Scientists Have Confirmed How Many Spiders Are In Our Homes And Uh, No

Have you ever wondered how many spiders live with you in your home?

According to survey data from YouGov, they are the most disliked creepy-crawly in the UK so it’s a bit of a strange thought that these eight-legged creatures are simply... vibing with us at home.

However, in response to a reader asking this very question, zoologist Luis Villazon explained in BBC Science Focus that actually, spiders are kind of all over our homes.

Sorry.

So, how many spiders are in our homes?

Villazon says: “If a typical house has 5 or 6 rooms, plus hallways, the average figure would be around 10 spiders per room, which seems like a lot.”

Uh, yes it does.

He adds: “To add some research of my own, I’ve just hoovered my entire house (a rare event) and only found 26 spiders. But that’s just the parts of the house that we can easily scrutinise.

“If you consider under the floorboards, behind the fridge, the loft, the garage and so on, there could easily be that many more still hiding.”

Yikes.

Are spiders good for the home?

The British Arachnological Society says: “They do a great deal of good by eating insects that are in your home and, like the insects, form part of the natural history of buildings. So, if you can, learn to live with them!

“At certain times of the year spiders are more plentiful or more obvious. Some come in from the outside at certain times of the year, particularly in the autumn.

It is, in fact, impossible to rid an area of spiders for any length of time because new spiders soon recolonise a house if the original inhabitants are killed off. They will constantly ‘top-up’ the house by entering through windows, doors, drain pipes, over-flow pipes, air-bricks, chimneys and in items brought into the house.”

Best to just... try and accept them, then.