Spider, reptile | Many people are afraid of this homemade spider: – Of course it can be uncomfortable to find one

The body can be almost two centimeters long and with legs it can measure up to four inches!

We are talking about “big house spider” (Eratigena atrica). You can find it in your home all year round, but the National Institute of Public Health usually receives phone calls with questions about these from August to October.

Mari Steinert, head of the pest control section at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, says this is because many large house spiders can get into houses these days as autumn is a very active period when large spiders multiply.

– Many people can now discover a large house spider at home because males can move indoors when looking for a mate.

– They are nocturnal and move quickly and can enter through cracks or openings in the home, says Steinert.

Fear that they will come from traveling abroad

Large house spiders can be recognized by their dark, matte color, not least by their long legs, which can measure up to four inches from a large one to two-centimeter body.

Among the concerned FHI callers, there are several who suspect that this type of spider is tropical in nature and think they may have brought it home from vacation as they are very large in growth.

– You can get scared pretty quickly when you find such a large spider. Many people think that it may be different species that have been brought in from abroad, but this is a Norwegian species and it thrives in homes where it is humid and where it can find food, Steinert says.

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– They look pretty scary

Many people also fear that house spiders of this size could be dangerous or harmful.

– They look pretty scary, so it’s clear that it can be awkward to find one at home. Although they have some venom in their jaws, they are not toxic to humans. The venom is only used to anesthetize prey they have caught in their net, he says.

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Most of the time, these spiders will only establish themselves with a web in slightly humid environments, such as apartments or basements.

– If you don’t have insects, spiders probably won’t thrive either. In the vast majority of cases, many of the spiders we find have been lost in your home.

It’s often very easy with these large house spiders, because they don’t show up in large numbers, Steinert says.

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Therefore, you should not fear the night spider.

Large house spiders are nocturnal, but if you fear these spiders will crawl into bed when you sleep, the insect expert has good news for you.

– It is unlikely that they end up in your bed, even if they are nocturnal, it is not the case that they look for people. Most people are probably primarily looking to mate or find a suitable place to establish a web. They’re usually a bit dark and humid places where they won’t be disturbed, not in ordinary living rooms, Steinert says.

Ideally, this species sits in the middle of its net and goes out to eat various other animals that have entered the net, such as flies, silver crows, and ants.

– If you have them in the basement, I would not worry, because they can actually be very useful since they eat animals that you would rather not have in the basement.

Most of the time, the spider will try to escape again or dry out, so the chance that it will have a long-term resident is usually quite unlikely.

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This is how you can avoid the spider

Large house spiders are not considered a pest, but they can still be horrible if you are very scared of them. If so, and you’d rather not have them indoors, FHI has a relatively simple tip to follow.

– The best way to avoid them is to close holes and hatches, or other possible places where they can enter. You can also consider whether you want to set up a network for the window, says Steinert and adds:

– Then you can also keep it clean where you live, which can help spiders not thrive as well.

If you discover a large house spider, Steinert recommends vacuuming or brushing the web or for the brave among us: carefully grasp the spider and release it again.

– We at FHI recommend as far as possible not to use poison to fight pests, because we do not want poison in the environment around where we live, because it is not good for anyone. With spiders, there is no point in using poison, because they are harmless and easy to remove from the house.

If you are particularly bothered by spiders or have found a spider that you think looks unusual, Steinert reminds you of the service FHI offers, where you can submit it to determine what kind of insect it is.