Bee stings, wasp stings and snake bites are the most obvious culprits in sending someone to A&E. But spider bites have been overtaking snake bites in being the top reason for hospitalisations.
They are not native to the UK, but one particular species which has settled here and is a relative of the deadly Black Widow, has been cited as ‘the most venomous spider in Britain’. With spider season now in full force and male spiders venturing indoors to find a mate, a leading spider expert has issued key advice on how to keep the dangerous species out of our homes.
In January, The Telegraph reported that almost 100 people were hospitalised last year with suspected spider bites according to official NHS data – four times as many as a decade ago. Although lots of cases are likely to be misdiagnosed as spider bites, the vast majority of real bites were likely caused by false widows.
How dangerous is the false widow and what happens if you get bitten?
The ‘Bug Doctor’, Dr Michael Dugon, described the bite as causing “a sharp pain similar to a bee or wasp sting”. Although the bite is not lethal, it can result in painful burns, swelling and fever. Bites are rarely witnessed by the victim and there is no typical ‘spider bite syndrome’, therefore it is very difficult to even conclude that a spider has actually caused the bite.
The NHS provides general information on spider bites stating they “leave a small puncture marks on the skin” which can be painful and may cause redness or swelling. The NHS website lists a number of symptoms for which you should seek medical help immediately, such as feeling dizzy or lightheaded, having tummy pain and being stung near your eyes.
One woman underwent emergency surgery after being bitten by a venomous spider that left her feeling her finger would “explode”. The BBC reported in 2023, that she experienced “excruciating” pain after she’d used a pin to pop a painful pimple on her finger. Doctors operated on her finger to clean and remove the infection around her knuckle joint. Although deaths are extremely rare, a 60-year old woman in Hampshire died in 2014 after developing sepsis believed to be linked to a false widow bite, making it one of the UK’s only confirmed fatal cases, The Mirror reports.
How did the false widow spider get to Britain and what can you do to prevent it entering your home?
There are actually three very similar species of false widow spider likely to be found in our homes. One of these, the noble false widow or the Steotoda nobilis (the venomous one), is the largest of the three – females grow up to 14mm and males up to 10mm.
The venomous species of false widows has been transported all over the world and is thought to have made it to the UK in the late 1800s. Thought to have arrived from the Canary Islands in banana boxes in the late 1800s and originally confined to the south coast, they spread to Essex and more recently to the north.
Got a story? Get in touch! [email protected]
Looking for more from MyLondon? Subscribe to our daily newsletters here for the latest and greatest updates from across London.
