Many species we deal with can live as long as two years, and with the false environment created by our heated homes, there has been evidence of them even living longer.
The main problem a spider has in the winter is a lack of food source. Flies, moths and other food items are in a egg or larvae cycle so there is nothing to catch and eat.
This forces the spider into a hibernation state. However, the heat of your home can bring eggs to a un-natural time to hatch and it can also promote the spiders hunting time frame.
If you have a spider in your house during the winter, this is probably the case. Hobo females, if a male has not found them by late fall, will move about looking for a mate. So we may have spiders issues in the winter but this is from the heat of our homes.
For expert, in-depth information on spiders in the winter click here.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/4061099?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
