Number of False Widow Spiders Entering Houses Set to Rise

‘They have reached their maximum size, they are ready to breed, they want to find each other so they accidentally come inside houses’

 
Article by Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith
-The Independent 

As the season of Summer leaves us and the season of Autumn arrives, the population in False Widows increases. They are known as the most venomous spiders in the UK and Ireland and their population is set to rise as Autumn settles in. 

The Steatoda Nobilis (another name for False Widows) has been known to be in the UK for the last 130 years.

Even though these creepy crawlies have made the UK their home for the last 130 years, many more have been migrating north and have been entering the country via the south coast of England. 

 

The cause for the rise in False Widows is down to their mating habits. The female widows find somewhere where they think its safe and warm waiting for a mate and the male widows go out hunting for a female to mate with. However, males accidently end up in homes as it matches their preferred enviroment. 

When bitten by a False Widows, the bite is commonly limited to pain around the bite and swelling, sometimes feverishness is occasionally experienced. However, there have been times where victims needed to be taken to hospital for treatment after being bitten. 

 “The false widow is not dangerous to humans and can’t cause the types of reactions we see in the press,”

- Tim Cockerill (Zoologist and TV Presenter) 

Mr. Cockerill also adds "It's technically impossible people can get an allergic reaction to a spider bite, extremely unlikely, I'd say it makes the false widow slightly less dangerous than a peanut."

 

What do I think about this article?

 I think that this article is very informative to 'The Independent's' readers and also the public as not only does it give interesting facts about False Widow spiders but it also alarms the public about their whereabouts and how they operate between each other. 

Additionally, it also gives professional opinions such as Tim Cockerill's who says that False Widows are spiders that should not be worried largely about. I think this is good for people who have a fear of spiders as it would probably reduce their fear.