Potentially lethal crotch spiders.

JohnnyFlash

Disturbing news in the Irish Times this morning about an invasive species of spider being far more venomous than originally believed. There have been reported cases of these spiders running up the leg of their victim and biting them in the groin/crotch region.

Boffins now believe the venom has the potential to be fatal, and the numbers of these spiders is growing.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/false-widow-spiders-in-ireland-more-venomous-than-first-believed-1.4282568

Has anyone encountered one of these spiders, or, even worse, been bitten by one of them?

Leg End Reject

I don't think I've seen one yet, just the usual spiders in the house in autumn.

Apart from that woman mentioned they don't seem to bite unprovoked.

cj maxx

I kinda puts me in my place
I'm one of those people who tells others not to kill spiders as they kill flies etc.
Now a big size 10 is gonna squish you ya little bastard .!

Brian?

Great name for a punk band.

Montage of Feck

The Irish Times is using the term "boffins" now! :pac:

Gretas Gonna Get Ya!

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Disturbing news in the Irish Times this morning about an invasive species of spider being far more venomous than originally believed. There have been reported cases of these spiders running up the leg of their victim and biting them in the groin/crotch region.

Boffins now believe the venom has the potential to be fatal, and the numbers of these spiders is growing.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/false-widow-spiders-in-ireland-more-venomous-than-first-believed-1.4282568

Has anyone encountered one of these spiders, or, even worse, been bitten by one of them?

That article doesn't say conclusively that these spiders are capable or likely to kill anyone. It only suggests that we may see more severe cases as their numbers increase... but the only severe case they mention, is a woman who required several days of hospitalisation. It never mentioned that her life was in danger, just that she felt very unwell after the bite.

Lots of people can feel unwell after a spider bite. It doesn't mean that the spider in question has a particularly lethal bite. People get hospitalized after stings from wasps and bees... occasionally some people even die from them. But they are not really considered a lethal insect.

Gatling

They have been regularly reports of them being found here over the last few years ,safe to say they are not going away

Springy Turf

Montage of Feck wrote: »

The Irish Times is using the term "boffins" now! :pac:

Thankfully it hasn't come to that just yet.

Also - thanks OP. I hate it.

CrankyHaus

Funny time of year for the killer-spiders story to be dusted off.
It's not like they have plenty of real news to cover, we're hardly in silly season.

-=al=-

Definitely noticed them a lot more in the last few years than the usual house spiders.

I probably won’t tuck my trousers into my socks just yet though

Kaybaykwah

Gretas Gonna Get Ya! wrote: »

That article doesn't say conclusively that these spiders are capable or likely to kill anyone. It only suggests that we may see more severe cases as their numbers increase... but the only severe case they mention, is a woman who required several days of hospitalisation. It never mentioned that her life was in danger, just that she felt very unwell after the bite.

Lots of people can feel unwell after a spider bite. It doesn't mean that the spider in question has a particularly lethal bite. People get hospitalized after stings from wasps and bees... occasionally some people even die from them. But they are not really considered a lethal insect.

Yes, well in the case of wasps and bees, if you are allergic to the sting, you need to carry an epipen to fight the venom, if you are aware of your vulnerability. My wife had a work colleague who drank straight from a beer bottle at home barbecuing, a wasp got in the bottle without him noticing, he gulped, got stung and died within a very short time.

wobbie10

Was refelting our shed roof in Bettystown Co.Meath last weekend and i must have disturbed him /Her.
You will know when you see 1 of the beauties. They have a huge black arse on them that doesnt look like any spider you have ever seen in Ireland before.

Im not afraid of spiders but this one was screaming danger stay away!!

Went through the shed and ended up finding 2 of the ****ers.:mad:

Gatling

Gatling wrote: »

They have been regularly reports of them being found here over the last few years ,safe to say they are not going away

Yep, generally it's an allergic reaction that results in severe cases from what I gather.

con747

The actual study https://www.mdpi.com/search?q=false+widow&authors=&journal=toxins&article_type=&search=Search&section=&special_issue=&volume=&issue=&number=&page=

Gretas Gonna Get Ya!

