If you've started seeing more spiders indoors lately, you're not alone.

The critters usually start to invade people's homes during the autumn, but the recent wet weather means spider season has arrived early.

September is the time when spiders search for a mate and as the weather turns colder, spiders also begin their hunt for a place to live over winter.

The common house spider

But a wet August could trick spiders into a premature mating season, reports the Liverpool Echo.

There are approximately 660 species of spider in the UK, including Britain’s most poisonous, the false widow.

Our eight-legged friends can have a leg span of up to 12cm and female spiders can stay in your home for the whole of their seven year life span.

What to do if you find a spider in your house

The British Arachnological Society say all houses have spiders in them, and they mostly go unnoticed because they hide away behind furniture and curtains.

This is their advice: "It is quite natural to have them around. They do a great deal of good by eating insects that are in your home and, like the insects, form part of the natural history of buildings.

"So, if you can, learn to live with them. At certain times of the year spiders are more plentiful or more obvious. Some come in from the outside at certain times of the year, particularly in the autumn.

"It is, in fact, impossible to rid an area of spiders for any length of time because new spiders soon recolonise a house if the original inhabitants are killed off.

The 'eight-legged freak'
If a spider gets trapped in the bath put a towel on the edge so it can climb out

"They will constantly 'top-up' the house by entering through windows, doors, drain pipes, over-flow pipes, air-bricks, chimneys and in items brought into the house.

"During the autumn, many even fly on strands of silk, a process known as ballooning, and can drift indoors through windows or open doors.

"Some things you can do if you do have a 'spider problem' include:

  • Carefully sweep up the spider and put it outside, or better still put in an outside shed, garage or similar place as the 'outside' is not their habitat and it is a bit cruel. They can eventually find their way back inside.
  • If one gets trapped in the bath or sink put a towel on the edge of the bath or sink so the spider can climb out. They do not come up through the drain hole that is a 'P-trap' with a water seal in the elbow. What happens is that they are out and about hunting at night and either slip into the bath or are attracted to a drop of water in it and slide down. The poor spider cannot then climb up the slippery sides of the bath and so are trapped. It is a good idea to leave a towel over the edge of the bath at night even if a spider is not in it just in case one should fall in.
  • Finally, rather than trying to rid your house of these fascinating creatures live with them and enjoy them.

"But if you do spot a common house spider for example – don't panic – they are unlikely to cause any harm. Don’t disturb spiders if you can help it – they tend to bite you only when they feel threatened.

"There shouldn't be more than an irritation of the skin is broken by a spider bite, but seek medical attention if you've been bitten or stung and there's a lot of swelling and blistering or if there's pus, which indicates an infection."

How to keep spiders out of your home

Seal openings

Spiders will exploit little cracks and gaps which can open up around your doors and windows, so fill them in where you can. You can also spray pesticide in these areas to deter creepy crawlies.

Spritz the smells

Spiders hate smells like citrus, vinegar, eucalyptus and peppermint. Leave peel from lemons and oranges where spiders might like to enter as a deterrent. The peel will need replacing every few days as the smell won't stay.

Keep carpets clean

Buy some vinegar

Plus citrus, eucalyptus, and peppermint, as it's believed spiders don’t like any of these smells. You can peel lemons and oranges and leave the peel in places where spiders might like to hide to put them off, but replace it regularly as the aroma won’t last forever.

Get the hoover out

Not to suck the poor things up, but to keep carpets clean. Leftover food can attract insects and they in turn are a calling card for spiders.

Invest in cedar wood

Rather than changing furniture, buy a few blocks of cedar wood and place them by doors, windows and any other gaps that spiders may come into the house. According to experts they don't like the smell.