Have you ever come across a false widow spider?

Kermit.de.frog

So there I was reading this article in the Irish Independent about an unfortunate woman down in Waterford having been bitten by an eight legged freak and hospitalised for six days (!):

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/spider-experts-warn-of-false-widows-venom-bites-after-waterford-woman-left-hospitalised-for-six-days-38322384.html


So anyway I found this interesting video of the suspect spider in question in case anyone is wondering precisely what they look like...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvfVH5ZDntg

It appear their bites are venomous and they are best avoided but you are asked NOT to kill them as scientists don't actually know enough about their venom.

They would like you to look after them and bring them in

Have you ever come across one?

Will this suffice?

spider leaves me alone, i leave it alone

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Many times. Their bite is usually just like a bad wasp sting with some degree of swelling and local numbness.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Deleted User wrote: »

Will this suffice?

That's hardly a false one though.

s7ryf3925pivug

Yes several all in the last year or two. All in the drain or outside storage outside my house or precious house, mainly the previous one.

One interesting thing was that I was instinctively scared without knowing why. I am usually totally comfortable with spiders.

They are unusual because they have neurotoxic venom, which causes systemic effects. Most spiders have necrotizing venom, which causes the wound to rot. I don't think it's supposed to be that serious if you are bitten. I wasn't aware they are being studied.

catrat12

Found this last week

rossie1977

Yes found one inside rotting wood I put in compost bin. Big f**ker

corner of hells

catrat12 wrote: »

Found this last week

You're fcuked , that's a door eating spider.

Kermit.de.frog

Gotta think before picking up those bananas.

snowgal

No I haven’t thank fccck! I’d faint... but work colleague found one at the wend, disgusting stuff...

TheValeyard

One lives in my garage. Been there over a month now. Hides behind a shelf.

Does no harm, although I think she killed Ted, the giant house spider.

Sinus pain

Yes I had one in the light outside my door - lots of babies too. My son was locked out one day and was sitting outside and was terrified so I decide it was time for them to meet their maker. Only thing I could think of was to empty the tin of fly spray on them. So I go out and spray **** out of them... they all start parachuting down from the light - I just kept spraying even though I was terrified. By the time they hit the ground they were just about dead. Now when I see a web go up around the light I take the sweeping brush to it

Sinus pain

There she is with some babies

Force Carrier

I hope the spider's consenting.

PsychoPete

Yes, was doing a job on a car. Removed a plastic cover and there it was, so I just closed the bonnet slowly, lit the car on fire and ran!

snowgal

They should not be allowed to here! It freaks me out big time they are living around us, I have to pretend this news is fake news!

branie2

No I haven't

RebelButtMunch

Yes bitten once. Grand. Like a normal insect bite.

Force Carrier

snowgal wrote: »

They should not be allowed to here!

They probably came hidden with people, luggage, cargo, goods that arrived in the country. We didn't officially take them on as refugees or migrants.

JupiterKid

I saw a false widow in a vineyard in Northern California, scurrying up a small tree...didn’t realise these f*ckers were in Ireland now. How and when did they get here?

Roen

Who's studying them? I have a **** tonne of them.

firemansam4

Cohen Fast Interpreter wrote:

One interesting thing was that I was instinctively scared without knowing why. I am usually totally comfortable with spiders.

I'm the same, I'm normally trying to catch them in the house and put them out.
But I seen one that looked like this false widow spider beside the gutter drain at my front door a few nights ago and I didn't like the look of it at all, it was a bit bigger than the one in that video but looked a lot like it.

Somedaythefire

JupiterKid wrote: »

I saw a false widow in a vineyard in Northern California, scurrying up a small tree...didn’t realise these f*ckers were in Ireland now. How and when did they get here?

Huh? False widow distribution is solely in Europe.

PsychoPete

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

Yes bitten once. Grand. Like a normal insect bite.

Can you sling webs from your wrists? If not, you clearly weren't bitten

TheValeyard

bluewolf wrote: »

spider leaves me alone, i leave it alone

Spider knows where you sleep. It knows.

Kermit.de.frog

Apparently on average we all eat a few spiders per year in our sleep.

yum

Was putting gardening gloves on and felt what I thought was a bee sting in one of the fingers. Took glove off and out he fell...squashed

Like a bee sting. The area swelled up very slightly. Could still feel it the next day.

I've started checking my gloves now before putting them on.

mad muffin

I saw one today when I was reading the electric meter.

auspicious

catrat12 wrote: »

Found this last week

FB833126-1F62-41F2-97A1-E526CE11559A.jpeg

I'll say a prayer for you.

TheValeyard

catrat12 wrote: »

Found this last week

Yeah, have that in the garage. She's going on a trip to the Galway venom lab soon

corner of hells

TheValeyard wrote: »

bluewolf wrote: »

spider leaves me alone, i leave it alone

Spider knows where you sleep. It knows.

Spiders rub their willy's on your face when you sleep.

TheValeyard

corner of hells wrote: »

Spiders rub their willy's on your face when you sleep.

Bit of a d1ck move

Postgrad10

Roen wrote: »

Who's studying them? I have a **** tonne of them.

Some lecturer in NUIG. They want us to catch them so they can study them.

Graces7

should NOT have opened this thread... ,