Kaybaykwah wrote: »

Yes, well in the case of wasps and bees, if you are allergic to the sting, you need to carry an epipen to fight the venom, if you are aware of your vulnerability. My wife had a work colleague who drank straight from a beer bottle at home barbecuing, a wasp got in the bottle without him noticing, he gulped, got stung and died within a very short time.

An allergy to bee stings still doesn't make them a lethal species... you could have an allergy to nuts too, but nuts are not classified as a poisonous food.

The only thing this article points out, is that the false widow spider has stronger venom than previously thought... (how strong?) and that the venom has more similarities to the true black widow than previously thought. (similar but not the same)

There is still no actual evidence that this spider has venom potent enough to kill a person... Just make them feel unwell and maybe spend a few days in hospital in a severe case.

The article is misleading, and deliberately scaremongering!

Time to go to my favourite guy on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RtXsXpvSSw

Podcast worth listening to and supporting too.

Badly Drunk Boy

Brian? wrote: »

Great name for a punk band.

About three years ago, I was staying in Dublin for a gig which was cancelled at the last minute. Instead I ended up in Fibber Magees watching an Isle of Man punk band called Crotch Lice. No spiders, though...

TheValeyard

Had one of these in my garage for best part of three years. Definitely have a long lifespan. Left her alone as she seemed to eat the other spiders and flies. Was bigger than a two euro coin. Never bothered me. Definitely more afraid of me than I was of it. My partner however was a different story.

Rule was simple. Stay in the garage you live. Tried to get in the house, you die.

Gretas Gonna Get Ya!

Deleted User wrote: »

Time to go to my favourite guy on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RtXsXpvSSw

Podcast worth listening to and supporting too.

Here is the key quote from the video above:

"The bite of this spider is medically significant. As in, if you were to get bitten, you will possibly feel pain. You might even get an infection and have to visit the hospital..."

So again, no mention of this spider having the potential to kill people... scaremongering nonsense from the rag newspapers!

I'd be more worried about picking up the wrong mushrooms in your back garden, than getting killed by this little guy! :P

Gretas Gonna Get Ya!

Gretas Gonna Get Ya! wrote: »

So again, no mention of this spider having the potential to kill people... scaremongering nonsense from the rag newspapers!

Suppose it can kill you if you have an allergy. But so can wasps and peanuts. So hardly news worthy really.

Comically enough the Indo interviewed Collie Ennis only last year on the same subject saying essentially that it is all scaremongering and the spider is only a threat to other spiders really.

As did the Irish Times itself only a couple years before that.

It reminds me a bit like the Daily Mail always reporting how the same things will and then will not and then will again give you cancer. It's a cycle for clicks and not often based on anything real.

GinSoaked

Just wait till these spiders get near a 5G mast it will be a giant arachnid attack pandemic.

Rodney Bathgate

This explains why tracksuit wearers often have the tracksuit legs tucked into their (white) socks.

TheValeyard

GinSoaked wrote: »

Just wait till these spiders get near a 5G mast it will be a giant arachnid attack pandemic.

Yep, with a 5G mast they can really take over the Web.

biko

Snapped one the other day

loyatemu

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Has anyone encountered one of these spiders, or, even worse, been bitten by one of them?

we have loads of them around the garden and on the house, but they don't seem that keen on coming inside. I am wary of picking up objects in the shed if there's a possibility there might be one lurking under a rim or in a corner.

Reminds me of the skit Billy Connolly did as an excuse when being caught having a hand shandy

Day Lewin

Found one of those spiders in the bath, killed it

They may make long, string-like bits of strong web. I found those too, from the bathroom window.

Saw a peculiar black on in the kitchen and regretfully killed it too: I don't like to Kill any creature but, cannot take the risk with safety or ecosystem.

Potential-Monke

Can anyone describe it without pictures? Not a feckin hope I'm opening those articles, they'll be full of pictures (and yes, I will report anyone who responds with a picture, however I'm currently on a VPN which seems to block images, so should be ok...)

sligojoek

Silly season in the media,

However as a precaution it's best to rub a handful of strawberry jam into the pubes. It won't kill them but it'll rot their teeth.

PsychoPete

They'll catch something a lot worse if they bite me in the bollocks

Andrewf20

Yup, seen a few of them over the last year or 2 outside the house.