Interactive map reveals UK’s False Widow hotspots as experts say damp summer ‘perfect’ conditions for venomous spiders
BRITAIN’S False Widow spider hotspots have been revealed amid warm and damp conditions which the creepy crawlies thrive in.
More than 5,000 sightings of the eight-legged beasts have been logged on tracking website iNaturalist.org, with the heaviest concentration appearing to be in and around London.
Britain’s damp but warm weather, which has recently seen highs of nearly 32C, could well have something to do with the presence of so many Noble False Widows.
The pest control service Combat Pest Solutions, located in southern England, wrote in a 2019 blog post that humid conditions brought on by the “warm, wet summer weather” had given False Widows plenty to eat.
They added: “Now the urge of all these well-nourished critters is to find hidey-holes in British homes, schools and other buildings to mate and make more of the same.”
The British Pest Control Association also wrote in a blog post that the spiders increase in numbers during warmer months, but in late summer and autumn they may become “particularly conspicuous”.
This is because the males wander more extensively in search of a mate, according to the BPCA, which added that requests for false widow pest control call-outs tend to peak in October.
Rochdale Borough Council posted a guide on how to identify the creepy crawlies.
They wrote: “Every autumn, there are reports of false widow spiders becoming uninvited house guests in homes across the UK.
“False widow spiders might look similar to the more dangerous black widow spider, but all they’re likely to do is give you a small and relatively harmless bite.
“They were first recorded in the UK in the 1870s, likely a stowaway on cargo ships from its native Madeira and Canary Islands.
“False widow spiders gained a strong population in the majority of the southern counties, and they are now spreading northwards.”
They have a skull-shaped pattern on their bodies, which “probably doesn’t help their negative reputation”, the council said.
There are six species of False Widow in the UK.
The three most common are the Rabbit Hutch, the Cupboard Spider, and the Noble False Widow.
The latter is the most commonly reported and is the largest among the three.
It reaches a body length of between 8.5mm and 11mm.
How dangerous are False Widow spiders?
Although the arachnid’s venom usually has a mild effect on humans, some people have come down with horror injuries after reacting badly to being nipped.
They have been known to infest sheds and houses, leading to fears homeowners may unwittingly be living with them.
The most common type is a noble false widow and it is the largest of the three most common species, reaching a body length of between 8.5 and 11 millimetres.
The species is native to the Canary Islands and Madeira, but it gradually spread throughout Europe.
Despite their name, false widows are not the deadly spiders they are somtimes thought to be.
Normally, their bite is similar to a wasp or bee sting, and it’s not usually anything to worry about.
The main symptom indicating a bite is feeling pain at the site lasting between one and 12 hours, but this rarely lasts for more than 24 hours.
While they look similar to their more dangerous cousins, the black widows, they’re nowhere near as harmful as them.
False Widows can be found in the home “all year round”, but they are mostly seen as the weather gets colder in autumn.
Their webs appear like a tangle of webs and are typically suspended at least 1.5metres off the ground so they can hunt flying insects.
They are often seen in kitchens and conservatories.
False widows do have venomous bite, but their venom is “not potent”, Rochdale Council says.
Typically, the only symptom of a bite is pain in the bite’s location for between one and 12 hours.
It is rare for the pain to endure for more than 24 hours, and it is said to be “no worse than the pain of a wasp sting”.