H & S Warning False widow spiders ( Please read )

Health and safety warning/reminder.
Please be aware my friends of this beastie now commanly found across the country.
The False widow spider
I have a friend across the road who was badly bitten the other day. We are not sure what it was but it took several days of antibiotics to reduce the very ugly swelling.

http://www.uksafari.com/falsewidows.htm
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2136315.ece
It packs a powerful bite and can do you some real harm.
It carries enough poison to kill !
The last reported case the lady ended up on life support system fighting for her life.
Be careful out there.....
robert

 

Thank you for that Capney. I don't think I'll worry too much about the false widows but I liked the link to the identification chart, very interesting.

I don't have many spiders in this house but in my last house I had great big ones with boxing gloves on.
I don't miss them.

 

I don't like spiders anyway, so won't be picking any up. The reason I don't like spiders is that I used to, but got bitten off a fairly ordinary (but quite large) house spider. It felt like less than a wasp sting, but proceeded to make my hand swell up in a nasty puss filled bruise which lasted several days.

 

Generally speaking it effects different people in different ways, I've been bitten at least once before and can guarantee that it was a very unpleasant experience which included a weeks worth of anti histamines and antibiotics.

we get overrun with them here in summer literally from june-august last year I counted over 25 within and around the house and garden

And I dislike spiders at the best of times! =[

 

Apparently there are about 5 spiders in the UK that can give you a nasty bite/sting. :(
They are graded by a comparison to wasp stings. All are comparitively harmless unless, I guess ,you're allergic to the particular protein in their venom. Something hit my big toe, last year, that made it swell up for a couple of days, (I know, I should wear shoes when I'm gardening!) so I'm a bit more careful now

 

I'm not really afraid of insects at all ( mice for me-dirty filthy...) but Oh My God!! That thing is wearing a hells angel leather jacket!!

 

I doubt arachnids fear insects either Especially not grizzly hells angels once. Rumour has it that the spider in the picture once bit the head off a live a chicken just to prove it was 'ard.

 

:hehe:

 

I think you have more to fear from real widows than false ones.:hehe:

 

:mwlwn::hehe::hehe:

 

we found one of those false ones a few weeks ago, wasnt 100% sure whether it was false but when looked on the internet about it, it pointed more towards that

 

Was it inside or out?

 

outside, it was in the outside toilet inside the wrapped up swimming pool, we didnt think much to it, we just kept away from it, but more now this topic made me realise it was one

 

I thought they had been around for decades.

 

Your right Strongy they were first recorded in Devon in 1879 they came from the Canaries originally.