Spider season: Huge Cardinal spiders could be in your home
Cardinal spiders, known internationally as Tegenaria Parietina, have been recorded to grow up to 14cm.
Typically found in buildings or on walls, the Cardinal spider is officially the UK's largest spider.
Cardinal Spider in my garden - its huge. #naturephotography #Spiders pic.twitter.com/LDrpDUhumS
— Sue (@Suzypuzy) September 17, 2020
What are Cardinal Spiders?
Rumour has it we have Cardinal Wolsey to thank for its name as apparently, he was terrified by the sight of the spiders at Hampton Court.
Though the species is pretty rare in Europe, they're found more commonly in the south of England.
Most of them live in buildings or walls, and like all spiders living in houses, they can withstand very dry conditions and survive for months without sustenance.
How to keep spiders out of your home in the UK this summer
What smells do spiders hate? How to keep them out your home
How do spiders get into your house and how to prevent it
The females are larger and can grow to a body length of up to 20 mm, while males measure up to 17 mm. Typically reddish brown in colour, but young Cardinal spiders can be much lighter, so taking that into account with it's size - easy to spot!
However, their legs are about three times longer in length.
Are they dangerous?
September to mid-October is known as spider season in the UK as lots of the creatures come into people's houses looking for mates.
All spiders can bite – that's how most subdue and kill their prey.
Are Cardinals dangerous? Not really. Although they have been known to bite, their small fangs will only render mild discomfort in a human.
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Wilko's 49p buy will keep out creepy crawlies as UK's ‘biggest spider' believed to be hiding in homes
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Psychologist who worked with the Radfords reveals early trauma led to brood of 22… & how it became their secret weapon
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WITH 22 kids the biggest question many people want to ask the Radfords is, 'why?' The huge brood is an eye-watering thought for most, but Sue and Noel, who were childhood sweethearts, were determined to have as big a family as possible. 10 The Radford family are famous for having Britain's biggest brood at 22 kids... and counting Credit: PA 10 Sue fell pregnant with their first child when she was just 13 Credit: The Sun 10 The couple are childhood sweethearts - and psychologist Jo Hemmings reckon their similar upbringings makes them kindred spirits Credit: Getty And, in a rare twist, both were adopted as babies, leading many to wonder if that was the reasoning behind their decision to create Britain's biggest brood. The couple have always denied that their own adoptions had anything to do with their wish to have two football teams of children. 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I'm sure there is chaos at times, but when you see them with their children, you don't see it. "They are good, solid, stable, parents, which is amazing. 'They are very straight-talking, they are very resilient. So when there have been problems, you feel that they are a very strong couple together. "Also they are talkers. They sit down and say, 'What are we going to do about this?' They are very open and candid with their children and will talk everything over with them. "They always bounce back and they have this lovely soft energy about them which makes them work brilliantly together as parents.' Driving force 10 Jo says they are a 'remarkable family' who have 'this presence about them' Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 10 Jo commends Sue and Noel for being great communicators with their children Credit: Channel 5 Jo believes the Radfords' incredible parenting skills stem from their own upbringings in their loving, adoptive families. She says: 'Sue was very young when she had her first child. I think their driving force is that they badly wanted to be parents. "I know they are at pains to deny that it is anything to do with the adoptions, and I don't want to go against what they say, but knowing that you can give a large number of children a very stable, productive and healthy upbringing would probably have come from the upbringings they had. 'Often adoptive parents put the extra mile in, they over-compensate for the sadness that they didn't grow up with their birth families. "I think a lot of it comes from the happiness and security that they had when they were growing up.' Often adoptive parents put the extra mile in, they over-compensate for the sadness that they didn't grow up with their birth families Jo Hemmings For years, both Noel and Sue had been adamant that they didn't want to trace their birth families, saying they regarded their adoptive parents as their mums and dads and had idyllic upbringings. But Jo says their background of both being adopted will have made them kindred spirits. 