Scientists are warning that this summer’s fabulously mild temperatures in parts of the world could now cause really big spiders to invade people’s homes.
The spiders may have reached the upper range of their possible sizes because they have been able to consume a larger-than-usual amount of tasty prey, reports the Daily Mail.
The unusual glut of insects and other spider grub is also a result of this summer’s wonderful weather, scientists say.
This autumn, as temperatures decline, the fanged, eight-legged creepy-crawly things will leave their webs to seek the warmer climes of homes and other buildings as they seek to find mates.
“This year has been seemingly a good one for the invertebrates which spiders feed on, and it’s quite mild out there,” said Adam Hart, a professor at the University of Gloucestershire, told the Mail.
Another scientist, the delightfully named Lawrence Bee of the British Arachnological Society, assured the British newspaper that spiders in the United Kingdom are unlikely to surpass their typical maximum sizes — this year. Bee also noted that people could just notice spiders more in the fall because that’s when they are scurrying around more.
“I think it’s more a situation where they are active this time of year,” the scientist said. “People are seeing them when they are obvious.”
“The conditions have been better so there may be more around, and it’s just the fact people are seeing them more and being aware of them more,” he added. “This is particularly the case for house spiders.”
Hart, the University of Gloucestershire professor, noted that spiders are often environmentally helpful because they tend to dine on a lot of annoying insects (and other spiders).
This year’s mild winter and other temperature data has puzzled climate scientists. During the past year, they have been trying to explain why there has been no global warming for nearly two decades. There are now a whopping 52 explanations for why there has been no warming trend for the last 215 months. (RELATED: There Are Now 52 Explanations For The Pause In Global Warming)
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