Britain's most reliable spider blog.

Legs & Co

2012-01-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

Back in the 1970s, while nosey web [spider's webs] perves like myself were mere spiderlings, there existed a dance troop known as 'Legs & Co'.

Their main purpose being to fill the visual airtime during the play-out of the week's No1, in the days where there were few pop videos other than that weird one with Paul McCartney and his then wife, wandering along a beach with big bags and pipes! 'Milking a tyre', or summat I believe it was called!

Seems Legs and Co have somewhat of a renaissance of late.

Recent observations have proven some spiders can watch a fellow spider's mating dance, learn the best moves and then improve upon them when he gets his moment!

I so want to set this clip to 'Night Fever' by the Bee-Gees, but I'll refrain and just provide an innocent link!

CLICK HERE FOR STORY

Spiders' Guardian angel!

2011-09-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it can be difficult to back up an argument about spiders.

At this time of year, when 'Legs and Co' (and I'm not talking about a 1970's edition of Top of the Pops) are scuttling around your carpets like it's the mini-beast equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing, the last thing an arachnophobic homeowner wants to hear is 'spiders are your friends'.

Ironically, on this clump of constantly morphing data we are brazen enough to call 'The Web', generally, the most likely statements, comments and 'facts' about a fascinating and useful animal are either 'it looks better on the sole of my shoe', or 'eeeeugggh kill it!'

I recently blogged about the ever-predictable presence of the British house spider (Tegenaria species).

It's autumn, so male spiders must search for a mate. There's a little book they read in their tunnel webs (passed from generation to generation), it teaches them (1) never to leave their hidey hole until at least late August, (2) Try not to get stuck in a bath. (3) Favour finding Mrs Spider over finding something to eat. (4) Be on TOTAL alert for predators. (5) Learn to detect ANY movement - it's a threat unless it's a female. (6) Always head back indoors. (7) Last resort is to bite.

It's a book specifically written for a seven-legged animal. I know spiders have eight legs, but most of them read it on the loo before going out on the pull and need a free leg to wipe their spinnerets!

Yep - that's pretty contrived, but most of our arguments for killing spiders are too.

House spiders are an inevitable visitor in autumn and they are, as I say every year, completely harmless. If you are frightened, try not to squish them. Plonk 'em outside if you must - they just want to scour your skirting board for a female friend. Most will die after mating through the shear exhaustion of wandering around for weeks.

It always astounds me that one of Britain's more impressive arthropods is vilified with such resounding hatred from all corners.

The Guardian's John Moore recently bigged up team Tegenaria with this sensible scribe in prose only I can dream of constructing!

Guardian Article: House Spiders

Making the point that children have a natural, un-deterred urge to touch spiders through their general explorative intrigue, the article quotes Stuart Hine, of the Natural History Museum and suggests our fear of these animals is more 'nurture than nature'. Mummy and Daddy will say "NO - don't touch that!" instilling fear through association.

My 19-month-old niece recently pulled her grandfather in the direction of a magazine on a table, while making a spider-like scuttling motion with her hand. When he looked at the photo she was pointing at the spider-like green stalk head on a tomato. So it's clear that even at that age, there is an association between the eerie scuttling motion and the spider shape.

I just hope my sister (a total arachnophobe) doesn't besmirch spiders to such a degree that my niece becomes another squisher!

Spiderham (nothing to do with Homer Simpson's Spider Pig)

A quick note. My boss recently recalled a childhood memory of a spider scuttling away from a kitchen worktop, carrying a piece of meat. He seemed pretty sure he saw it happen!

I was a little sceptical about this, as most arachnids subdue live insect prey with either a neurotoxin (paralyses by shutting down nervous system) or an agatoxin (paralyses by shutting down muscular mechanisms).

They tend to use this technique as an alternative to having a fridge! They leave prey wrapped up in silk in suspended animation, but still alive with insect blood hydraulically coursing through their exoskeleton.

Then, when they fancy a snack they return to the web and use a digestive enzyme to biodegrade the contents of said insect, which can then be sucked up by the spider.

I didn't imagine for one minute that a spider would be interested in cooked or processed mammalian meat, but on a tedious search of the web, I found similar accounts and observations by other folk.

