This is the spider that makes you drop your tea and run screaming into the garden. The Giant House Spider (Eratigena atrica) is fast—like, “cheetah on meth” fast. It can run a foot a second, which is terrifying when it’s heading under your sofa.
Does it bite? Yes, but only if you trap it against your skin. The bite feels like a nettle sting and fades quickly. The real threat isn’t the venom; it’s that you’ll have a heart attack when it darts across your keyboard during a Zoom call.
These are the 14 spiders in the UK that can bite you - and which ones
Surprise fact: these spiders can live for two to three years. So that one you “killed” in September? It might just be your landlord’s pet that survives rent hikes.
