What to do about spiders in the house

Love them or hate them,  spiders are found in almost every home in the UK.   Native British spiders are not harmful though they may occasionally bite.

However, some people have a very real fear of spiders and if you are one of them,  living with large numbers of spiders in the house, can be very upsetting.

What brings spiders in the house?

Like so many pests,  spiders tend to come indoors as the weather cools down towards the end of the year.

They like the warmth of our centrally heated houses,  and prefer to hide in small spaces well away from bright lights.

You will notice the large hairy ‘wolf’ spiders (they look a little bit like small tarantulas) become more active as it gets dark,  often scuttling across the carpet during the evening whilst you are watching TV.

What can you do about spiders in the house?

Regular web removal, thorough hovering, and paying attention to cracks and crevices, the underneath of beds, etc., can help keep spider numbers under control.

Individual spiders can be removed from the house without handling them by covering the spider with an upturned glass,  and sliding a piece of card underneath.

Professional spider treatment:

If your self-help measures do not achieve sufficient reduction of spiders in the house,  our team can arrange for you to have your home treated.

​What you need to know about False Widow Spiders

Britain has never been known for it’s poisonous spiders.

However, if you have read the news recently, you will have found out that there is a new arachnid on the block.

Or so we are led to believe.

The False Widow Spider (or steatoda nobilis) has been cropping up in the news lately due to the severe reaction a few people are having to it’s bite.

It’s important to note that most reactions are limited to some pain and swelling, with the occasional fever. The extreme reactions reported in the news are by far a minority!

Reported cases of False Widows being found in Britain actually date back to the late 1800’s!

Don’t Panic

Unlike are familiar foe the wasp, the false widow spider is not naturally aggressive and will not seek out an opportunity to hurt you. The best thing to do is to leave it undisturbed.

FALSE WIDOW SPIDER (Steatoda nobilis) in home, West Sussex, UK.

Making sure your room is clutter free, will prevent the spider from having easy places to hide. This will mean you are less likely to disturb it unexpectedly, and frighten it into biting.

Basic household tidying is a very effective way of reducing your chances of having your home invaded by all sorts of insects, not just the ever unpopular arachnids!

Remember – most spiders are harmless. The most issues caused by spiders that our team see, are excessive cobwebs and dirt around windowsills.

Spiders in the South East?

At Country Services we have received several confirmed reports of False Widows in the Surrey, Hampshire and Sussex areas.

We have been sent numerous samples that we can confirm are False Widow spiders, and recently attended a home with a False Widow infestation.

Our team were happy to reassure the worried owners that we could help them manage the issue.

We sprayed the house to remove the majority of the unwelcome guests and gave them advice on avoiding encounters with the remaining few.