The general consensus on this seemingly unlikely scenario is that spiders possibly have a 'taste' sense and are aware of organic materials which may attract insects like flies and ants and wasps, so occasionally, when the opportunity arises, they will carry our mealtime detritus to their web as bait for their own mealtime!

Stay webwise folks.

Gav.

Autumn - Tegenaria tastic

2011-08-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

OK - it's begun. The eight-legged dash.

Perhaps it's early, but it's inevitable. The UK's most common biggies have ventured out to look for a mate.

Tegenaria Duellica, Domestica and Atrica are on the loose!

Perfectly normal for the UK (if a little early).

Spotted these two males (I actually think they are both Duellica - one's a juvenile) tonight on top of my oven and trapped them before releasing them outside!

These are what we Brits call 'house spiders', yet it's only now, at the start of autumn that we notice them in our homes!

Fat pedipalps (club like appendages) - males.

Some of this story doesn't have legs

2011-06-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

Our bastion of 'quality' news, the British Broadcasting Corporation flails wildly in poorly researched directions with what is actually quite an attractive story here.

US workers in Kent wisely spotted and trapped a female black widow spider (Latrodectus) at Chatham Docks, which had legged it into Blighty on cars imported from the States.
The amorous alien (she was carrying hundreds of spiteful spiderlings in her sac) was handed to a Maidstone vet in a takeaway carton.

It's not unheard of. Black widows have, in recent history, made it into the UK on US-imported goods.
They're not generally as dangerous as the reputation that proceeds them, but I would doubt most UK A&E departments have the anti venom to slake the pain should one pinch a pasty Brit!

* Note to 'Mr Rowland, of the Trinity Vet Centre', Latrodectus species don't weave funnel-shaped webs. They are tangle web spiders which spin clever individual strand lines to ensnare unsuspecting prey!

* Note to the BBC - Black widow spiders are one of the most 'Venomous', not 'Poisonous' species in the world. Both male and female of the species are venomous!

Click photo-link for full story.

Mind my web... will ya!.... tut

2011-06-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

Multiple news sources report a study about spiders (Orb Weavers in Oz) suggesting that our eight legged pals get so irritated by unwanted web intrusions that they repair unwanted web damage with warning crosses to highlight the fact there's a web!

LINK FROM TIMES OF INDIA

Awww, look at her dimples!

2011-05-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

I received an email from an arachnipedia visitor called Tony in West Yorkshire, Birstall, to be exact, asking for identification of the spider you see here.
It's not a spider I've ever seen in the flesh, but I know it's a Steatoda Bipunctata - distant relative of the Australian Red Back and the fearsome Black Widow. The distinctive dual dimples in a large abdomen confirm to me this is a female!
But it's also a relative of many Steatoda or (false widow) spiders in the UK.
The Bipunctata tends to lurk in and favour animal compounds/habitats (it doesn't eat animals - it eats the flies) hence its nickname, 'The Rabbit Hutch Spider'.
It's a harmless spider, but, one capable of a nip which may sting a bit!
Stay webwise!
The Natural History Museum has a detailed description of Steatoda species HERE

A spider in the bath....

2011-04-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Looking at old kids' TV shows I might now remember what sparked my interest!

Gorgeous little film.

VIDEO

Eight legs, but they still hitch a lift

2011-04-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

Australia's real biggie, the huntsman spider, is known for causing minor prangs on motorways as it drops down from behind sun visors in cars, startling drivers and passengers alike.
Modern legend has it that spiders are feared more in Australia for this scenario than for their venom these days.
Breakfast Radio presenter Belinda King, of Hobart, Tasmania's 936 ABC Radio interviewed Dr Robert Raven, Head of Terrestrial Biodiversity at Queensland Museum, today and asked just why Huntsman spiders like to take a ride.
Click HERE to visit the site and hear the broadcast.

And a quick 'Ko'- nod to the Japanese

My boss drew my attention to this today. CLICK HERE

I must admit, If I had the cash.....

We're too 'hard-on' spiders

2011-03-11T19:33:00.000-08:00

I'd read, some time ago, that the toxins in the venom of Brazilian wandering spiders were, let's say a bit off-kilter.

