A giant spider just ran across my bedroom floor!

I don't normally like to but I had to jump up and squash it - it was heading straight for some shelving where it would have got lost within, which is never good just before going to bed.

I didn't think June was big spider season!

There is a spider that mimics a ladybird.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraplectana_tsushimensis

The (quite small) spider (Derek) that lives in a nook at the top of my bedroom window of the Bijou Mini Flatlet has just caught a whopping gert fly.

The fly was at least three times the size of Derek.

I say was because, after a lengthy struggle, the fly (who I think was called Ian), is now completely cocooned in death-silk and has ceased his frantic buzzing for time evermore.

https://www.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/english-open/2020-2021/english-open-shaun-murphy-refuses-to-play-as-ginormous-spider-lies-in-wait-under-the-table_vid1370191/video.shtml

Mealy mouthed Sean Murphy.

What a surprise.

It looked like a harvestman anyway.

No, after a second look, it's deffo a Tegenaria Gigantia (formerly called Tegenaria Duellica or Tegenaria Domesticus).

a.k.a. the Common House Spider.

Also, to vindicate Murphy further, it's definitely a male - relatively small body, very long legs.

It's also probably turned up in this snooker arena because it's a) looking for a mate as it's the 'season', b) it's the beginning of Autumn and it's looking for warmth.

These are my spidery facts for the day.

Surely, the important word in all that is, "Gigantia."

A huge house spider just ran from under the settee where I'm sitting!

A GIANT spider, one of the biggest house spiders I've ever seen, was just sitting motionless on the closed curtains. I went to get a glass but when I came back in it went through the gap in the curtains and is now lurking somewhere behind them.

I've got the glass and card ready for if I see it again.

This thread could be called Spider insider [gossip]

Only with a capital I on Insider, obv.

:pedant:

Have I mentioned before that my living room has a floorboard with a knot hole in it and, at any point in time, there's always a huge house spider living in it?

Different spiders too. ISTR that generations of them have come and gone since I joined the OHOTW.

Quote :

Giant spiders that can grow to the size of rats and live off fish are making a comeback in the UK

For centuries the fen raft spider lurked in the UK's wetlands but, after the industrial revolution led to many of its habitats being drained, the species almost went extinct in the 20th Century.

Now, after years of conversation work by the RSPB and Chester Zoo, the species is now back to thriving in the UK.

After hitting a low of just three areas where they were known to exist in 2010 but there is now an estimated 10,000 breeding females across the UK.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

https://www.itv.com/news/2024-08-20/spiders-the-size-of-rats-make-comeback-in-uk-after-nearing-extinction

I've just realised that this year's "spider season" has come and gone without me realising, and without seeing any house spiders!

Though looking back through this thread I did see one on 4th August - but not at my official dwelling.

Wikipedia's statistics shows me that views of the Wikipedia page for the giant house spider peaked on 6th September, with a sharp drop off of views thereafter.

https://pageviews.wmcloud.org/?project=en.wikipedia.org&platform=all-access&agent=user&redirects=0&range=this-year&pages=Giant_house_spider