Home invaders: 5 harmless spiders coming to get you!

This spookily named Nosferatu spider (Zoropsis spinimana) has been spreading further north from its native land in and around the Mediterranean region. It first invaded Germany in Baden-Württemberg in 2005, and has scuttled around the country since then. The Nosferatu spider is not dangerous to humans. They can bite, but the bites aren't harmful — they're about as painful as a light wasp sting.

These giants are about the size of a human hand — a body 10 centimeters (4 inches) long and legs as long as 20 centimeters. Joro spiders (Trichonephila clavate) are originally from East Asia but are spreading gradually around the eastern states of the US. Despite their size, they're harmless and rather scared of humans, preferring to build their webs away from homes and urban areas.

Native to North America, Mermessus trilobatus dwarf spiders have expanded their range over large parts of Europe within less than 50 years. They have colonized agricultural habitats and open grasslands with huge success due to their rapid reproduction rates. They spread around Europe very quickly by "ballooning" — the ability to kite on the wind using their web silk as sails.

Originally from Madeira and the Canary Islands, the Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis) has been rapidly spreading around the globe over the last few decades. It's already well-established in Western Europe, but recently spread to California in the US, South America and Central Europe. The spider looks like the notoriously venomous black widow spider but is harmless to humans.

This tiny 3-4 millimeter-long jumping spider (Anasaitis milesae) is native to islands in the Caribbean, but has recently spread to warmer regions of the UK, such as Cornwall. This exotic spider is just one of many that are finding new homes as global heating provides more hospitable climates.