With the giant spider invasion impending, Vanessa Amaral-Rogers, from Buglife, says: “Autumn is the time of year when many of us get our houses invaded by rather large and – for some of us – rather scary eight-legged creatures.
“For the most part these are male house spiders and they are on the prowl and filled with intent.
“They are on the search for females and will explore every corner of your house looking for the lady spider of their dreams.”
People across the northwest have already started to report the giant creepy crawlies appearance, with Tik Tok, in particular, seeming to be swarming with the gruesome creatures.
Whilst male spiders normally tend to be reclusive, according to Steve McGrail, from Pro-Kill Environmental they tend to be driven out into the open by their desire to get their eight legs over.
He said: “The male spiders come out the woodwork during this time of year as it is breeding season and they are searching for female spiders.
“For the most part these are male house spiders and they are on the prowl and filled with intent.
“They are on the search for females and will explore every corner of your house looking for the lady spider of their dreams.”
With a leg span of up to 10cm, the male spiders are pretty ginormous.
Steve McGrail, from Pro-Kill Environmental, said that male spiders are normally reclusive, but tend to be driven out into the open by their desire to get their eight legs over.
He said: “The male spiders come out the woodwork during this time of year as it is breeding season and they are searching for female spiders.
“They are actually there in the home at other times of year but they are hidden away – under the floor, in the attic, in the basement. If you find them, it’s pretty much impossible to rid your house of them.
“They may disappear for a period of time, but other spiders will come in their place."
Whilst September's infestation has begun already for many, if you do come across a spider according to Steve is put them in a shed:
"The best thing to do if you find them is put them in a shed – it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind . If you put them outside they are likely to die.”
News
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Georgina Pellant -
7th September 2021 
