Spiders set to invade homes but we shouldn’t be afraid says expert at Sussex zoo

Archnophobes beware - this is the time of year when spiders are most likely to invade your living space by moving into your home.
House Spider SUS-150826-153822001House Spider SUS-150826-153822001
House Spider SUS-150826-153822001

Spiders begin to take over people’s homes from September through until October while they seek out a dry place to mate,

According to statistics one in five Britons across the UK suffers from arachnophobia.

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In the UK, there are more than 650 different species of spider – and all of them can bite, although only 12 can cause any harm to humans.

House, money, cellar and lace web spiders can be expected to be seen a lot more over the next few weeks, as well as false widow spiders, which can grow to around 20mm.

But Angela Hale, a spider expert based at Drusillas Zoo, near Eastbourne in Sussex, says we should learn to live alongside spiders.

Angela runs a spider phobia course at the zoo each year.

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She said: “There is no good reason to be afraid of spiders. Our native spiders pose no threat to us. They are essential to our ecosystem; they are our friends, not our enemies so we need to find a way to learn to live alongside them.”

Commenting on the much maligned and feared false widow spider, Angela said: ““The false widow spiders originate from mainland Europe but are no more dangerous than the garden spider. The bite of a false widow is no worse than a bee or wasp sting and they will only bite if they feel threatened or are provoked.”

She added: “We have had a 100% success rate on our phobia course, using our patience and expertise to educate people, we have had participants safely and happily holding tarantulas and false widow spiders with no problems at all.”

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