ShootingEgg Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 Not really seen much but this year it seems to be the only spider I see. Any one else seeing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted July 13, 2020 Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 Aye we have a few living in our garage. This is Gertrude, a Noble False Widow. sadly the colours didn't come out well on my phone's camera because she was skulking in the shadows, as usual. We also have Ophelia (somewhat smaller) and at least two males, Hamlet and Polonius, although Polonius was last seen perilously close to where Gertrude hangs out, so she may have eaten him. Fortunately my other half is entirely tolerant of them, although what her mother would say if she knew that not only did we have venomous spiders, but we'd named them, I dread to think. She'd probably want to disinfect the whole house. Then burn it down, just to make sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remimax Posted July 13, 2020 Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 (edited) never seen one before in all my years as a sparky but came across two on me last job a week ago. some of the pics of wounds after one of these has a chomp are not pretty. Edited July 13, 2020 by Remimax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted July 13, 2020 Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 7 minutes ago, Remimax said: never seen one before in all my years as a sparky but came across two on me last job a week ago. some of the pics of wounds after one of these has a chomp are not pretty. The jury's well and truly out on this. It's a neurotoxic venom, so it works on the nervous system. It's not necrotic (flesh rotting). Whilst there are plenty of lurid stories and pictures of limbs almost being amputated and what have you, very, VERY few are actually reliable. There will of course be people who have allergic reactions to the bite, but then bees and wasps kill a few people a year and we don't go nuts about them. What you're seeing in those photos is almost exclusively bacterial infection setting in either from the fangs of the spider or more likely, sneaking in in the days after the bite. They're sore bites and it last for a few days, leading to people to rub them and scratch them and reopen the wound and that lets in infection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingEgg Posted July 13, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 5 hours ago, chrisjpainter said: The jury's well and truly out on this. It's a neurotoxic venom, so it works on the nervous system. It's not necrotic (flesh rotting). Whilst there are plenty of lurid stories and pictures of limbs almost being amputated and what have you, very, VERY few are actually reliable. There will of course be people who have allergic reactions to the bite, but then bees and wasps kill a few people a year and we don't go nuts about them. What you're seeing in those photos is almost exclusively bacterial infection setting in either from the fangs of the spider or more likely, sneaking in in the days after the bite. They're sore bites and it last for a few days, leading to people to rub them and scratch them and reopen the wound and that lets in infection. Yeah it is a bee / wasp sting and anything worse is infection in the wound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneshot1979 Posted July 13, 2020 Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 Got had by one of these several years ago. Felt like a really good nettle sting that just would not go away all day. Brushed it off and thought no more of it. 10 days later the itching in my arm woke me at just gone 3am. Put some anthisan on it and went back to sleep. Got up usual time and arm was red from elbow to wrist. By the time I'd got to work my forearm was the same size as my bicep. Bypassed work and went straight to A+E, told the triage nurse I'd been had by a spider 10 days previous expecting to be mocked but she turned on her heels and stormed off returning seconds later with an ID chart. Pointed out the offender to her and got the "Are you certain?". Yup says I, job I was doing was plastered with them. Storms off again, returns with permanent pen to mark infection and 4 separate syringes. Whacked the arm full of God knows what and a box of pills to boot. Felt rough for 3-4 days then it all settled down. But I still have lump where it got me. Since then they all get treated with the same distain. Spiders that is not nurses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingEgg Posted July 13, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 We definitely have a few of the Gertrude size females in our 'conservatory' 9 hours ago, chrisjpainter said: Aye we have a few living in our garage. This is Gertrude, a Noble False Widow. sadly the colours didn't come out well on my phone's camera because she was skulking in the shadows, as usual. We also have Ophelia (somewhat smaller) and at least two males, Hamlet and Polonius, although Polonius was last seen perilously close to where Gertrude hangs out, so she may have eaten him. Fortunately my other half is entirely tolerant of them, although what her mother would say if she knew that not only did we have venomous spiders, but we'd named them, I dread to think. She'd probably want to disinfect the whole house. Then burn it down, just to make sure. But have seen some smaller in the house and outside, the other half freeks right out at the sight of anything bug like let alone venomous. Bright red legs and white skull like marking on body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted July 14, 2020 Report Share Posted July 14, 2020 (edited) About this time last year I got a bite on my elbow which really came up. Being wary of tick bites I went to the doctor which is unusual for me but I was overdue for my annual blood pressure review anyway and getting pestered by texts to make an appointment. She said no its a spider bite and they are seeing quite a few Having lived in US I knew all about spider bites but had never heard of