HUGE house spiders!!! Please help??

nadmat24 · #1 (**permalink**) 31-08-2009, 08:26 PM

Are there any smells or sprays that spiders dont like? Since last Saturday I have had 11 Huge house spiders in my house (mainly my bedroom)...are they following me? They seem to be the size of small mice!! I have the worst fear of house spiders ever, especially the big ones like this. I live in a very old house so know i am unlikely to stop them coming in completely, but if anyone could suggest a way to make my house less appealing to them I would be most grateful!!!

aland · #2 (**permalink**) 31-08-2009, 09:22 PM

Hi nadmat, I am sixty eight and a bloke at that,

The other night i had to spend the night in my wifes bed room what a coward, She picks them up while i hide with my little dog and cat in her bed whilst she puts them outside, Ours are not like mice but as big as rats

they actually make me feel sick the same as snakes, I think they come in open windows we certainly do not invite them in, if you give me your address i will get my wife to catch them and post them on

good luck with yours aland

Hedera · #3 (**permalink**) 31-08-2009, 10:24 PM

An old remedy from the country: put horse chestnuts in every corner in the room to keep spiders away. They are ripening now so you try that.

treecreeper · #4 (**permalink**) 31-08-2009, 10:41 PM

The best defence against spiders is regular vacuuming. They don't like disturbance and if they are constantly harassed by hoovering and cleaning they will go elsewhere.

But the person doing the vacuuming is going to be meeting them....

loripo · #5 (**permalink**) 31-08-2009, 10:44 PM

I hadnt heard about the conkers, so I thought I'd have a look on the net and see what else was suggested as a natural deterent - one was citronella oil used in a spray (I thought that was supposed to deter flies, but maybe no flies, no spiders) The one I liked best was - a gecko

galanthus · #6 (**permalink**) 31-08-2009, 11:21 PM

Since the Pholcus phalangioides, (cellar spider), thread on WAB around a year ago, I've left these particular spiders to roam freely around the house instead of trying to get them out. I've only seen one massive tegenaria in all that time, I have at least one cellar spider in every room, obviously with big fat tummies from all the mega spiders they're eating

Best cure for it and environmentally friendly too

Venger · #7 (**permalink**) 01-09-2009, 12:21 AM

They won't do you any harm you know - late summer through to early autumn is their breeding time, so the males are wandering around looking for females.
They'll be in your house and you probably won't have noticed them (the females that is)
Without them you'll end up with other problems (insect related problems), they do a fine job of keeping your home pest free - much better than sprays and chemicals.

jaguarondi · #8 (**permalink**) 01-09-2009, 10:57 AM

I have a thriving population of Scotophaeus blackwallii and Pholcus phalangoides in the house and they keep down the numbers of Tegenaria (the big house spiders) - it's ages since I've seen a fully grown Tegenaria. Mind you, I haven't worked out just what's at the bottom of this food chain. I hope it's not carpet beetles!!

dickybird · #9 (**permalink**) 01-09-2009, 11:26 AM

hi---i too have a pathological fear of spiders but since reading via this site that cellar spiders eat other spiders,im now actively encouraging THEM to live in my house--trouble is,theyre taking over!

as for the chestnut tip,my friend has tried this and says it appeared to work--but the spiders still come into her house---and just go up to the ceiling instead-where they drop on her----aaaarrrrrggggghhhhh!!

dickybird