They’re big, they have eight legs and they’re very fast and this week spider season is peaking in the UK.

That’s because as summer fades, spider mating season kicks in in earnest and spiders rush into homes looking for a mate.

This week marks the rough peak of spider season as sightings usually hit their highest point of the year in mid to late September.

And reports across social media and internet searches back this up as people frantically look for a way to get rid of spiders.

If you encounter a spider on the move, it’s almost certainly a male, because male spiders move around while females stay in one place.

It’s this movement – when male spiders go on the hunt for a female mate – that brings spiders to most people’s attention because they leave their sheltered hiding places such as inside walls, cellars and dark cupboards, and head for some no-strings fun with a fellow arachnid.

Millions of people in the UK are afraid of spiders, though, and frantically look for a way to keep them out.

The best ways to keep spiders out include using chalk, as well as lavender, mint or eucalyptus.

Spiders don’t like strong smells like those from lavender, and many have it growing in their garden. Simply cut some off and sprinkle it in key spider points like windowsills, near doors and dark skirting boards.

Mint: you can simply buy fresh mint from Asda for as little as 65p and sprinkle it along windowsills and in dark corners of skirting boards, where spiders are likely to lurk.

Lemon/Citronella: You can buy sprays made from these ingredients for about £5 to £7, or rub a slice of lemon on windowsills and along skirting boards.

Removing webs: If you remove a web frequently, spiders will realise that it’s a bad place to spin a web and they will eventually move on and live somewhere else.

Chalk: spiders taste with their feet, and they don’t like the taste of chalk. Drawing a line of chalk around your bed, along window frames and near doorways will create a no-spider zone which they will not want to cross.

Should you kill spiders?

Giant house spiders can bite, but it’s unlikely that they would ever get near enough to you to do so because they don’t like humans and will do everything they can to get away from you.

You should avoid killing spiders, though. They are extremely beneficial to a house, trapping and clearing away flies, ants and other pests from taking over your house.

Apart from old school methods like using a glass and a piece of paper, you can use a ‘spider grabber’. These extendable arms have light brushes which grab and contain a spider at arm’s length. You can then just pop it safely out of the window and it won’t come to any harm, and you can buy them from Amazon for around £8-10.