it over here. Are these false widows an American import? Funny that I'm not getting messages about getting my blood pressure review done this year, a small but real reminder that a lot of things are getting left behind in the present situation. Edited July 14, 2020 by Vince Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted July 14, 2020 Report Share Posted July 14, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Vince Green said: About this time last year I got a bite on my elbow which really came up. Being wary of tick bites I went to the doctor which is unusual for me but I was overdue for my annual blood pressure review anyway and getting pestered by texts to make an appointment. She said no its a spider bite and they are seeing quite a few Having lived in US I knew all about spider bites but had never heard of it over here. Are these false widows an American import? Funny that I'm not getting messages about getting my blood pressure review done this year, a small but real reminder that a lot of things are getting left behind in the present situation. No. Weirdly, It's native to Madeira and the Canaries, but has spread all across North Africa and Europe, and is now in parts of North and Central America. It expands well, so long as temperatures aren't too low. They have a wide prey list and, being nocturnal, fewer predators and have less human interaction. All good criteria for population expansion! Edited July 14, 2020 by chrisjpainter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted July 14, 2020 Report Share Posted July 14, 2020 not seen any here yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted July 14, 2020 Report Share Posted July 14, 2020 Just now, mossy835 said: not seen any here yet. I'd bet you a case of cider they're there, but just unseen! They like warm, dry places and are partial to a south facing wall. Big enclosed barns and garages are ideal, especially ones that are used regularly and allowing prey to fly in for a night time sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam triple Posted July 14, 2020 Report Share Posted July 14, 2020 (edited) Got bit last year by one down the allotment, never felt it at first but knew about it when my arm swelled .up not nice Edited July 14, 2020 by sam triple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Neal Posted July 14, 2020 Report Share Posted July 14, 2020 (edited) On 13/07/2020 at 12:14, chrisjpainter said: Aye we have a few living in our garage. This is Gertrude, a Noble False Widow. sadly the colours didn't come out well on my phone's camera because she was skulking in the shadows, as usual. We also have Ophelia (somewhat smaller) and at least two males, Hamlet and Polonius, although Polonius was last seen perilously close to where Gertrude hangs out, so she may have eaten him. Fortunately my other half is entirely tolerant of them, although what her mother would say if she knew that not only did we have venomous spiders, but we'd named them, I dread to think. She'd probably want to disinfect the whole house. Then burn it down, just to make sure. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steatoda_nobilis Doesn't look like the same spider to me? Still looks nasty though 😲 Edited July 14, 2020 by Jim Neal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted July 15, 2020 Report Share Posted July 15, 2020 (edited) 14 hours ago, Jim Neal said: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steatoda_nobilis Doesn't look like the same spider to me? Still looks nasty though 😲 It is, it's just the background got over exposed and drained the colours in the foreground. There's also a fair amount of colour difference possible in them. Jason Steel is a wildlife photographer who's taken a photo of what feels like every animal in the UK, whether it scurries, runs, jumps, flies, slithers of creeps and crawls. His website is a treasure trove of specimen photos and has some great shots of several S.nobilis that are various colours. http://www.jasonsteelwildlifephotography.yolasite.com/spiders-4.php The males are often much lighter in colour and significantly smaller. The females can be pretty dark, but always shiny (hence the light reflecting on her abdomen!). If you zoom in you can just make out the pale band around the bottom of the abdomen. I'm up in Reading for a few days, but when I'm back in Dorset, I'll see if I can find her again - or failing her, either Hamlet or Polonius. The Natural History Museum species page is worth a read too and has more on the colour irregularities too. Here's a good image... Photo credit: Natural History Museum https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/identify-nature/spiders-in-your-home/false-widow-spiders.html I get carried away with these little critters (hence why they're named in our house!) I think they're pretty cool. Interestingly there's evidence to suggest they predate on real black widows, which is a nice twist. Edited July 15, 2020 by chrisjpainter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord_seagrave Posted July 16, 2020 Report Share Posted July 16, 2020 Plenty here in Bedford. I try my hardest to appreciate them (for the sake of Lady Seagrave and Little Lord Seagrave), but all spiders give me the creeps >shudder< Live and let live though. LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discobob Posted July 16, 2020 Report Share Posted July 16, 2020 Not a fan of spiders - although I don't go running - I would ask the wife to put one out (or stamp on it if she isn't around to see it ). There was one time a number of years ago, our eldest was lying on the rug moving his legs about and there was a big spider near his feet that actually reared at his feet. I didn't care my wife was there and turned it into an arachnid pancake double quick - and got an absolute earful for it!! A couple of days later there was a spider in the hallway - she went to catch it - it reared at her - she stamped on it!!!🤣 No idea what type they were Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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