What's the biggest you've ever seen?

Last week I went to turn off reading light about midnight and on the floor was an enormous spider also with knobbly knees, clogs and god knows how many eyes. I screamed but I didn’t wake up husband in the snoratorium next door. It ran under bedside table. I opened bedroom window wide then got toothmug ready. Used my phone spotlight and tea towel to flush it out, caught eventually caught in toothmug (barely fitted in) with coaster and threw out of the window.

At the weekend I sat in our very warm conservatory with the doors open. Bluebottles flew in and 2 were caught in webs on the ceiling. Immediately they were despatched by 2 very similar spiders smaller than their prey and then carried off to their lairs. Pretty gruesome.

I used to work in a care home & 2 of my friends were terrified of spider's. This time of year I would often hear my name screamed which would be my cue to pick up said spider & put it out of the window!

Absolutely terrified of them and it's only got worse over the years. Always look around corners and ceilings when I get up in a morning and never go into a room without putting on the light and doing a quick spider check first. Not so happy about light switches after reading the posts above. Even when I can't sleep at night I never go downstairs at this time of year as there's always one lurking somewhere.

I was told about cookers (fresh) being a moth repellent some 70 years ago by an elderly neighbour and have always found them effective. And a lovely excuse to gather such beautiful things - nothing more splendid than a fresh conker in its green overcoat!

sazz` - respect! very brave.

I am a widow and have to deal with spiders myself now.

I keep down the number of big spiders in my home in these ways: I got a man to put draft excluder at the bottom of my front door. Its actually a double door so he put it on both doors. There is a little gap in the middle which I seal each evening with wide Sellotape at the bottom. Same with the back door.

I keep beds away from the wall and make sure no bedding touches the floor.

I have jars of various sizes in every room so I don't have to look for them if a big spider appears.

I have tried conkers and cinnamon and bought expensive repellent over the internet. None worked.

The best thing is to try to prevent them coming in in the first place. Some still manage to get it, but not so many.

The one comfort I have from all these emails is that spiders are universal, they get in every home, and they terrify a lot of us, but very few people die from them. at least in Britain.

I reached for my dressing gown one morning, hanging on the bathroom door. The biggest spider I have ever seen ran down it and fell to the ground. It was so big it made a thump noise as it hit the floor, even though it fell on carpet. I chased it, but it ran under my bed. I have never stopped looking for it. The thought of it running over me when I'm asleep terrifies me.

Our pet spider is Eric he has great fun being chased by the dogs Monty and Smithy, they never catch him.

So disappointed when I realised you were talking about spiders hehe

Our youngest daughter alerted us to a massive one above the doorframe in the kitchen. My husband calls all the really big spiders 'Sir'. I tend to call them Sydney or Boris. It is currently mating season for spiders so we will no doubt see plenty of them in our homes.

We seem to be getting more than usual. My husband said that this time of year the very large males are looking for females and therefore are on a hunt. they're quite scary, even for someone like me who is not that afraid of spiders.

Spiders in UK are not going to harm you!!
I used to be terrified of them but got it cured in about 15 mins by an NLP practitioner.
I love them now.

I don't mind the ones with big long legs. It's the ones, quite small but can run faster than Usan Bolt that I don't like.

Torch the garden!!! It’s his home now... burn it ?

I never was scared of spiders but one fell out of my sister's loft she was clearing. I picked it up to put it outside and it bit my finger 3 times
Felt like a wasp sting. Nothing bad happened, over the course of a week the skin went hard and then peeled off. Don't pick them up anymore though.

Not posted on this thread before as I misread the title as "Whats the biggest youve ever BEEN" I refuse to answer that question!

Visiting family in Australia some time ago I got chatting to one of their friends who asked in a joking way why I would live in a country where it was so cold - I asked him why he would live in a country with spiders that can kill you!