The wandering spider is perhaps the fruit-seller's nightmare. It's that most-feared arachnid that is always willing to boldly go where no other spider has gone before. It clings to banana plants and has been found in the UK many times in fruit imports.
But usually it's spotted scratting at the celophane from the inside IF it makes it alive onto our shop shelves (which is very rare).

But it could help us live long and prosper.

You see, aside from the dreadful neurotoxins and other arachni-nastiness the wandering spider (the world's only commonly fatal eight-legged beast) this lump of legs has a trick up its weave.

How can I put this in a tasteful way?

There's a condition called Priapism. The permanent engorgement of blood in the penis or clitoris. It can be fatal.
The wandering spider's venom 'puts lead in your pencil' basically!
I'd read this years ago, but felt a bit icky about it!

Anyway, seems science bods are now trying to create some synthetic 'Viagra' from spider venom.

Sounds great, as long as I don't find myself getting my eight legs over!

Stay webwise folks!

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/TechandScience/Story/STIStory_644012.html

2010-11-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

It's answer time!

I asked: "Which of the spiders below isn't a UK native?"

It was ages ago. Few answers came in, but all were wrong! I kind of wanted to have that result! Once again giving spiders a [ninth] leg to stand on, my mini-poll proved we fear things that are slightly different or provocative.

The plain-looking [A] picture is a white-tail spider. A fearsome foe to those down under. Not particularly dangerous, but capable of a bite you'd know about. Can pack a punch and capable of a bugger of a bite! This was the correct answer.

The interestingly fearsome [B] picture is of a woodlouse spider. Common in the UK.

The gorgeous [C] is a Ladybird Spider. Admittedly, they ARE a bit hard to come by, but are found in the UK and are totally harmless!

The results were....
A: 0 %
B: 66 %
C: 16 %
None: 16%

All credit to blogger for a percentage that doesn't add up!

Widows peak!

2010-10-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last blogged. Somewhat of a fail for a site that self acclaims itself as Britain's most frequently updated spider blog!
But I hope the following covers all bases. Click on highlighted words for more/previous posts within this article.

From time to time, people do actually visit this site [I KNOW - it surprises me too] and send me emails asking for identification of spiders. Many are simply common housespiders and (I admit) some are too obscure or small and I struggle to put a name to a fang, with my knowledge.
But of all the spider photos I've received while this site has been online, I received a photo of one of my personal holy grails recently, and probably of many amateur arachnologist in the UK.
The photo above is of a False Widow Spider (Steatoda Nobilis). One of a number of spiders in the UK related to the Redbacks of Australia and the much maligned Black Widow (Lactrodectus)

The contributor who sent the photo merely asked for identification of a spider she and her husband found in their kitchen in the South East of England. This immediately rang true, as their British hotbed is in the South East.
It's not a particularly dangerous spider, compared to its neurotoxin-laden cousins elsewhere on earth, but it has a bit of a tabloid reputation for being Britain's most venomous spider. If the links I've placed on the words above work, you can read more about Steatoda Nobilis elsewhere on my blog.

This BBC One Show video explains the Steatoda genus. It initially reports on Steatoda Grossa, which is an obvious twin of the black widow. The later part of the report features the Nobilis. CLICK HERE

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THE GOOD OLD BBC ONE Show did itself proud again on Thursday (21/10/10) {BST}

Dr George McGavin, fresh from his jaunts in The Land of the Lost Tiger (BBC TV), went on the hunt for the Tube Web Spider (segestria) in the UK to demonstrate this arachnid's amazing ability to sense prey at the entrance to its silken tube.
A few months back, Dr George did a similar report about the woodlouse hunting spider (dysdera crocata) and actually let the female hunter sink its fangs into his finger as an example of how SOME British spiders give a significant bite. I, of course went a bit naughty with a woodlouse spider and watched it eat another spider. WATCH HERE!
I noticed he didn't do the same with the tube web, which One Show presenter Alex Jones incorrectly described in George's intro as 'funnel web'.
The tube web is another Mediterranean export, like the False Widow. And it too gives a painful bite. Has nice irridescant green fang casings though! BBC Devon recently made this report
Interestingly, I read that the tube web is one of the three largest spiders found in the UK. To my knowledge, the top three were raft spiders (dolomedes), cave spiders (meta menardi) and the Giant Housespider (Tegenaria Duellica).

