LARGE spiders are on the hunt for a mate across the county as we have officially entered "spider season".

Larger spiders scuttling into homes and gardens are typical for this time of year.

While spiders live among us all year round, according to the Essex Wildlife Trust website, some spiders become more active in late summer and early autumn as males reach maturity and seek out a female to woo.

For many species the autumn season is the time of year when they’re mature and also when the females are full of eggs, making some spiders much larger.

 

Why are spiders scuttling into homes?

"This time of year we always see spiders in our homes far more often than we would do for the rest of the year," spider expert and broadcaster Dr Tim Cockerill explained to BBC at the start of autumn.

"Most people think it's because spiders are coming in and invading our homes, but this is almost certainly not the case.

"Almost all of the spiders that we see in our homes at this time of year have been there all-year-round, hiding in the cupboard under the stairs or under the sofa.

"What you are seeing in your houses are adult male spiders out looking for love."

House spiders have chunky but relatively small brown bodies with black markings with long hairy legs.

You can tell males from females as males have smaller bodies, longer legs and larger palps to transfer sperm to female spiders

If you do find a spider in your home, there's nothing to fear.

Spiders are a vital part of our ecosystems. Very few spiders in the UK are even capable of biting a person, and the small number that can rarely do, Essex Wildlife Trust's website explains

For more information on the kind of spiders you can find in your home, visit essexwt.org.uk.