14 DAY TRIAL // Naturalists and biologists warn those suffering from arachnophobia that this autumn may be a thing of nightmares. On account of excellent breeding conditions and suitable climate, much more spiders and daddy longlegs (crane flies) will be spawned. Last autumn was very rainy, so crane-fly larvae had sufficient decaying leaf matter to consume and grow. Additionally, this summer was temperate, without significant temperature variations, which constituted another advantage for spider reproduction. The insect charity Buglife says that the larger number will be beneficial to the environment, but not that much to people suffering from extreme arachnophobia.
Insect populations, in spite of being virtually all around us, have apparently been in a constant decline over the past few years, and Buglife experts say that this year's autumn may grant them a respite. The charity's Chief Executive, Matt Shardlow, says that, because of the excellent conditions recorded in last year's autumn, crane flies, which live just below the surface, may have laid enough eggs to trigger the first population growth in years. This means that UK homes and gardens could see a lot more of the daddy longlegs this fall than ever before.
Even if they appear disgusting to some people, the tiny insects are actually of tremendous use to Mother Nature. “They are very important for biodiversity, without which we would not last very long. The last few years have been very bad for British biodiversity, with low numbers of moths, spiders and crane flies,” Shardlow explains. The flies help keep the soil clean through the action of their larvae, and are also a nutritious source of food for birds and other animals. A collapse of their population would threaten other species in local ecosystems as well, the BBC News reports.
“Spiders are predators and if it weren't for spiders, we would be overrun with flies and other pests which make life unbearable,” the expert adds, expressing his hopes that more spiders will appear this fall. “It is this time of year that people become more aware of them – it is the silly season for spiders. The garden spiders are getting fatter for laying eggs and bundles of tiny spiders start hatching.” “Those who don't like them, just leave them alone and they will leave you alone. But if you can, get up close and have a look at how beautifully colored they are,” the British Arachnological Society Secretary, John Partridge, adds.
“It's debatable whether some of our resident insect-eating birds, like the wren, would be able to survive the winter without a plentiful supply of spiders in leaf litter and under shrubbery,” Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) expert Ian Dawson concludes.