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Have I got screws for you.

The BBC TV show Have I got News for You, in its 'missing words round', treated anyone who wasn't previously afraid of spiders, but might possibly be now, to a pun about 'giant sex-mad spiders in your home'.
This was a reference to the giant housespider (Tegenaria Duellica (formerly gigantea)
which is one of three types of large housespider common in UK homes from August to late October.
To be fair, the tabloids must have had a few slow news days with this story making page three in some papers........

"An army of sex mad giant spiders is invading the UK".

Once again, read elsewhere on my blog! The Tegenaria genus, as is similar with other spiders, lurks in your skirting board all year and then the males wander in autumn to look for a mate. That's why you see them scuttling around. They're not after your toes.
Males actually mate (if they find a girlfriend) and then die in front of her through exhaustion. But then the female DOES eat him to build herself up for birth! Not like the black widow, where canabilism takes place immediately after mating!
When you find a big housespider in your bath, the 'sex-mad giant spider' is merely attracted by water droplets on his knackering, thirst inducing quest for a female!
Once again, as I always say, killing spiders does you no favours. They are the ultimate at killing flies, wasps, moths, beetles.
And if you MUST get rid of them, just trap them and put them outside.

Nature's mosquito net!

2010-09-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

We all like spiders... right? We all want them to be stronger, larger and more impressive?

Well, it seems there are some amazing specimens out there in Madagascar, where an orb web has been found spanning a river by 80m.
Not only does the newly-discovered Darwin's Bark Spider take the prize for its sheer catchment area, but, according to scientists, its silk has, gram for gram, stronger properties than teflon!
Read about it here

Generally, as I always say, September is spider month in the UK. Great Tegenaria whoppers crawling about looking for their future spouses. There are also many, many cellar spiders around too at the moment.
The BBC's recent Lost Land of the Tiger featured the marvelous Dr George McGavin [alas very few spiders in the programme], although Dr McGavin did recently present a piece on the BBC's One Show, where he volunteered to be bitten by a female woodlouse spider. Rather him than me, but still.. fascinating.

Anyway, happy huntings and please don't squish housespiders.

Crikey it's big!

2010-08-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

No, that's not a carry on style header to a rude photo (and I do apologise if that was your search term and it brought you here).
Hmmm, yes, good old housespiders are the topic of conversation here.

I almost get bored of these spiders (surprising when spiders fascinate me).

I've had a few emails, and recently messages on Twitter, asking what these big spiders everyone is seeing at the moment are.
Plainly and simply, they are of the Tegenaria genus. You'll probably see many of them between now and early November. Having said that, they did seem to get sprinting across carpets earlier this year.
Generally they tend to be present from mid-September onwards. I don't really know why they've sprung to life two weeks earlier this year, but it's a bit of a pattern because I remember 2006 being similar.
Tegenaria are a totally harmless spider, but they CAN get quite large. Tegenaria Duellica (formerly Gigantea) can have a leg span of more than 13mm. Aside from the European Cave Spider and the Fen Raft Spider (neither of which you're likely to witness with ease) Tegenaria are undoubtedly the UK's largest arachnid. They once held the record for the world's fastest spider, even beating the Australian/Kiwi Huntsman (also harmless) until, during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan drew people's attention to the Sun Spider or Camel Spider, which can run at 24mph. (However the Camel Spider is a solfigud and is technically a scorpion - I won't get bogged down here!)
So, those big buggers you'll see at this time of year. Can they bite? Back to my old argument. ALL spiders WILL try to bite when trapped. It's all down to how wide they can open their jaws. Generally, Tegenaria spiders (which do have a fairly potent venom) are highly unlikely to be able to widen their jaws enough to pierce flesh.
Tegenaria spiders are not known to bite and even where there have been reports of them biting in the UK, it's usually just an itchy irritation and a red mark.
The possible exception is Tegenaria Agrestis, which, while present in the UK, is feared in the USA, as the infamous 'Hobo Spider', which has lead to necrosis in bites.
The massive spiders you see in your homes in Autumn in the UK are most likely Tegenaria Duellica or Tegenaria Domestica. If you're really lucky (or unlucky if yo hate them) you might spot the rarer Tegenaria Atrica.
All four main Tegenaria species mate in autumn and go looking for some eight-legged naughtiness at this time of year. You're more likely to see a male than a female. They are easy to sex. The males have boxing glove-like pedipalps (sex glands) which look like odd feelers at either side of their mouthparts.
Honestly, please respect Tegenaria spiders. They are so harmless you wouldn't believe it. I know people have phobias, but there are worse bugs in our homes than spiders.
I include a photo of a Tegenaria Duellica sent to me for identification via twitter from a tweeter called @Jakemacphereson

