With Halloween fittingly being the best time of year to spot spooky spiders, Surrey residents are some of the best-able people in the country to see them.

Spiders become more visible in autumn because of the dew on their webs in the morning and the dropping temperature makes mate-seeking males more active.

Surrey Wildlife Trust’s living landscapes manager Mike Waite said: “Surrey is a really important county for spiders, with more than 400 species recorded, and we believe that some rare species of spider can now only be found here in the county.

“It’s not the best news for the county’s arachnophobes perhaps, but spiders are undoubtedly fascinating creatures.”

The Trust has put together a list of the top five species to look out for in Surrey, with short descriptions.

• Wasp Spider – striking yellow and black striped spider with a large body. The female has a horrible habit of eating her mate.

• Raft Spider – large striped spider that can walk on water, dive and even swim. A voracious hunter, it may eat tadpoles and bite if handled.

• Gorilla Jumper – scary-looking, hairy, black jumping spider, with all-round vision. Found on damp heaths. Don’t be alarmed – it’s pretty small!

• Wolf Spider - hunts on the ground, chasing down its prey and leaping on it, just like a wolf. The female carries young on her back after they’ve hatched.

• Triangle Spider – this rare spider is named after its unusual triangular shaped web.

Woodlands and unkempt grasslands are the best hunting grounds for hopeful spider spotters, and the Trust also hopes people will help spiders and other critters by building "bug hotels" in their gardens out of sticks and dry leaves.