'Spiders aren't scary, they're looking for love'

The Leeds Discovery Centre collection includes tropical and common spiders

As September heralds the height of spider season, with the eight-legged arachnids visiting many a home, experts hope an exhibition will help ease fears around the creepy-crawlies.

Staff at Leeds Discovery Centre have unearthed its collection of spiders, including a large West Indian spider found in 1955, and several huntsman spiders discovered nesting in bananas.

But the collection also includes the more commonly seen house spider, woodlouse spider, the walnut orb-weaver and a four-spot orb-weaver found near Spurn Point.

Leeds Museums and Galleries' curator of natural sciences Clare Brown said rather than being afraid of the creatures, people should thank spiders for being "remarkably efficient pest controllers".

She said: "Spiders really are incredible, fascinating creatures and while there are countries where it's sensible to be cautious around them, in the UK they are almost exclusively harmless.

"In the home they will eliminate insects which can be much more detrimental like mosquitos and house flies without causing any problems themselves."

The collection includes spiders preserved in spirit jars filled with ethanol

She said spiders entered homes during the autumn months "looking for love".

"At this time of year, we're likely to be seeing far more spiders in our houses and homes than usual, and that will usually be the larger males who become more active as they leave their webs in search of a mate.

"So it's worth keeping in mind that they're not there to scare you - they're just looking for love. Hopefully this might help people see and think about them in a different way."

About 700 different species of spider are known to live in Britain, with approximately 109 different types recorded in Leeds alone.

The collection also includes huge non-native, tropical spiders, which have found their way to Leeds through the importation of tropical fruits and vegetables.

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