false widow spider?

[mazgoodgirl]

Hi All,

I registered today after searching loads of great info from this forum. Last week i saw this huge black shiny spider in our shed & my husband bravely caught it as he had never seen one like it before. I would say its abdomen was about the size of a 5p and was black and shiny with a pale pattern in the middle, now she has built a strange looking web in the tub and has decreased in size to like a "pea" and has a rather impressive oval egg sac suspended in this web. I have tried taking pics & the one with the web, to the left of one of the pics is the egg sac.

Not sure if its relevant but 2yrs ago i got bitten by a unknown insect on my leg & had to seek hospital advice & the symptoms i had were very similer to a false widow spider bite, i have children so i would love to know if this darling creature (arghhhh) can be set free safely in our garden or re homed to the woods a few miles away (far far away).lol

Im petrified of spiders but i do find them fascinating

Kind regards,

Maz

[No.9 Spider]

Certainly has the appearance of a Steatoda species though clearer photo's would help if you can take some more.

I'd be interested to know what the symptoms of your bite were that you mentioned and if there were two noticeable puncture marks.
On the whole I'd not be too concerned over this spider , it'll keep itself to itself.

No.9 Spider

[mazgoodgirl]

Hiya No.9 Spider,

Thanks for your reply, i have tried to take more pics of the spider but she doesnt want to play so i will wait for the husband to have a go.

As for the symptoms, late one evening i felt a sharp scratch whilst sitting on a wall & the following morning my foot,ankle and bottom of my shin ached & felt bruised & presumed it was a mozzy bite as there was a red hole in the middle. Within a few hours my shin had swollen right to my toes & seeked medical advice at local hospital. The swelling got so bad they were worried about my circulation so i had a scan to check the pulse in my feet, they treated my with very strong painkillers,antibiotics & antihistamines. I do have 2 pics of the bite one was 24hrs after & other was when it started clearing up but obviously there not very nice so wont post them.lol.

I will try and upload some more pics tomorrow of the spider.

maz

[Coley]

I can't tell you what it is but I do know I have had a lot of these in my garden and they were living with my bunny in his hutch. He wasn't killed by them so I guess they're safe enough.

[No.9 Spider]

Hi mazgoodgirl, thanks for your reply it makes interesting reading! Info on spider bites from our native species are relatively rare as they are, similarly, a rare occurrence.
The symptoms sound plausible enough to me though I'm not medically qualified of course and are very similar to a case I saw concerning a bite from a male Salticus scenicus, our native Zebra spider, commonly found on walls on hot summer days (won't see many this summer then!).
The woman had been bitten by it in bed as it was obviously trapped and reacted instinctively. She was therefore able to capture the culprit for a positive I.D.
Your symptoms are very similar to hers, though hers were to a lesser degree and more localised around the ankle area.
Bites such as these are a complex issue, as there are so many factors to consider.
Was it just a bite causing a puncture but no venom injected.
If venom was injected - how much?
Does the victim have an allergic reaction, ie. more susceptible.
Are the symptoms due to secondary infection? possibly from bacteria on the spiders fangs from it's last meal? we all know some of the less pleasant habitats of flies!
And so the list goes on...........
I am sure that most members would be very interested to see the photo's you mention (of the bite) as it's such an interesting subject, with of course a preceding warning.
As long as a spider doesn't feel threatened they won't usually bite.



No.9 Spider

[naturegirl]

Hi Maz and welcome to a truly fascinating site!!

Your symptoms do seem to be very similar to what is known about these particular spider bites.
A good place of reference is the Natural History Museum web page.
Just google False Widow and it should pop up in the list. They have a list of spider (and other) bites, symptoms etc.

Steatoda grossa has been here for donkey's years but S. nobilis is a relative newcomer. I have them in my garden but they cause me no problems (cross fingers!) as long as they are left alone.

I find it fascinating to go out at night and look at them with my torch! (carefully) and I have found baby spiderlings of them on and in my moth trap a few weeks ago. They are all much larger now and easier to spot.

I'm sorry you had so much pain and swelling, you poor thing Take care.

Naturegirl

[mazgoodgirl]

Here are some more pics of the spider hope they are a little clearer, And below are 2 pics of the bite the first was 24 hrs after and the 2nd pic was a few days later after i had seeked medical advice.

Thankyou all to your replies im actually quite getting used to this spider watching her through my kitchen window, safely in her temp home.

***WARNING THE BITE PICS ARE NOT TOO PLEASANT***

[No.9 Spider]

Hi Maz, thanks for posting the spider bite pics, they pretty much replicate the physical appearance resulting from the Zebra spider (Salticus scenicus) bite I saw. It's impossible to determine how much damage results from the venom and the secondary infection.
You spider does look like a Steatoda nobilis, an introduced species from which there are a number of recorded instances of bites. Be aware that she is able to produce a number of egg-sacs containing hundreds of young and they are minute when they appear and hard to contain.
If you're not happy with her around the house I'd put her and the egg-sac out of the way, but obviously there'll be more and no doubt you'd easily find others where she was found.

Regards, No.9 Spider

P.S. Nice to know that although petrified of spiders, you also find them fascinating. Wish I could say the same about me and earwigs

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by mazgoodgirl

Here are some more pics of the spider hope they are a little clearer, And below are 2 pics of the bite the first was 24 hrs after and the 2nd pic was a few days later after i had seeked medical advice.

Thankyou all to your replies im actually quite getting used to this spider watching her through my kitchen window, safely in her temp home.

***WARNING THE BITE PICS ARE NOT TOO PLEASANT***

Thats Definitely a Steatoda Nobilis and the bite looks like a spider bite to me - which spider though who knows. I'm guessing you are in the south of the country, if so, there a dozen or so biting spiders but i would put it on either a Nobilis or Grossa.

[wildherbalian85]

Were i am Steatoda Nobilis and its biting partner in crime Steatoda Grossa are very common spider's. Were there is one there is usually more and were you see a cobweb** it usually belongs to one of them.

** gates, window ledges, shelfs, etc. I thought for some time that they would only weave webs of the ground but i saw a Grossa in a "ground" web behind a locker a few day's ago - im sure a house spider will come along and challenge it sooner or later

[mazgoodgirl]

Well thanks to all that have replied. I think the best place for our leggy friend would be in our local woods as i dont want to have a garden infested by these although im guessing it probably is anyway.lol.

Well as having a phobia for spiders i am trying my best to live with them making webs in my garden & even watching them. Unfortunatly the big house spiders still make me scream with fear & usually dont make it out of the house alive if i see them.

I will definately be visiting this forum often, as i come from a coastal town on the east coast & are always getting interesting creatures in our garden.

maz x

[Venger]

You don't have to kill them, they're quite friendly.
Though I suggest you use a glass and paper to escort them outside