He wasn't a fan of the spider he (thankfully) didn't kill, and, to be honest, it is a particularly big one.
This post ends sounding as rude as it started!

ARACHNIPEDIA for 2010

2010-05-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

Surprise visit.

2010-05-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

I HAVE three favourite spiders. Some would think that weird.

My first being the Australian redback. A Latrodectus spider, closely related to the infamous American black widow (we have far less-dangerous, related steatoda species in the UK, like the Nobilis [false widow] and Bipuncta [rabbit hutch spider]). My second favourite is the Fen raft spider (Dolomedes).
Thirdly, the woodlouse spider (Dysdera Crocata).
I'm particularly curious about the redback, as it is so commonly found in and around houses right across Australia, is dangerous, yet hasn't killed a human in decades. If I ever visited Australia, I'd be looking for redbacks everywhere, both through fear and interest.
The raft spiders are incredibly rare, so I'd also like to see one of them too, as they live in the UK, near streams and eat small fish!
Most of my knowledge about spiders is purely based on what I've read, not what I've seen! I'm enthusiastic about common spiders we find in our homes all the time, but I'm excited when I stumble upon an arachnid I've not only read about, but have taken the time to search for.

Dysdera Crocata (The woodlouse spider) has elluded me for years. Arguably one of Britain's most venomous spiders, it's an unusual looking animal. Red thorax, orange legs. Creamy grey abdomen, and MASSIVE chelicerae.
In fact, despite the fact I've read about this spider in great detail, watched youtube videos, read toxicology reports about its bite, written about it on this site, more than once! (CLICK HERE) (AND HERE), I have to admit I felt a teeny bit tentative when a young male strayed into my bathroom yesterday. I didn't have a light on, but, in semi darkness, identified it in my mind as a mere mouse spider (herpyllus blackwalli). I was wrong!
I was inquisitive and switched on the light. Bloody Hell, it's a woodlouse spider!
They aren't anywhere near deadly. They have a bite with very little neurotoxin, but it is very acidic, much like a wasp sting. People have been hospitalised by these spiders. I've always said though, unless you know which species it is, you should never handle a spider or scorpion.
Woodlouse Spiders aren't endangered, but they are quite unusual to find indoors, or to spot at all really.
They have the largest chelicerae of any spider in the UK, which is scarily obvious when you see one in the flesh!
They're not particularly massive spiders either. Very robust though. Like little, red armoured tanks.

So, the young male I kept from the other night.
It's easily identified as a male. It's abdomen is relatively slender. Females have bulbous abdomens. Males have a massive thorax. As with all spiders, the male has pedipalps (boxing glove-like bulbous feelers either side of its mouthparts). Pedipalps are sex organs in the spider world, but not in crustaceans. Evolution is very weird.

The young male dysdera crocata I kept has now been fed. I have him in a container. I found woodlice and he has eaten two.

A small mouse spider (herpyllus blackwalli) wandered into my flat earlier. I trapped it, totally humanely, and, as an experiment, dropped it into the woodlouse spider's tub. The woodlouse spider absolutely desecrated it. As far as I know, dysdera don't predate on other spiders, so I presume it saw it as threat to its food supply.

Anyway, I include some photos. Unfortunately, said Mr Woodlouse Spider chose to fold back his fangs for every picture, but I'll be keeping him for a while, as long as I have a supply of woodlouse! I'm determined to snap those bl**dy massive fangs!
I'm uploading three pictures. One of them shows the woodlouse spider walking away from the remains of the mouse spider I dropped in. And they WERE remains. It annihilated it! Click on any photo for a larger view.

