Reproductive Behaviour
All species of spiders have three stages of development within its life cycle which are the Egg, the Nymphs and an Adult. A spider will go through a series of skin moults (throughout its life) before becoming and whilst it is an adult.
Male and female webs are present throughout all seasons of a year, it’s just that we tend not to notice their occupants until the mating season which happens to be in autumn which may explain an increase in sightings and activity. After a male and female of a common house spider have frequently mated, the male tends to die toward the approach of winter, then in the following spring, the female produces a series of silk-covered egg sacs using the sperm she has been nurturing within her body all winter.
The white egg sacs (which are hung near the web) are roughly the size of a small-finger nail and are often camouflaged with fly husks and the remains of past meals. Depending on surrounding temperatures, the eggs take from 30 to 50 days to develop. Eventually the spiderlings cut a neat hole in the egg-sac wall and it would be 50 or more which would escape from each sac (a possibility of 10 sacs) understandably causing distress amongst occupants and homeowners due to their presence or the fact they may suffer from arachnophobia which is why a prompt response is recommended before spiralling out of control.
Identifying a Infestation
There is only one way of identifying a Spider infestation which is listed below:
Physical Sightings
The easiest way of determining an infestation is multiple or continuous sightings of spiders, webs or their egg sacs within a premises or the immediate exterior of a premises.
Identifying an Spider
The physical appearance of spiders is one of a Eight Legged Arachnid with Three Sections to their body though they will vary in colour and size depending on species and sex.
Below are some of the species you may find within or around a UK premises (Click the names to know more):
- Missing Sector Orb Web Spider (Zygiella x-notata) – A small spider with pale body, legs and silver-grey markings on the abdomen. It is usually found around the outside of houses and gardens, and is particularly common around windows.
- House Spider (Tegenaria species) – A large spider with a brown head and tanned abdomen (often with characteristic ‘herring bone’ pattern). Six sub-species of this group are commonly found in homes and they are the classic ‘spider in the bath’ or the spider dashing across the living room floor.
- Daddy Long Legs Spider (Pholcus phalangioides) – A large spider, but with a very small greyish body and long thin legs. They prefer the warm and constant temperatures of our homes, garages and sheds, and are rarely found outdoors as they cannot survive winter temperatures.
- Funnel Web Spider (Amaurobius species) – A medium-sized spider, usually brown and frequently having yellowish markings on the abdomen. One of five species of Lace Web spiders. Usually found outdoors on walls, fencing and clutter around the garden.
- Zebra Jumping Spider (Salticus scenicus) – A small spider with white and black markings and a characteristic jerky ‘start and stop’ movement. Usually found hunting on external walls and surfaces but frequently venturing indoors through open doors and windows.
- False Widow Spider (Steatoda grossa) – A medium-sized spider usually dark brown all over with a bulbous abdomen. Often found in garages, sheds and clutter around the garden but also in cooler parts of homes particularly beneath kitchen appliances and cupboards. There are six UK species in the group known as False Widows. Although they resemble Black Widow spiders, they are not as harmful though they are known to bite humans.