To wonder if the spider I caught is a False Widow Spider and if it's really as dangerous as I think?!

[B1993]

Pictures aren't great as it's at the bottom of a glass right now. I found it running across my bed (😭😭, which my 4 year old and infant were lying on!!) while I was folding some washing!!. I'm quite anxious but just relived no one was bitten if it is indeed the false widow. Any thoughts appreciated!!

Perhaps a black lace weaver spider?

It’s a silver sided sector spider- completely harmless

Thank you! As you can probably tell, I'm
quite the arachnophobic so needed to know I've not got deadly spiders running around our bedroom where we sleep with our infant!!! 🙈🙈

False widows aren't that bad. I thought no worse than a wasp sting?

Even if it had been a false widow, it's really not very dangerous. I have lots round my way and they are really not a problem.

We have a false widow living in our conservatory. The markings are quite distinctive so we are certain that's what it is. It's very shy and retiring and has never run across the floor, it mostly stays in the corner of the conservatory ceiling.
We haven't tried to get rid of it as we don't fancy being bitten - I think the bites are equivalent to a wasp sting so not deadly!

I wouldn't worry even if it was, OP.

Have you been reading the tabloids about False Widows? They do like to whip people up into a panic.

No- it is a garden spider- an orb weaver or lace weaver. You can tell by the markings on the legs and the shape of the abdomen. Don't bite, completely harmless and knit beautifully as they make webs. They only live one year so please don't kill her. Put her outside and she'll make a web and lay her eggs. They are beautiful creatures. Watch her knit.

I have a garage full of false widows. Thankfully they keep themselves to themselves.

I've been bitten by a false widow. It hurts, I had a sort of numb patch on my arm for about a week. Not pleasant but not actually dangerous.

Some people are allergic/have a bad reaction to false widows (yup, that’d be me). But equally lots of people are allergic to wasps 🤷‍♀️

However, if I found any more FW in the house I’m afraid I’d be getting my husband to squish them. I’m not at all arachnophobic but I had a nasty reaction and ended up in hospital.

The white part on a false widow looks more skull like. Our garden fence & the windows of the house are full of them here, never been bitten

False widows have orangey coloured legs - we've had 2 males in the house this year and a female in the garden. Like a pp, I think we have one in our orangery, but it is too high up and tucked away for me to reach it without ladders, so I just leave it alone and hope it doesn't land on my head!

Or on here.

The only person I know who had what he believes was a serious reaction to a bite

a) didn't see it
b) is diabetic with almost non existent control
c) has outside cats that sleep in his bed
d) has a filthy house
e) is scared of all spiders
f) due to lack of mobility, poor eyesight, his size and the sheer amount of stuff in his house, probably last had a proper shower sometime around 2003.

Nope, don't panic, that's not a falsey. That's a little orb weaver. Completely harmless and actually very cute. (I like spiders though).

False widows are not dangerous. No need to evict them from your home, they definitely help by eating flies and pests. I only evict the females to avoid any egg sacks in the house (they usually have a big bum).

Rubbish! I ended up in hospital after a false widow bite and needed surgery around the bite area. I’ve never had a reaction to any bite in my 52 years. I also developed cellulitis and sepsis which culminated in an 8 week hospital stay.

Love how you’ve managed to use both the words “orangey” and “orangery” in consecutive sentences!

Not a false widow. We have them in our outhouse and leave them be. Apart from when we vacuumed up a couple which decided to live on the high up lightswitch. The ones in the corners we leave.

But that can happen with ANY cut, scratch, ingrowing hair etc. Usually doesn't but can be down to just bad luck.

That wasn’t what the health professionals said. This was the bite area after a week of IV antibiotics. People can play the bites down all they want but to some yes they are dangerous.

@bluejelly, I was more concerned that, if it was a false widow, my baby or older child might get bitten. A wasp sting isn't pleasant for an adult - I've had my fair share but lived to tell the tale - however, I worried my children could have been more seriously affected if they were bitten.

That spider in your photo is what we call a nut spider because it's body is like a hazelnut:) They spin the most amazing webs and sit in the middle of them right where birds can see and that is how they usually meet their maker. They are beautiful things and should never be killed.

This thread is seemingly full of spider lovers so you'll all be pleased to know that I didn't kill it. Although it wouldn't come out of the glass, despite my attempts to gently coax it out, so I've had to abandon that in hopes the spider will crawl out eventually. I will retrieve the glass tomorrow when it's (hopefully) spider free!!

I also managed to get a clearer photo of the spider before I released it outside, if anyone is interested:

I don't think a bite 'like wasp sting' is a minor thing to be honest.

I wouldn't want wasps setting up home in the corner of my room for this reason and for the same reason i wouldn't knowingly share my house with a FW.

I live in a top floor flat surrounded by woodland, false widows apparently love heat and height so if I leave my windows open they move in! I’ve had around 6 over the last month and been bitten twice, they were quite angry and swollen but other than that no adverse reaction. Picture below of the last one I found in my bedroom!