False Widow Spider in Ireland

beamoflight

There are millions of false widow spiders roaming Ireland but luckily no recorded deaths in 2020.

Gregor Samsa

There’s no recorded deaths because their venom isn’t fatal to humans. Luck has nothing to do with it.

Normal One

LOCKDOWN 2 : SPIDERS ON THE MARCH

gozunda

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

There’s no recorded deaths because their venom isn’t fatal to humans. Luck has nothing to do with it.

Its not the venom which is dangerous rather they've been found to be harbouring rather nasty bacteria which can cause some very nasty infections

https://www.thejournal.ie/false-widow-spider-bite-skin-bacteria-cause-study-5284802-Dec2020/

SmartinMartin

They're an invasive species so I kill every one I find. There's a surprising amount of them around.

StringerBell

Don't think I've ever seen one, but then again I don't really examine the spiders I do see so I wouldn't have a clue.

listermint

Ya big thing in Wicklow. Had lots of them in the Eve's when changing out my sofit and guttering two years back. Had to mush them because can't take chances with the work was doing.

Oddly enough they don't seem to like it indoors. The eves only.

Day Lewin

I have found plenty of them in my house, south Dublin suburbs.

I know them by their black round body with marking, and their strong single-rope-type web.

They are invasive, also give a nasty dirty bite: I kill them, carefully.

SmartinMartin

They're a good size, and easily identifiable.

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/irish-news/false-widow-spider-what-to-do-if-you-find-one-how-to-get-rid-of-them-and-what-to-do-if-youve-been-bitten-38324661.html

Haven't found any in the house yet, mostly in the log pile.

Taxuser1

One of them rang my doorbell

Taxuser1

One of them rang my doorbell

El Tarangu

beamoflight wrote: »

There are millions of false widow spiders roaming Ireland but luckily no recorded deaths in 2020.

So, the death count from spiders for 2020 so far is: zero

So, the same tally for deaths from venomous spiders for 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013...


- ok good to know, thanks for the update - keep an eye on it for us


*there actually was one tragically in 2014 - still, one in 10 years is not exactly high risk

Taxuser1

One of them rang my doorbell

SmartinMartin

You have 3 doorbells?

OscarMIlde

I remember being in hospital for a few days following surgery, and a woman in the same ward had received plastic surgery on her face. She had woken up one morning and her face was completely swollen with no idea what had caused it. I think there was some fairly severe tissue damage which necessitated the surgery. The doctors considered a spider bite the most likely explanation. I wonder if it was a false widow spider, the symptoms sound similar to those reported. Absolutely terrifying to think that could happen to you in your sleep.

SmartinMartin

I don't think there is another spider species in Ireland capable of piercing human skin with their bite.

An Ri rua

Taxuser1 wrote: »

One of them rang my doorbell

Thrice? Probably do it 8 times before it's over. Those arachnids, always stirring things...

Kermit.de.frog

Daddy Long Legs are the best defence.

They wrap them up and eat them

Hellrazer

I was through hell with a bite from one of these last year in June 2019.. I was redoing the decking-changing the planks for new ones and I noticed a red dot for all its worth on my leg. 2 days later I ended up in a+e with a hole the size of a 2 euro coin in my leg that wasn't healing.
Antibiotics and steroids for a week but still nothing but it started spreading down my leg--you could see a red line travelling down my leg through a blood vessel where a second red dot started to form.
Then that one started basically rotting away and I ended up with a second hole in my leg.
4 courses of antibiotics later and 2 courses of steroids and it finally healed but Im left with 2 scars on my leg from the bite which look like just red sunburn now after a year.
It was 100% a false widow as I found loads of them under the old decking planks when I was cutting them up for the skip.
I have pictures saved somewhere (I changed phones and theyre in a backup somewhere) and Ill post them when I find them but theyre not for the squeamish.
Doctor reckons that some people are more affected by the venom than others and Im one of the unlucky ones.

Doctors room ghost

SmartinMartin wrote: »

They're an invasive species so I kill every one I find. There's a surprising amount of them around.

Same with the mink

Sephiroth_dude

Not a CA thread will move to the nature forum