Thousands of sex-crazed spiders are invading UK homes as their mating season draws in.
Male spiders are shimmying through cracks and windows left ajar in the hopes of finding a female, which stays indoors all year round.
They are drawn to Brit homes as they are warm and dry and provide an ideal location for frisky insects to mate.
Dark corners provide safety and security for them to breed and birth more of the creepy crawlies.
But luckily, a few simple hacks will help keep them outside where they belong.
Below are eight ways to keep them out…
1. Repellants
Peppermint : Spiders scurry away at the smell of peppermint oil so pouring some in a spray bottle with water and dousing it around your home is a sure fire way to get rid.
Ready-made diffusers and scented products, like candles or peppermint sticks, also work well to keep them at bay.
Apple cider vinegar : By diluting the acid liquid with water and loading it into a spray bottle is another way of showing spiders they’re not welcome.
To make a strong repellant, mix it with a teaspoon of oil, a few pinches of black pepper and a teaspoon of washing up liquid.
Eucalyptus : Eucalyptus in another spider turn off, so creating a perimeter of the plant around your property will turn them away.
Cinammon : Candles and sticks of cinammon also work wonders to deter the critters.
2. Make a ladybird haven
Enticing ladybirds into your home is a great way of getting rid.
The tiny black and red bugs eat up to 50 other insects a day.
By planting popular ladybird plants, like dill, fennel and marigolds, you can speed up the food chain and reduce the number of spiders in your home.
3. Remove webs and wash windows
By regularly checking for and removing webs, you take away spider loitering zones, which in turn stop them reproducing in the home.
You can do this by targetting windowsills and door frames with a vacuum or soft duster.
It’s also important to wash windows, ideally with ammonia and water, to stop them shimmying through.
After the glass is dry you can rub it down with newspaper and kerosene, which offers an added repellant.
4. Get a pet
Pets – and cats in particular – are perfect for making your home a hostile zone for spiders.
Our feline friends pounce on anything that moves, and these reactions come in handy for fighting off unwanted bugs.
5. De-clutter
A messy home is a spider-friendly home and one way to remove them is by reducing their hiding spaces.
Clutter provides endless spots to breed and reproduce so having an autumn tidy is a perfect way to keep them outside.
6. Oranges and lemons
The eight-legged creatures hate the citrus pong of our fruit bowl favourites.
Placing oranges and lemons at strategic positions around the house and eating a few a week can help reduce their numbers.
7. Turn down the lights
House lighting should be kept to a minimum during spider mating season, as spiders and other insects are attracted to bright lights.
You can even knock a few £10 notes off your electricity bill while keeping an infestation at bay.
8. Filling the cracks
Sealing nooks and crannies with caulk blocks off the spider’s main doorway into your home.
Check your property’s exterior to ensure you’re not giving the creatures places to shelter.
They are attracted to firewood piles, garden bags and compost heaps, which should be kept away in order to deter the bugs.
Mesh netting tacked over the holes can also be useful to stop them getting in.