unidentified false widow spider

[flowerpower1]

found in my back garden in east anglia

bulbous abdomen with a pale semi-circle at the front and pattern on the top as shown in photo

is this a false widow.....do they bite at all?

[wildherbalian85]

it looks like a rabbit hutch spider.... they don't bite

[No.9 Spider]

.......usually. That's not to say they can't, under duress



No.9 Spider

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by No.9 Spider

.......usually. That's not to say they can't, under duress



No.9 Spider

you are the first person i have heard to even insinuate that Steatoda bipunctata can bite,,,, i'm surprised.

[No.9 Spider]

I know they aren't particularly one for biting, but it doesn't mean they can't. I definitely believe that they are capable of biting us as they have the build and the equipment. I wouldn't personally state "they don't bite".



No.9 Spider

[naturegirl]

If you were me then you would definitely say that they could bite with dire consequences........

There are a few of us that react very badly to venom of any kind!

A woman from Cumbria recently spent time on life support from a bite by S.grossa, albeit from an allergic reaction to this bite.

I recently had my 1st BCG which I didn't have as a teenager due to an allergic reaction to Strawberries at that time.

This innoculation made me to go into anaphylactic shock and caused most of the A&E Doctors to race down the street into Occ-health to address my severe reaction!!

Naturegirl

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by naturegirl

If you were me then you would definitely say that they could bite with dire consequences........

There are a few of us that react very badly to venom of any kind!

A woman from Cumbria recently spent time on life support from a bite by S.grossa, albeit from an allergic reaction to this bite.

I recently had my 1st BCG which I didn't have as a teenager due to an allergic reaction to Strawberries at that time.

This innoculation made me to go into anaphylactic shock and caused most of the A&E Doctors to race down the street into Occ-health to address my severe reaction!!

Naturegirl

But this is a Steatoda bipunctata and they don't bite... they don't have the capability of biting humans. Would be nice if either of you 2 who claim it can would put forward some literature with reports of a bite to human from this spider... i have spent around an hour looking on Google for reports and yet there is nothing (not that i'm surprised).

[No.9 Spider]

I'll try an experiment and really annoy the next one I find

Below is from the BAS website (though I know it's general and not specific):

First Aid for Spider Bites
In Britain it is very unlikely that you will ever be bitten by a spider (see spider bites). Those species that have been implicated in biting people include the Water Spider (Argyroneta aquatica), the Woodlouse Spider (Dysdera crocata), and the False Black Widows (Steatoda species). In other parts of the world, Sac Spiders (Cheiracanthium species) are known to bite, but there have been no records of this species doing so here.


No.9 Spider

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by No.9 Spider

I'll try an experiment and really annoy the next one I find

Below is from the BAS website (though I know it's general and not specific):

First Aid for Spider Bites
In Britain it is very unlikely that you will ever be bitten by a spider (see spider bites). Those species that have been implicated in biting people include the Water Spider (Argyroneta aquatica), the Woodlouse Spider (Dysdera crocata), and the False Black Widows (Steatoda species). In other parts of the world, Sac Spiders (Cheiracanthium species) are known to bite, but there have been no records of this species doing so here.


No.9 Spider

let me know the out come