'I don't know how rare it is for two adopted people to get married, but it would have been one of the early conversations they had when they first met,' she explains. 'It would have been one of those bonding things, those shared values, that make relationships solid. "I think having that in common would have been a really important thing for them as they both knew implicitly how the other one might have felt growing up. "I think they were very similar in their views. I think they had all agreed at the time that they had both had such wonderful childhoods, there was no need or drive to seek where they were from.' Meet the Radford children Christopher, 36 The oldest Radford child, Chris works as a glazier and is married to Nicole Spencer. They have three children: Maise-Paige, eight, Jacob, five, and Oakland, three. 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Millie Jo, 23 Millie is married to Harley Passmore and is mum to three children: Ophelia, four (from a previous relationship), and Chester, three, and Elodie, one (whom she shares with Harley). Katie Louise, 22 Katie works at a nursery and shares one nine-month-old son, Ronnie, with her boyfriend Connor Carter. James Edward, 21 James is busy working in the family's pie shop and hopes to run it someday. Ellie May, 20 Ellie's training to be a hairdresser, and has also worked part-time in a hotel housekeeping job. Aimee Elizabeth, 19 Aimee's also qualified to be a hairstylist and has famously practised her skills on family members in video clips. Josh Benjamin, 18 According to his parents, Josh was a 'nightmare' at school and he didn't commit to his studies - but that all changed when he found his passion as a sports coach. Max Joseph, 16 Max was diagnosed with autism in 2021, and has since struggled with socialising. Working in the pie shop has apparently helped him. Tillie May, 15 One of Tillie's legs stopped growing when she was just 18 months old, due to an infection. In 2019, she was fitted with a frame to help strengthen the limb, but - last year - it was revealed she'd need further treatment and potential surgery. Oscar Will, 13 Oscar has been described as having 'incredible initiative' at school. Casper Theo, 12 Casper always dreamt of being a footballer, but was gutted on his family's show when he didn't make it into a Premier League club's youth team. Alfie Thomas Alfie would have been the Radfords' 17th child, but he was tragically stillborn at three months. The Radfords refer to him as their 'missing heartbeat'. Hallie Alphia Beau, 10 Hallie's middle name was given in tribute to her late brother, who died just a year before her birth. Phoebe Willow, eight Phoebe has been awarded prizes at school for her achievements, much to her parents' pride. Archie Rowan, seven As the 20th Radford baby, Archie was expected to be the last - marking 'a nice, even number' in Sue's words. Bonnie Raye, six Again, Bonnie was expected to 'finish' the brood, but plans changed. Heidie Rose, five The youngest Radford child, mum Sue has since insisted: 'No, that's it now!' Tragic discovery Things changed for Noel in 2023 when the couple's teenage daughter Ellie was found to have the hereditary liver disorder Gilbert's Syndrome. The couple were tested and Noel was found to be a carrier. He said at the time: 'It's got me thinking, we're both adopted and we know absolutely nothing about our medical history at all. 'I'd quite like to find out more about my family, where I'm from, just anything about myself. 'It might tell me a bit more about who I am, where I'm from, possibly my birth parents. Now, as I'm getting older, I do think about it a bit more often.' Fighting back tears he added: 'I don't even know why I don't like talking about it. I just don't like it. "I have a lot of respect for my mum and dad.' In the opening episode of the latest series of 22 Kids and Counting, Noel reveals he met his birth mother for the first time - and she was shocked by the news of his huge family. He told The Sun: 'It was emotional meeting her and I was nervous beforehand. "You don't know what she is going to look or sound like, and how she will react. "A lot was going through my head, but she was so lovely and so glad to see me. We were with each other for a couple of hours.' His mum, who chose to stay anonymous in the show, told him she was forced to give him up at 17 after she split from his birth father. He added: 'As I have got older, I have been curious to find her,' Noel explains. 'I'm only ever going to have one chance and I've got no regrets that I have.' 10 Noel connects with his birth mum in the latest series of 22 Kids and Counting Credit: Lion TV 10 Sue has always insisted she has no desire to meet her birth parents Credit: Lion TV
