I love spiders. I find them absolutely fascinating, but it wasn’t always the case!

Being chased around the playground by a girl with a giant plastic tarantula when I was seven years old didn’t set me in good stead. Until I went to university, I was the same as many others; spotting any spider, let alone a giant house spider scuttling across the floor was enough to send me scrambling for the nearest glass and piece of card. During my studies, I discovered my love for spiders. Ironically, because of my research project on arachnophobia. Reading and learning about them seem to cure me! 

They're not as scary as they seem...

I promise. Giant house spiders may look big and scary with long hairy legs, but they're far more interested in escaping from people than scaring us. Most of the time they're tucked away behind furniture, under floorboards, in lofts or dark corners, quietly getting on with spider business. A bit like me in winter! 

Why do they suddenly appear in autumn?

The reason giant house spiders appear out of those hidden nooks and crannies and trot across our living room floors and bedroom walls every autumn is actually quite romantic.

The giant house spiders you notice darting across the carpet are usually adult males on the search for a mate. In late summer and early autumn they become much more active and start wandering in search of females. 

Even if it feels like a spider invasion, it's only really spider dating season.

Once they've found a mate, many males won't survive the winter, while females can live for several years, quietly occupying the same hidden corner of your house. 

Still not convinced? Here are a few giant house spider facts that might change your mind.
 

Surprisingly adorable spidey facts

• Try looking closely at the next house spider you see. The boys have what look like tiny boxing gloves at the front of their heads. These are enlarged pedipalps are used during mating.
• Giant house spiders are excellent housekeepers. They help control flies, mosquitoes, and other insects that find their way indoors.
• Unlike Peter Parker aka Spiderman, spiders breathe through their tummies. Little holes in their abdomen lead to ‘book lungs’ which are very similar to gills in fish. Spiders do have to be careful though. Because of the way the air goes into the book lungs, they get out of breath really easily.

So this autumn, if you spot a giant house spider making a dash across the living room, try seeing it in a different light - just like I did 20 years ago. 

Beneath those long legs is a remarkable creature: a speedy hunter, a helpful housemate, who is just perhaps a love-struck boy desperately trying to find a girlfriend before winter arrives.

Not so scary after all and I hope, like me, you can learn to love them.