Quote:
Originally Posted by proctortwin  Your comments are naive and made from the comfort of a spider-free zone. |
I live in Devon which is where the spider you mention originally entered the uk.
There are several around my home and garden who get on with their lives and do me the favour of eating flies. Do not make stupid remarks, no one lives in a spider free zone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by proctortwin Since the BBC coverage has alerted me to what type of spider I have living in my house, we have killed 15 adults & 20+ babies. I'm really grateful to the coverage of the BBC & so so sad I didn't know what these spiders were before so I could have killed them before the egg sacs. I HAVE 2 TODDLERS with these spiders on their windows.
Contrary to your vague comments about spiders not biting, my pest controller has been called to 3 houses in surrounding villages in West Sussex where someone sleeping in each house was bitten & hospitalised by these spiders. So - no more comments about how "safe" they are. I'm terrified for my children as the spiders have survived one fumigation and there are no reports on what would happen to a bitten toddler. I wish there had been publicity before. |
Steatoda nobilis, otherwise called the Black False Widow spider. They are a large bulbous spider with a distinct marbling pattern on their abdomen. They construct cobwebs in and around houses and out-buildings and rely on vibrations to detect prey (flies and insects) as their eyesight is not good.
They were originally unintentionally brought to this country, Torquay in Devon, from the Canary Islands in 1879.
They are not aggressive towards humans and prefer to flee, but can deliver a painful bite if accidently squeezed etc.
However, having lived with these spiders for decades in Devon, I've had worse bites from children. But fortunately I don't panic. I taught the children that they should watch the spiders but leave them alone and that biting is not accepted by other children or parents. So both spiders and children are very much alive and respected.
By the way, has it occured to you that the reason for no reports is simple.. ..just remember it is normal that some people react to bites including flea, fly, mosquito, wasp, bee, spider etc etc Keep some antihistamine cream handy and if a reaction becomes a problem seek medical help.
It is quite an easy job to pick up spiders and move them to a better place than say a bedroom, but really you do not need the army, bomb squad, council pest control, parliament to enact a bill, CIA, MI5 etc etc.
spiders in it at all! 
Linear Mode
