Given recent media coverage regarding the false widow spider I’ve been asked by a few people about them and how dangerous they really are. As I didn’t want to give the wrong information I decided to research it properly to give the facts about them. I’ve taken information from The British Arachnological society, Natural History Museum and Institute of Horticulture as well as from fellow professional gardeners.
I must start by saying that having researched, I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for them now. In some instances the media has blown their severity out of proportion, if they had their way it would be like an attack of the killer zombie spiders ! It seems that due to it being called a False Widow spider (because of it’s resemblance to the Black Widow spider & although the same family, a different genus altogether) it can cause fear and ultimately news. If it was called the cute little fluffy bunny spider I doubt it would have had such an impact !
The False Widow spider actually refers to three types in the UK Steatoda bipunctata, Steatoda grossa and Steatoda nobilis, with the latter being the one currently in the news. The first two are native to the UK whereas this one was first recorded in 1879 on the south coast. They were common in the Devon, Dorset and Hampshire coasts since but have spread in recent years to Sussex, Kent, Surrey, Essex & South Wales. They have increased in numbers slightly over the last 18 months due to our warmer climate of late. They have been in southern Europe and Africa for hundreds of years so you have most likely come across them while on holiday without knowing.
They vary in size from the size of a 5 pence piece up to a new 50 pence piece. They have a large dark brown glossy body with a white pattern on the top. They eat insects, spiders and flies and prefer warm dark quite places like garages or sheds.
They don’t have nests, rather staying on their webs for as long as possible. The males are the only ones that move around when mating and at full adult size, which is now (Autumn) this would explain the increase in sightings. They have a life span of up to 2 years and have for many years been mistaken for the common garden spider, chances are those of us in the south have seen them all our lives, just never known what they are.
Of the 12 biting spiders in the UK these do carry the most venom, they are docile spiders and only bite in defence, if being squashed or poked for example. You could happily let them walk on your hand and it wouldn’t bite. It is very rare for these spiders to bite, there have only been a handful of confirmed bites since 1993, bites have been linked to these spiders but not confirmed and could easily have been another insect altogether.
The bite has been likened to a bee or wasp sting. As with bee or wasp stings everyone could react differently but the common symptoms are painful bite with swelling, pain and numbness and in some cases a fever or a “general unwell” feeling – all lasting about 24 / 48 hours. If symptoms persists or are worse do seek medical advice. No one has ever died as a result of these bites.
To sum up:
- 3 types in the UK, 2 are native and 1 arrived here over 135 years ago.
- Mainly found in the south of the UK, none aggressive docile spider, lives alone and in quiet warm places.
- Venomous bite likened to a bee sting, no recorded deaths, in most cases a painful swollen bite mark and mild fever for 24 hours.
- No nests, just webs, only males move around in late summer / autumn to mate.
I hope this has helped dispel the rumours a little, as with all biting insects take care and use common sense. On a personal note I had one sitting on top of my cement mixer all day today, only time he moved was when I tipped the mixer up and the poor little fella held on for dear life ! He didn’t bother me, attack me, get a load of his mates and try to eat me, in fact he just sat there…quite boring !
Ben.
