Spider protecting nest in hall - not a false widow? *Trigger warning - photos*

[whichspidermummy]

I have a spider protecting an egg sac in my hall. It's next to the frame of the front room and near to our coat rack.

I'm pretty sure it's a missing-sector orb weaver (aka Zygiella), as I've had lots of false widows in the house and they are bigger, don't have such banding on their legs and have a skull pattern on their backs.

I'm also pretty sure that false widows don't stay with their eggs, but Zygiellas do.

Can anyone confirm this? I'm loathe to destroy a nest that is so lovingly cared for by it's mother, if the spiders are harmless and she's been guarding it for days now.

It looks like an orb weaver to me.

I agree, looks like an orb weaver.

@sprigatito thank you, if she is I will let her stay with her babies, I just didn't want lots more false widows running around, but I thought the same as you.

@whichspidermummy you are lovely. I'm so glad you aren't going to get rid of them!

I don't think it's a false widow, but the one we found in the hood of DSs jacket was definitely defending an egg sack. Thank goodness we spotted it before he put his jacket on! 😱

Yes I agree it doesn't quite look like a false widow. Thank you for your kindness ❤ I'm an arachnophobe but also a vegan who hates the thought of any creature losing its life so this would be a huge problem for me - I think I'd have to move out and I'm not even joking!

I have one of these guests on the corner of the window frame in the kitchen, discovered while cleaning windows. I can’t bring myself to remove her and her little family, so she stays. 🕸🕷

I'm petrified of spiders, but I still find nature completely fascinating and would leave it be 🥰 (even though I'd live in fear of a gazillion more spiders being in the house!)

Definitely an orb weaver. The legs are banded, and it is lighter than a false widow. Totally harmless.

I had one of these for weeks in a corner of my en suite around the shower unit. It coexisted happily with one of those spindly ones for weeks until one morning I got up and found it had murdered it.

I gently evicted it out of ds' bedroom window as punishment. 3 days later it was somehow back. I've ignored it since as its will appears to be greater than mine. Perhaps there are eggs I can't see 🤔

Think I have the same?

@hurlyburlygirly your orb weaver did very well to best a cellar spider - they're horribly cannibalistic and eat massive house spiders! I expect Orby was jumped and defended herself, don't be too cross with her!

@cakeonthefloor that one looks a bit more like a garden spider to me but hard to tell with it all bundled up like that. But I think I can make out a pale cross shape?

Am also an arachnophobe and have taken a 'know your enemy' approach, especially for bitey ones. They are all fascinating (and terrifying in equal measure). Wolf spiders can jog on though, I'll not have jumping.

I may be wrong but it is a different shape to garden spiders.