As the summer draws to a close, the hot weather is disappearing for a while as the familiar rain and cloud return to Northern Ireland.
The cooler weather brings scores of creepy crawlies into our homes, not least of all spiders.
This is the time of year when the eight-legged arachnids tend to enter your home to seek shelter, and potentially a new mate.
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Sightings of the creepy crawlies will inevitably increase across the country in the coming days and weeks, with the usual spider season being September to November.
Some people might want to stop reading here, but some of our eight-legged friends can have a leg span of up to 12cm and female spiders can even stay in your residence for the whole of their seven-year life span.
And many of the spiders you see running, hanging, or hiding are usually males looking for their next mate.
With this in mind, a pest control team from the North West has given a simple but effective tip to keep your property spider-free.
Don't be too hard on them though - and try not to kill them - spiders are an important part of the food chain. They're nature's pest controllers and help to reduce the population of insects like wasps.
How to keep spiders out...
Patricia Page, the owner of North West Pest Control, based in Derry, said: "The best form of control for the giant house spider is literally down to hoovering. All the little corners and dark places that we all tend to overlook when we run the hoover over the floor.
"Areas where curtains contact the floor, under laundry piles, under units, sofas, beds etc are all areas where these spiders will hang out.
"Keeping these areas hoovered and debris free will usually deter the spider as they like to feel safe. The good news is that the breeding season usually ends around mid-October.
"You can remove them by placing a glass over them and sliding a piece of paper/cardboard under and releasing them or if you want to deter spiders, the easiest way is to mix peppermint oil and spray your home with this aroma.
"Also, place citrus fruit peel or similar smells in areas where they are frequently seen or known to hide. Eucalyptus is also a good alternative."
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