He's not that tasty, but I'll eat him anyway...

2009-12-18T20:13:00.000-08:00

Researchers have claimed that cannabilistic species of spiders find their husband prey less tasty CLICK HERE

In a week where octopusses were observed using tools, (CLICK HERE) it seems the eight-legged amongst us are getting ideas. If a crab opens a burger bar in the next few days, I'm booked on one of Branson's new Virgin Galactic flights... you mark my words!

12 months, but still only eight legs!

2009-11-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

I believe, for reasons only known to the calendar, that Arachnipedia (in it's current blogspot state) is now a year old.

It is currently still in a state of redesign. But I PROMISE to provide videos in the new, updated and redesigned guise.

This should all go live in January.

In the meantime, please, if you have spider photos to identify, or just want to drop me a line, the address, as always is gavinpow77@btinternet.com

Season's meetings

2009-09-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when one string leads to another and we see/hear the patter of tiny feet, in their (spiders') hope that, come January, the eight-legged amongst us will do and celebrate the same.

September is spider month. Always has been, always will be. Tegenaria duellica will be roaming your living room. Orb weavers will be spinning gorgeous webs in your garden.

Many folk will be screaming, squishing and panicking. Yawn!

Britain's most noticeable spiders breed in September and October.

Rich pickings for spider lovers this year it seems. (Hate to blow my own trumpet, but I do, ahem, believe I predicted this in an earlier post on this very site).

From the BBC.....

CLICK HERE FOR BBC VIDEO REPORT

2009-08-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

This blog is currently under a serious redesign and therefore, the web is somewhat tangled.

However, all previous posts and links should still work as they always did. Videos should play and pictures should show.... if a little muddled!

Adverts, however, will now plonk themselves literally anywhere!

For this I am sorry.

I hope to begin blogging merrily away on a completely redesigned site in January. This will have the spider identification pages I have mentioned before.

Lurking in a broom cupboard for too long, you WILL find spiders in your closet...

2009-08-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

Bit of a jovial entry here.

Spiders have evaded me for some time now. Disappointing really, when one is trying to trap, snap them and then write about them. Summer has seemingly been and gone and then arrived again.

You mark my words though, Tegenaria species will be stonkers this autumn.

Perfect summer. Very warm and very wet. Insects a-plenty for them to feed upon. These arachnids are the large species group that Brits know and usually detest.

I'd be amazed if there weren't thousands of them crawling out come the third week in September. This is the time they generally look to mate.

So if you see one, Pleeeeeeease don't kill it.

They are the largest genus of UK spiders (give or take the raft spiders and cave spiders, that we never come into contact with).

Like I always say, leave big house spiders alone, or move them outside humanely.

Always better to trap them in a cup or suchlike. Like most large spiders, they have an ability to bite. Tegenaria species generally hide away and fake death rather than attack. But if large and cornered, may try to nip. They are not at all dangerous and their bite (at its rarest worst) could feel like a mild bee sting.

Anyway, back to my entry.

Not trying to be a showbiz ligger here, but please enjoy this small insight into TV presenter Philip Schofield's late night antics! - it IS spider-related.

He could obviously handle Gordon the Gopher, but when he realised an eight-legged beast was going live in their bedroom, he went into twitter mode......

However,

Time to 'Echo' what I said....

2009-07-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote this.......

"Some time ago (can be found a l-o-n-g way down this blog somewhere) I predicted the false widow spider [steatoda nobilis] would continue spreading in the UK. Although not much of a prediction really, more of a statement of the bleedin' obvious!

Well, apparently (according to 'the press') the spider is, now, heading northwards! Although, I suspect this eternal story is a staple favourite of journos in the usual summer copy drought, or 'silly season'. I think I've read the headline 'Dangerous spider spreads across the UK' every summer, since I first took an interest in the eight-legged beasts!

But still, it's fact I guess, and definately worth a mention on Arachnipedia."

So here, loyal readers, at the very end of July, as the 'copy drought' of which I spoke hits, The Dorset Echo informs its readers that an arachnid that has lived in the area for decades [The one, the only, Steatoda Nobilis] is still living in the area. And just to illustrate it is in the area, the paper's photographer 'paps' the spider (actually no larger than a five pence piece) in such a way to make it look like it has just stepped out of the set of the fourth Harry Potter film!

