Warning about spiders.

ratcatcher666

Just wanted to warn other forumites about the dangers of spiders as I ended up in hospital recently. I drove my car out of the garage recently and felt something tickling my foot, looked down and saw a large spider on it. Not sure if it was one of those False Widows as when you look them up on the web they are all different.

By that evening I began to feel unwell which went on for a day or two felt better on Saturday, Sunday I collapsed and  was taken to A&E. I will cut a long story short, following tests I have a bacterial  blood infection, caused a spider bite.

I have no fear of spiders and often removed them by hand for my wife ,who is terrified of them.
but will avoid contact in the future. I did not feel the spider bite  just had a small bright red mark on my foot,looked like a mosquito bite but it had 2 puncture marks. 

fatbelly

Sounds like a false black widow.

I had a bite (also on my foot) that swelled and took a couple of weeks to heal

They are more common in southern counties as that's where they originally landed (this was Devon) and bites peak in October (this was September) as males go wandering in search of a mate

chrisw

Thank you for that!! I don't like them at the best of times.

strawb_shortcake

I was bit by a false widow a few years back, it was sore and I felt when I was bit. 

It was however explained to me when I went to minor injuries that spider was not poisonous. The reaction isn't due to what bit you but how your body responds. Sometimes it may be the person itching, scratching and introducing bacteria themselves

My OH often ends up with a large swelling when bit by some bugs, whereas I get a small spot that I barely notice. Others will have mo visible or physical mark from the same insect.

Postik

I find if I go anywhere grassy in shorts, my legs get bitten. This year we had a picnic and my legs were covered but despite wearing a t-shirt I got bitten on my arms, legs and all over my back. These bites seem to get infected easily and blow up like blisters, then start weeping puss over a period of days. This time I put hydrocortisone on them and they're getting better but in the past I had to have antibiotics as my leg swole up.

It's strange as my kids play out and never get these bites. I figure maybe their skin is thicker or whatever is causing them is attracted to adult sweat.

greensalad

Postik said:

I find if I go anywhere grassy in shorts, my legs get bitten. This year we had a picnic and my legs were covered but despite wearing a t-shirt I got bitten on my arms, legs and all over my back. These bites seem to get infected easily and blow up like blisters, then start weeping puss over a period of days. This time I put hydrocortisone on them and they're getting better but in the past I had to have antibiotics as my leg swole up.

It's strange as my kids play out and never get these bites. I figure maybe their skin is thicker or whatever is causing them is attracted to adult sweat.

I'm the same. Any bite I get (regularly in the summer from walking the dog) swells up horribly. I had one recently on my knee that was incredibly painful! Some people react differently. 

Eldi_Dos

Anyone still turn their shoes or boots upside down and give them a good shake and a few taps incase anything has crawled in during the night?

fatbelly

Early summer seems to be the time for this pest.

https://www.islipsurgery.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/BLandford-fly.pdf

I went to a festival once by slow-moving water and we all got attacked

twopenny

Still worth reminding people about taking care with any bite or what you think may be one.

Our wildlife is mainly harmless that we forget to take it seriously.

I did something really silly and wearing a strappy sun top sat leaning against a mossy tree to read. I got a tick right in my shoulder I couldn't reach. I always watch carefully for signs of infection if I've been bitten

Should have known better on reflection as I live on the moors.

Grenage

We get tons of steadoda down here, just treat them like wasps and don't poke.

You can have a bad reaction to any sting or bite.  Mosquitoes are the worst by a mile for me.

ratcatcher666

Keep_pedalling said:

I call BS, the tests show that you have an infection but they can’t possible show it was related to a spider bite. There are several UK spiders that are capable of biting humans but if you were bitten you would know it at the time because it feels similar to a wasp sting not a tickle. Steatoda nobility (Noble False Widow) and their relatives also not particularly large spiders, pregnant females can get quite fat but the wandering males are tiny compared our non-biting house spiders. especially the males 

An infection can enter the bloodstream though any wound so it is important that cuts, nicks and yes bites from arachnids or insects should be cleaned as bacteria on our skin can enter through the smallest of wounds. 

Spiders like bees and wasps are not blood suckers and do not carry infections diseases so these horror stories are horrible exaggerations, and the arachnids your really should be concerned about are ticks which do carry serious diseases.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1149305/Be_tick_aware_toolkit.pdf

With climate change we are also to see an increased risk of getting mosquito carried infections in the UK, but you really should not have concerned about UK spiders unless you happen to find something crawling out of a bunch of bananas which may have originated in South America.

I disagree, just look at the stories in the media and look at the photographs of the after effects of spider bites. I was definately bitten by a spider , the bite mark was on my foot with 2 puncture marks.I saw the thing crawling on my foot. The Docor said that insects carry bacteria. I have no other wounds and that was the only place the infection could have entered my blood stream. I used to keep bees for several years I am not stupid..

This study by the Ui

https://www.universityofgalway.ie/about-us/news-and-events/news-archive/2021/may/new-study-confirms-noble-false-widow-spiders-bites-can-result-in-hospitalisation.html#