After wide reporting, and more than a few images horrifying enough to keep arachnophobes up all night, Chloe Forsyth separates fact from fiction on the terrifying topic of the creepy-crawlies invading the UK.
“Killer
False Widow nearly made my leg explode”
“False Widow Alert: Millions of killer spiders on loose across the UK”
“Black Widow spider invasion from USA sparks fears of lethal bites”
The False Widow headlines certainly make for interesting reading. If the hype in many of the papers is to be believed then we are on the verge of being invaded by the infamous Black Widows, and their False Widow relations, who have already made their home here and are beginning a savage attack on us. But what truth is there to the hype?
I, along with half the female population according to statistics, hate spiders. Even the miniscule 1p sized ones that stay out of your way on the ceiling are enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and get me reaching for the handy spider catcher. And let’s not even think about the occasional Shelob sized monster that I find sitting smugly on my bed knowing that there’s not a chance in hell I’m going within a three mile radius of my room until someone exterminates it. OK, I exaggerate, but I know there are many of you reading this and sympathising with my plight. Arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias around. It’s perhaps why there are so many depictions of monstrous spiders in books and movies: Shelob, Rowling’s Aragog – even Bond faces a poisonous tarantula in Dr No. Perhaps the worst one for me was Arachnophobia. I can still remember being forced to watch it with my cousins one Christmas and then spending the rest of the holiday in abject fear of my life. However, while we may not like the clichés “they’re more scared of you than you are of them” or “they won’t hurt you” at least we can live secure in the knowledge that it is true and we don’t have to fear poisonous beasts like people in some tropical countries do.
Until now, apparently. But before we shut all the windows and move the bed into the middle of the room to protect ourselves, I think we should sort the fact from the fiction when it comes to the Theridiidae family.
Arachnophobics out there may want to stop reading as, according to new research, the infamous Black Widows are invading Britain. Two days ago it was reported that the number of America’s most dangerous spider coming over to Britain was increasing, with six being found alive on one boat from America. OK, so only six spiders may have made Arachnophobia a slightly more boring movie but it was enough to attract several headlines in British papers. However, while they may have survived the journey over the Atlantic they would not have survived our damper climate, so the likelihood of a fatal Black Widow attack is slim to none.
The False Widow, or to give it its full name steatoda nobilis, is more of a pressing, and perhaps more realistic, problem. Also known as the Black British Widow, and a cousin of the infamous Black Widow, it is Britain’s most poisonous spider. It is similar to the Black Widow in appearance as it has the same bulbous abdomen; however, it is brown with pale markings unlike the famous black and red of the Black Widow. Trawling through the internet and newspapers while doing research for this story, the number of articles I saw about bites were quite frightening, and the previous hyperbolic headlines are only a smattering of what I found. There were several other unfortunate victims who had been at risk of amputation, and even death, because of reactions to the bite.
While they are Britain’s most poisonous spider, that’s a little like winning the hundred metres when your competitors are toddlers. There are only ten species of spider in Britain that can even bite and it is pertinent to remember that no one has ever died after being bitten by a British Black Widow. Usually the area around the bite will swell and turn yellow while other symptoms may include a fever and chest pains. However, the headline inducing bites that nearly prove fatal are only experienced by people who are allergic to the venom. Dangerous, yes. Painful, yes. But it’s similar to there being an article every time someone suffers an allergic reaction. It’s unfortunate for the victim but hardly newsworthy.
It’s important to note that these aren’t the malicious creepy crawlies from Arachnophobia which kill person after person. They are only believed to attack out of self-defence, if they feel threatened or if they are accidentally sat on. Ironically, the most likely time to get bitten is when you are trying to remove them from the house as the upheaval makes them feel endangered. So if you want to get rid of one, it’s best to use a cup or, even better, a handy spider catcher.
From the spate of recent newspaper interest you’d be forgiven for thinking that the British Black Widow was a new phenomenon but actually, while it is not a native species, it has been in Britain for over a hundred years after it came in a shipment of fruit from the Mediterranean. For a long time the population was localised around Devon but it has recently moved further across the South and even into Wales and London with experts predicting that as our climate becomes milder the population will increase and continue to move further North.
So there you have it, a quick guide to the British Black Widow. While not something you’d ever want to keep as a pet, if you stay out of its way then the likelihood is that you will not get bitten. And even if you are unfortunate enough to get on a False Widow’s bad side then most people will only suffer mild irritation around the wound. Hopefully this will put anyone unnerved by the recent spate of headlines at ease about the dangers of Britain’s most poisonous spider but if not then it may be time to get a petition going at the marketplace for spider catchers.
Chloe Forsyth
exeposedev 