FULL STORY HERE

2009-07-20T21:03:00.001-07:00

Time to dispel a few myths. Oh daddy-oh, there are quite a few here....

It's an issue I've meant to address for ages on arachnipedia.

Daddy-long-legs spiders.

Now

there's an interesting piece of folklore around these (or some of their closely related arthropods). Even comedian Ricky Gervais plays on this completely unsubstantiated garbage in his stand-up performance 'Animals'.

Quoting the joke (In reference to a cranefly): "Yeah, you're unsteady on your feet, but you have the most powerful venom known to man". Cranefly: "But I have no means of administering it - I have no teeth!"

Well, it goes something like that anyway.

I have to admit that two or three years ago, I wasn't too sure about the facts on this eit

her!

There are three very common arthropods we all see in the UK with the 'daddy-long-legs' characteristics. And these are the facts.

(1) Crane-fly/Daddy-long-legs: A seasonal insect seen worldwide and common in British summers/autumn. Particularly irritating due to its gangling legs and attraction to light. It does not bite. The ones with a sharpened extrusion at the end of their abdomen are females - this is an ovipositor and not a stinger. Males have a blunted end to their abdomen. There are several species of this insect. Some look like giant gnats. The only threat this animal poses is that it lays its eggs in the ground and resulting larvae are the feared Leatherjackets that can eat awayy at roots. This insect is not venomous in any way. It is not a spider OR an arachnid of any type.

(2) Harvestman: These are a bit of an anomaly. They are an eight-legged invertebrate animal, which belong to a sub-category of arachnid called Opil

iones. There are thousands of these species. Far more than there are spiders. I wouldn't even start to go into sub-species, because I wouldn't even know what the hell I was talking about! Out of my depth there!

Harvestman are, while being arachnids, not actually spiders, and are more closely related to scorpions, ticks and some lice. But they are not insects and do not have a significant bite!

(3) Pholcidae/Pholcid Spider/Cellar Spider: (TOP PHOTO) This is a reclusive arachnid of the sub-species araneomorphae, which is common and spread worldwide. It is a spindly and fragile animal, which has uncate fangs. Uncate fangs are small non-protrudin

g chelicerae, designed for killing prey of a similar size. In the USA, the feared Brown Recluse/Fiddle Spider also has uncate chelicerae and can kill small animals such as lizards. There is no proof that any spider in the frail Pholcidae genus could be dangerous.

In 2004, the US television series MythBusters set out to test the age-old 'They're the most dangerous animal on the planet, but don't have teeth big enough' theory.

Result = Itchy arms from Pholcid spiders (which probably do give a nip) and that was it!

Incidentally, the spindly, dainty weakling that is the cellar/pholcid spider, eats (in the UK) all Tegenaria species, mouse spiders and much much more! In America, it is known for predating on the black widow. And in Australia, it eats the Redback and its much larger cousin the huntsman. Watch this NetworkTen video from Australia

And we worry that it might bite us 'cos of a 90s urban legend?

Summer spiders

2009-07-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been an interesting few weeks for the topic of arachnids.

Massive orb-weavers in people's gardens, spiders that build their own 'waxworks' and even Michael Jackson's untimely death and its flood of new stories gets a mention here.

Seems the king of pop may have used the cover story of a spider bite after he turned up late to a hearing as part of his child abuse trial in 2002. According to some reports, he had been injecting heroin and a needle had broken off in his leg. Ewww. Poor, misguided, mess of a guy! But spiders as an excuse? That's BAD!

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

It's an unusual British summer. Perhaps mainly because it has been sunny, but also because there has been a massive influx of larger spiders indoors. Our bigger arachnids tend to scurry into our houses from September onwards - usually to look for a mate.

Temperatures of +30c over past weeks have tempted some of our more fearsome spiders indoors to cool off. I've seen a plethora of tegenaria species in my house (usually seen indoors in autumn). My sister and her husband have spoken of an elongated spider they have been seeing around their house recently, and I wonder if it is maybe the woodlouse spider. I include a photo of the woodlouse spider for identification purposes in case anyone else spots it. Handle carefully though. It has a nasty nip.