I really don't like spiders at all - now I am on my own I have to be a bit braver and despite spraying around doors and windows with spider repellent still find them around the house. One night my alarm went off - I started down the stairs - baseball bat over my shoulder (no idea what I was going to do) only to find a very large spider had crawled across the motion sensor! That spider was sent to the spider after life!

Can't actually kill myself....... But this year has been awful. My dear husband who I lost a year ago always
removed these creatures...screaming no longer helps ..... However I thank goodness for my stick vac cleaner.
I can suck them up from a distance give them a spin and drop outside.
I have had 6 whoppers this autumn...... Have been wondering if they are returning for another go.

I’d never kill a spider, not a non-venomous one anyway. They’re a force for good, keeping down the fly, flea, moth population in our homes, and cockroaches and mosquitoes in warmer countries.

Not that I can go near enough to a really big one to catch it. I just keep well back, shouting instructions to DH not to hurt it.

One was hiding in my rubber glove once. That was a nasty shock as I put it on.

I have lived in several countries including South Africa where they have the big rain spiders. I have also spent time in the West Indies where I saw pink kneed tarantulas. I also spent 3 days in the Equidorean Amazon rainforest and saw a small spider on the outside of the window mesh in my cabin, which I knocked off from the inside. Otherwise I saw no spiders there. My son went to Peru and took a guided night time hike in the rainforest and the light on his headband shone on hundreds of little sparkly lights everywhere he looked. These were the eyes of spiders.
But the biggest spiders I have ever seen were in Southampton where I lived for a time in an old flat. The loo was outside and the first time I visited it and closed the door I was faced with an enormous spider sitting on the door just looking at me. I never dared close the door again. I think it was a cardinal spider.
In my present 215 year old flat I get quite a lot of spiders, mostly daddy long legs and other small ones. I can deal with these but the other night I had an enormous monster in my hall., coming from the kitchen. I ran for my biggest spider jar and when I got back she was gone. Spent a long time in the kitchen looking for it without success. An hour later when I was going to bed thinking I would never dare sleep I spotted it against a skirting board and was able to catch it and released it again next morning. My neighbour told me she had had a huge spider in her sitting room next evening. It was probably the same one. I am petrified another might come in.

The only good spider is a dead spider.
Its only saving grace is it is a delicious part of the food chain for some other animal.
What good does it do? Even catches and kills our pollinators!

Have to post again.

Last night we left some glasses by the sink. I've just washed them.

I pick glasses up by fingers inside, thumb outside. Felt something on my finger! Quickly put glass in the water and out floated a monster of a spider.

Sitting now with strong coffee, recovering. Spider got washed down the plug hole.

Spider wise I meant not differ .

I am terrified of the horrible things. I can cope with almost any other insects, large or small!
The family never let me forget the day I found an ENORMOUS spider on my dressing gown in the bathroom. I ran past it, shut the door and wedged a towel along the bottom of the door (so it could not leave the bathroom). I then rang my husband, in a state of hysteria, and begged him to come home and ‘get’ it. He was very kind and was home within five minutes - he works very close by. Even he was horrified by the size of the creature, but he did put it outside. I feel very silly, but I really am terrified of them.

I had a few ones running across the living room over the past 3 weeks. I'm petrified of them. Hubby gets the spider and takes it down the garden. I'm not sure if it's the same one getting back in. I've read that September is bad differ wise as the male spiders are hunting for a mate. I hoping it'll calm down soon as I'm a nervous wreck ?

My blood runs cold when I see one but I was ok reading your comments until some of you posted PHOTOS! How could you! I found one in the car the other day, I think it got in with my DGS's camping bag when collected him from his scouts' week. Well that was in July, since then I have travelled to England, Scotland and back 4,200 klms before it showed its self. Vacuumed the car all over but didn't see it. Sprayed the car and left it over night. What do I see when I opened the door the following morning, it on my seat! Young postman arrived at that moment, asked him to help remove it, sure said he laughing. Didn't he jump when it moved!