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Virginia Cheeseman

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United Kingdom
High Wycombe
Virginia Cheeseman

I am the original 'Bug Lady', breeding and supplying many types of creepy crawly pets. I've been going for over 35 years. www.virginiacheeseman.co.uk (my USP?

My little home business has now been going for over 30 years, in the last couple of years I have found myself being called the ‘Spider Lady’ more often than not. Trends are continually changing and arachnids are far more popular than they have ever been before. I have a bug room at the side of our house that is dedicated to keeping a multitude of creatures. Since moving out of London in 2003, my

work is mainly postal but I do welcome visitors by appointment. It took me some time to actually reach the 21st century and see the potential of customers ordering online. I am now fully convinced, business has increased tremendously since setting up my first online store in 2009. In October 2012 my current online store went live, the photographs are larger and clearer, the information is more comprehensive and the online ordering is simpler and therefore easier to use. I am still readily accessible by email and telephone and I strive to maintain my position as the most friendly and reliable bug supplier! I do not lie!)

10/09/2025

The “lovely” Cameroon Baboon (Hysterocrates gigas) 😄

They are really interesting but always up for a fight, they like water and can swim, they hiss when annoyed but they are generally quite happy living together in a colony 😂 I was inundated with them a few years ago. Somebody gave me two large colonies, they were fascinating to watch,their webbed tunnels are a work of art. When I fed them in the evening, they would come flying out to grab as many crickets as they could carry. I do have a soft spot for them but even these have to go.

Keep the offers coming, so far I have only turned down one offer as being too low. The promotion is going well, when I run out of spiders I can retire. There is still a way to go yet 🤣🕷️🕷️🕷️🤣

09/09/2025

Still have many beautiful tarantulas and I’m open to offers. Details on my website as usual. So far I have accepted all offers made to me! They need to go. 🕷️🕷️🕷️

07/09/2025

My life in pictures 😄

Still trying to retire but it’s a slow slog when it comes to my beautiful tarantulas 🕷️🕷️🕷️ Please make me an offer on any that I have left, however silly the offer, I may well accept it! Details on my website as usual.

Cockroach sales have rocketed, no idea why but thanks for all your orders.

I told you months ago that the tarantula market was flooded, my experience recently shows me that I was right 😮‍💨

31/08/2025

If anyone would like any used glass tanks going cheap, please let me know when you can pop along and see them. As an added incentive, all tarantulas will be half price when purchasing a tank!

Sadly, I can’t fold up the tanks and store them, so they have got to go!

www.virginiacheeseman.co.uk

29/08/2025

New blog post on my website today! Here is the first paragraph (www.virginiacheeseman.co.uk to read the rest - if you want to, it’s not compulsory 😄)

Getting there! My plans for retirement are going pretty well, I cannot believe all the wonderful messages that I have received over the last few weeks, many of them have had me in tears. It is very emotional to give up my little friends after a lifetime of keeping them and my human friends too but the time is right so I will keep plodding on until everything has gone. I won’t be changing my phone number and I hope to keep my email address, therefore, those who want to, can stay in touch. I had planned for a big sale on September 1st but orders are still going strong so an all-out clearance sale doesn’t sound such a great idea. I have decided instead to reduce items individually but I do keep changing my mind J It is really difficult to retire over a period of time, I couldn’t make the decision and then stop, like most people are able to. I can’t set a date in the future because I simply don’t know when sales will dry up.

I went to a school reunion last weekend and someone sent me this photo from our primary school (a very long time ago 😂). See if you can spot me!

27/08/2025

Does anyone want to pop in this Saturday and take a look / hopefully buy some of my various glass tanks and tarantulas? Just selling off some tanks cheaply now that they are no longer needed and the remainder of my tarantula collection. Let me know if you are interested, by appointment only.

I am in the process of retiring but not quite yet, I just need to make some space 😊

26/08/2025

Summer Tarantula sale! - 30% off all tarantulas
(my tarantulas are captive bred)

Just enter the code Summer30 when ordering.

www.virginiacheeseman.co.uk

Photo from days gone by 🥰 (still got the tools)

24/08/2025

Thanks so much to all those people who replied to my post yesterday. I have had some lovely messages but after a sleepless night trying to work out the logistics, I’ve decided not to to go ahead next Saturday. Even though we have made some space, my bug room is just a normal size room. I would have to give everyone a set time, we live in a cul-de--sac, etc. I also think it is too soon in my retirement journey. At the moment business is still going ok, I’m not at the stage for a closing down sale, perhaps I will revisit the idea in a few weeks.

I am going to the AES exhibition at Kempton park next month and it would be great to meet up with some of you there. I’m looking at a meeting spot at the event and a time. Unfortunately the exhibition falls on our grandson’s birthday this year, I can’t miss the party so I will only be at the exhibition until early afternoon. Why is life so complicated 😂

Pictures from my wildlife garden. We also have hedgehogs but no photo as I am usually in bed before they come out 😊

23/08/2025

Anybody interested in coming along next Saturday 30th August, if I have an open day? Hopefully to buy a glass tank or two, maybe a tarantula or two 😁

We have taken down some of the shelving in my bug room this morning and made some space, so I wondered if it was a good idea to invite people over?

I am about to have a proper count of the tarantulas that I have left and everything will be reduced on the day. The tanks need to go because they are taking up room and I have various other bits and pieces. Some of the tanks are really nice and going cheap!

15/08/2025

Thank you again for all the wonderful messages of support since I announced that I would be retiring soon. They are still coming in almost daily and are heartwarming to read 🥰

Lots of people have asked me to keep in touch and many have asked if I can keep the blog going. I’m having a crazy week but this is something that I will look into next week. I need to speak to Super Simon, my lovely website guy.

You might have noticed that I have deactivated all the cockroaches on my website. Sorry, I will switch them back on in a few days. I honestly couldn’t cope with the flood of orders. They take so long to pack that I couldn’t think what else to do! Me panic never 😂😂😂

I just need time to catch up a bit, at least when I finish I will have time to write a regular blog! 😁

Snake rescue - Bob’s cat brought a young grass snake into the house so we relocated him to a safer place. Thankfully, the snake was fine but as I finished filming, Bob slipped into the pond 🙄

13/08/2025

We finally made it to the Bug Parc 😄

It was worth the wait and the journey (3 hours), what an amazing place! If only it were a bit nearer, Martin and his crew would never get rid of us 😂😂

There is something for everyone, the whole place is so well thought out and quite obviously built with love ❤️🩷💙 Here are some of our highlights.

Thank you so much everyone at the Bug Parc, we had an amazing day.

06/08/2025

Thank you all so much for your wonderful messages and the large number of orders I have received since announcing that I will be retiring by the end of the year. It has been really uplifting 🥰

There are lots of reasons why now is the time to retire but after a lifetime of being “The Bug Lady”, it is quite difficult and sad for me.

I have many item on sale and several tarantulas at half price but I will start in earnest at the end of the school holidays (when I have more time).

There will always be bugs to play with in my wildlife garden 😁 🐝🐛🐜🐌🐞🕷️🪲

Address

21 Willow Close
High Wycombe
HP109LH

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	8am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 4pm

Telephone

+447971838724

Website

http://www.virginiacheeseman.co.uk/

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