or not. A 2017 study revealed that the average home has 61 spiders living inside.

With so many housemates, you might wonder why it is this time of the year that so many seemingly appear. It is simple, it’s mating season and it is getting colder.

Throughout autumn male house spiders are on the hunt for a mate while female spiders wait in the shadows, preferring a more sedentary lifestyle usually in a warm location like a house.

There is no need to panic. While many of us dislike seeing spiders, the ones in our house are, mostly, harmless.

There are more than 600 species of spider found in the UK and Ireland, of these just 12 have been known to bite humans and none are poisonous but can be painful.

Spider season only lasts for a few weeks between late summer and early autumn. If you want to stay spider-free, try using a strong-smelling repellent like vinegar or peppermint near windows, which repel the arachnids.

If you decide to evict them, it is likely that they will make their way back inside, or into a neighbour’s home for the warm, dry conditions on offer. Keep an eye on the weather throughout the season on the WeatherRadar.

Are you impacted by autumn hay fever?read also
Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Split image of a vineyard on the left. Weather & Radar reporter stands with vineyard owner on the right holding bottles of wine.
Tuesday 19 August 2025

Flashback

Warming Isles good for vineyards
Weather map showing the UK and Ireland with a band of heavy rain and showers stretching from Scotland down through Liverpool, Cardiff, and into southern England. A thunderstorm symbol is marked over north-east England. Temperatures range from 16°C in Glasgow to 21°C in London, with warmer conditions on the continent reaching 28°C in Brussels. Clearer, sunnier skies are shown over eastern England and mainland Europe.
Wednesday 27 August 2025

Front on the move

Rain pushing east, risk of thunderstorms
Weather map showing a low-pressure system west of Ireland with strong winds circulating anticlockwise. The heaviest winds, in red and orange, are over the Atlantic near Ireland, with gusts up to 30 mph in London and 25 mph in Dublin. Winds are lighter further east across Europe, mostly between 12 and 19 mph.
Tuesday 26 August 2025

Heat boost for UK

Ex-hurricane influences conditions
All weather news
This might also interest you
Mammatus clouds
Thursday 21 August 2025

Unusual view

Mammatus clouds over Ireland
Weather map showing a split in north-south conditions of the UK. Scotland sees widespread cloud cover while England and Wales have clear skies.
Friday 15 August 2025

Clouds on the move

North-south split in conditions
Thursday 14 August 2025

Breakfast brief

Thunderstorms and continued heat
All articles
Weather & Radar

www.weatherandradar.ie

facebooktwitteryouTubeContact uslinkList
Privacy Policy | Legal info | Accessibility statement