(Warning 🕷) False widow spider loose in house - ok to leave it?

[MrsKateColumbo]

Hi all

I got DD's old pram put of the garage and was cleaning it up when I saw (what i think is) a false widow spider. I went to get a glass but couldnt catch it as it was going in the folds. I put the pram outside.

If the spider is still in the house is it ok to leave it? Im not scared of spiders but not sure if I should make more effort to find it in case it accidentally bites someone? Im hoping it will go under the floor or something as it was a lot faster than the dozy brown ones which i much prefer!

They're very shy, and will keep away from you. I have a few in my conservatory, and the only time I have been bitten is when I almost accidentally squashed one, which I felt was fair enough 😁

The bite isn't as bad as a bee or wasp sting imo.

Ah ok thanks! I hadnt seen one before so was a bit taken aback lol

No problem 😊 they're great hunters to have around.

We often have them in the winter in the door and window frames. I find them very beautiful. If they pop out of their hiding place they stay put in one place on the wall for days, so minimal risk of biting. My husband got bitten once on the foot , but I’m not sure how - possibly going to the loo and knocked it on the floor then trod on it. It was painful and a big bruise came up. Not dangerous though.

I saw one in my house when the carpet got lifted for some pipework. I oohed at it and it disappeared. Never saw it again!

They're a bit "different" aren't they... 😬

Mind you, in my old house I once had a devils coach horse* race across the floor. I had to catch that and pop it outside. That was 😬😬😬

*Warning: think before you Google!

I believe the danger with them is allergic reaction to their bites. So you wouldn’t really know how dangerous they were until it bit you. They are probably most likely to bite you if you go hunting them down though so idk, maybe wait til you see hanging around then very carefully get rid of it.

Thanks, hopefully it will go onto the wall as im quite good at the glass and card but only on flat surfaces clearly!

They look a bit like a cartoon spider all shiny, do the big brown ones eat them or vice versa?

They're all over my bathroom this time of year. We've always got on just fine.

I even pulled on a pair of leggings with an false widow spider unwittingly sitting in one of the legs. It got a bit of a mild squishing and still didn't bother to bite me.

I would eliminate.

Along with various other creatures like rats and wasps they aren't best in close proximity to humans as the bite can be unpleasant for some.

Oh wow @BarbieShrimp !

I will definitely evict it if I see it, I suppose if it's very shy I might not see it again? Hopefully not jn a shoe!

That's sounds a bit too similar to black widow for my liking so id contact the estate agents

Eh?

Op they can give very nasty bites actually why not Google them
I'd def not keep them around if I had young DC.
They multiply and colonise at a terrific rate so keep an eye out for more. They have sling like webs and love window.

Locally one man said he had one bite on his chest that was so severe he gets his work shop professionally sprayed now yearly.

They are far less aggressive than other species, they will only bite defensively. I've had lots of them,

Cellar spiders (the ones with little bodies and long skinny legs), will eat them, and Giant House Spiders, so if you're worried, then keep the Cellar's around.
Which type of of False Widow is it? I guess you're probably referring to the Noble False Widow (Steatoda Nobilis), but there are native species of False widow too, that have been here forever.

The Missing Sector Orb Weaver is also often mistaken for the Noble Spider, as they are very similar and re differentiated by the legs and slightly different markings on the abdomen.

Was it a male or female?

Ive looked on line and it might have been a steatoda gross, female. But I only saw it for 5 secs on thr pram, then 5 secs whilst I was trying to catch it before I decided to shove it all outside. So not 100%

We have quite a few big brown ones so maybe I wont evict them for a few months and hope they eat the black one.

I will now double check everything coming out of the garage!!!

If it's hiding now will it stay hiding when we are around?

We had one living in the gap where our glas roof met the wall. She never ventured further than that (good hunting ground) and the DC were very fond of her and called her Sheila!

@CalmShaker
I imagine the zoo would be more helpful than the estate agent in this situation.

I have them once in a while. I ignore them, they ignore me. I don't know which spiders are responsible for the webs I keep having to clean up currently.

I've trodden on a weever fish in the past, which is worse than a bee or wasp. I don't intend to find out where false widows are on the scale.

I get rid of them. I know two people who have ended up in hospital after false widow bites, one had to have a partial amputation of the finger. I have got rid of two this week. I put them out rather than kill them. I did accidentally kill one once and it made an awful mess. They seem to love my skylight windows.