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Photo: G. Bradley
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UK
Safari Tip:
To help you identify house and garden spiders there's a beautifully
illustrated fold out chart in the Nature Shop - click
here
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Latin name: Tegenaria duellica
Size: Body and head 10mms to 14mms. Legs 50 to 60mms
Distribution: Found throughout the UK.
Months seen: All year
Food: Flies, mites and other small insects
Habitat: Found in sheds, garages, attics and conservatories.
Special features: This is one of about a dozen species generally known as house spiders. They make a thick sheet web, about 15cms across, usually in a neglected corner of a house or shed. The web has a tubular retreat at the rear where the spider sits and waits for dinner to drop by!
They become more noticeable in autumn, which is their mating season. The males are often seen scuttling across
a room or falling into bath tubs as they move around in search of a female.
 The males have longer legs than the females, while the females have broader abdomens than the males.
The species shown in the photo above is very similar in appearance to the 'aggressive house spider' or hobo spider (Tegenaria
agrestis), which will bite humans with little provocation. Despite its name, it is rarely seen in houses, preferring sheds, garages, and log piles.
 This is Tegenaria gigantea, another common inhabitant of houses and outbuildings.
Did You Know?
House spiders can survive for several months without food or water.
UK Safari Spider Section
UK Safari Creepy-Crawlies Section
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