House spider questions

Juliet1200 · #1 (**permalink**) 14-09-2011, 10:29 PM

I thought I posted something about this yesterday, but I don't know where it went! I have a couple of questions about tegenaria

Firstly, there seem to be an awful lot of them this year. I've evicted at least one most days for the last couple of weeks, which seems much more than usual. Is it just me, or are there really a lot of them and is there a reason for the high numbers?

Secondly, I've seen a few with missing legs. One, which is living in my shed only has 4 legs. I have also seen a cellar spider in the shed. Are the missing legs likely to be down to an altercation with the cellar spider or do the females attack them after mating?

Thanks, Juliet

Wild-Woman · #2 (**permalink**) 15-09-2011, 06:17 AM

September is spider month! As I write this, in 3 corners of the room there is a spider. They are all different species too. I do dust and clean but these turn up over-night.
The most noticeable are the Pholcus phalangioides - many more this year. The big tegs are usually males looking for a female, although we have had a very large female in the house too. I should think yours has been in some sort of confrontation, hence the missing limbs, but they still seem to manage ok.
I think we notice the tegs, mainly because of their size but by the fact that they seem to appear from no where and run like the clappers- usually when we are least expecting it!

Dogghound · #3 (**permalink**) 15-09-2011, 02:19 PM

No matter how many times you throw them out, they make their way back into the house. You could be dealing a small number of the same spiders each time.

Wild-Woman · #4 (**permalink**) 15-09-2011, 02:22 PM

Homing spiders then DH.

Dogghound · #5 (**permalink**) 15-09-2011, 02:26 PM

You can just see them knocking on the windows saying "let me in".

Juliet1200 · #6 (**permalink**) 15-09-2011, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogghound

No matter how many times you throw them out, they make their way back into the house. You could be dealing a small number of the same spiders each time.

This has occurred to me...... And I think some of them are big enough to be heard if they knocked on the window

I tend to put them out just past the shed or garage in the hope that they'll go in there instead of coming in the house and there is quite a population in both so I think it must work sometimes! I know this is the time of year for spiders in the house and why they're all out (I've learnt a lot from this website

) but it just seemed like more than usual.

Fortunately I don't seem to have any Pholcus phalangioides in the house - horrible things!! I had a real phobia until quite recently and it seems to be long legged species that still freak me out. I can just about cope with house spiders although catching them is still a bit of a trial but Pholcus are just too much!

You may laugh about homing spiders but I would swear I had one last year. Not sure what it was - looked rather like a walnut orb weaver but didn't weave an orb! Every morning there it was in the bathroom so I'd catch it and put it outside. No matter where I put it, it was always there the next day! It was on the shower gel bottle one morning when I picked it up and got decidedly wet when it tried to escape. Still came back the next day though!

wilippa · #7 (**permalink**) 16-09-2011, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juliet1200

Fortunately I don't seem to have any Pholcus phalangioides in the house - horrible things!!

I have a number of these in my house, and outbuilding. I'm actually rather fond of the leggy little critters. There's a large one in the corner of my bathroom that's been there for a week or more. Also I have one in the living room with a number of black specks in her web. I haven't had a close look because it's above the bookcase and not easily accessible but I think these may be her babies - I know I had a couple of females with eggs in the house a few weeks back. Or maybe it was just the same female twice! Maybe I should start marking them!

Juliet1200 · #8 (**permalink**) 16-09-2011, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilippa

Or maybe it was just the same female twice! Maybe I should start marking them!

Do you think you could get a little collar on them??

wilippa · #9 (**permalink**) 16-09-2011, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juliet1200

Do you think you could get a little collar on them??

Actually, I was thinking of coloured paint but Pholcus have a habit of bouncing up and down when disturbed so I'm not sure that would be possible either.