She said spiders entered homes during the autumn months “looking for love”.
“At this time of year, we’re likely to be seeing far more spiders in our houses and homes than usual, and that will usually be the larger males who become more active as they leave their webs in search of a mate.
“So it’s worth keeping in mind that they’re not there to scare you – they’re just looking for love. Hopefully this might help people see and think about them in a different way.”
About 700 different species of spider are known to live in Britain, with approximately 109 different types recorded in Leeds alone.
The collection also includes huge non-native, tropical spiders, which have found their way to Leeds through the importation of tropical fruits and vegetables.