Venomous false widow spiders thriving in mild weather are venturing indoors for mates

Spiders often wander into bedrooms, as they are warm dry rooms where the window is often left open

A cobweb glistens in the morning sun (Sandra Mu/Getty Images)

Homeowners who leave their bedroom windows open could be unwittingly welcoming false widow spiders into their properties, as the creatures venture indoors to mate in the autumn months.

The mild weather has enabled invertebrates, such as flies, to thrive, meaning spiders in turn have had no shortage of food, pest management consultant Clive Boase told The Mirror.

"Sightings of spiders often peak from September as males of many species reach adulthood and venture into homes in search of a mate, but we could be seeing a lot more of them than normal over the next month or two," he said.

He added that the spiders “tend to stay near structures outside" but will climb through an open window "if one is available."

The creatures often prefer to live in bedrooms as they are the most dry and warm areas of a home, The Mirror reported.

The relatively small spiders are characterised by their shiny, black globular bodies. Younger female false widows have pale chevron marks on the dorsal surface and a white band around the anterior.

Bites from false widows can cause pain, redness and swelling, and are most likely to bite when they have been disturbed and become aggravated according to the NHS.

Despite being the most venomous spider in the UK with the ability to bite, the Zoological Society of London has stressed that they are not considered to be dangerous.

The arachnids are native to the south west Mediterranean, but are now considered native having been in Britain for over a century.

If spiders become a problem in the home, they can be controlled by removing their prey – for example by ensuring flies are not attracted to food – or by destroying webs and removing them physically, according to the British Pest Control Association.