If you're not afraid of them, autumn is the best time of year to see one of the arachnids as males come out of their usual hiding places in search of a mate.
And according to the Society of Biology, which has launched a newrecording scheme, the spiders may have started early.
Thanks to a smartphone app they have already received 3,000 reports - including sightings in August - but there have been few previous studies of this kind for accurate comparison.
