Giant House Spiders

Known in the UK as the giant house spider, it is also known as Tegenaria duellica or Tegenaria Gigantea. It is very closely related to the domestic house spider and also the dangerous and venomous hobo spider, although the giant house spider is not dangerous to humans and is not aggressive, preferring to run away and escape at any sign of danger.

Tegenaria Gigantica is a common spider across Europe, Central Asia and Northern Africa. It is one of the biggest spiders native to the UK, often growing to 10cm or more in size. The female has the bigger body while the male usually has the longer legs.

Giant house spiders like dry, dark, places and human homes can provide plenty of these. If you see one scuttling across the carpet you should think twice about removing or killing it, even if you hate spiders, the reason being this spider and its friends might be protecting you from a visit by a much more dangerous spider – the hobo spider or Eratigena agrestis. It looks similar to the giant house spider though with similar markings and body size, though its markings tend to be less distinct and its legs are much shorter. Both species of spider compete for the same habitats and resources and but don’t live together. So if you have the placid and harmless giant house spider residing in your home, it is acting as a deterrent to the dangerous hobo spider settling in.