Anyway, I'll sign off here with the Rory Bremner of the spider world. An arachnid that seemingly builds a double of itself in its web from detritus.

Well, if I had eight arms I'd do the same. Wouldn't you?

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Photo. Woodlouse Spider. (C) Encyclopedia Brittanica

'It can give a nip'

2009-06-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

The wonderful (and so say I) BBC current affairs programme 'The One Show' has been a treat this week.

Dr George McGavin has been on hand with his UK spring insect VTs.

He's also been there for the viewers too, sending in their snaps of critters nationwide, wanting analysis. I'd like to say I was an expert of his esteem, but I could personally only identify two of the 'critter pics' sent in by the public.

The wasp beetle and the much-under-rated and hidden bitey bugger, the woodlouse spider. [RIGHT: Photo courtesy of wildaboutbritain.co.uk].

Dr McGavin didn't leave out the fact that the desdera crocata genus can give a 'nip'. Fangs for that George!

Although, he did examine booklice in a woman's kitchen cupboard. I was always lead to believe that booklice are pseudoscorpians [little scorpion-like arachnids with pincers, but no stinger] - saw enough of them when I recently tidied out my own cupboard. [Picture of booklouse/pseudoscorpian included (courtesy augsburg.edu].

Dr George McGavin, by the way, has a website, with fascinating videos. He lectures at Oxford Uni and is also Professor of entymology at the University of Derby.

Read all about him and watch videos here George McGavin

No fighting in here lads (or ladies!)

2009-06-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

Seems these days the eight-legged amongst us come looking for me, rather than the other way around. Spiders can't log on to arachipedia, .... can they?.....

No sooner had I snapped the long-jawed orb-weaver and uploaded it, I had barely packed away my camera before I made a quick visit to the loo, and in a very grimy and dusty corner of my shower area two spiders were dueling.

I rushed to grab my cam, thinking this was some mating ritual between one species. However, it was, in fact, one very fat, fearsome-looking female mouse spider [Herpyllus Blackwalli] encroaching onto the territory of a smaller (male I think) tegenaria spider.

I actually think it's a juvenile Gigantia or Duellica. I can't quite see its markings properly, but can't be sure what else it would be in the house at this time of year. I don't think it's an agrestis (markings are probably wrong). At least I hope it isn't an agrestis anyway. [Hobo spider in the states].

I knew the mouse spider was in the bathroom. I'd seen her a few times before and even warned my mum she was in there just a week ago!

I don't honestly know which would win in a fight, but the mouse spider ran away first. Nor do I know which is the most venomous (to each other), but I presume it must have been the mouse spider that was trespassing, as (to my knowledge) tegenaria spiders are funnel web spiders and mouse spiders generally don't build a web.

I love spiders, but that pair (considering they are both biting species) might have to go, if I can find them, or if they manage to eat each other - whichever is the sooner!

Stay webwise folks!

Jaw blimey!

2009-06-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

While having a nosey at bumblebees in my parents' garden, I snapped this long-jawed orb weaver, presumably on the prowl for afforementioned bees. Unfortunately, the photos aren't the best ever. The light and wind on the bush were playing havoc with the focus on the macro function of my camera.

I have to admit, I hadn't seen this particular spider in the wild before, and although I definitely knew it was an orb weaver, I couldn't say which one. A member of the Tetragnathidae family, the long-jawed orb weaver is common in the UK, and worldwide.

Like many orb-weaving spiders in Britain, it has been known to give a bit of a nip. It has lengthy chelicerae (fangs), hence the name 'long-jawed'.

It is, fortunately to us, nowhere near as massive as the golden orb-weaver (featured elsewhere on this blog) which has been known to capture birds in Australia.

In case you're wondering, both the long-jawed and golden orb-weavers are harmless to humans!

Hmmm... as I predicted.....

2009-05-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

Some time ago (can be found a l-o-n-g way down this blog somewhere) I predicted the false widow spider [steatoda nobilis] would continue spreading north in the UK. Although not much of a prediction really, more of a statement of the bleedin' obvious!

VIEW ON VIDEO: Steatoda Nobilis (BBC 2008)

Well, apparently (according to 'the press') the spider is, now, heading northwards! Although, I suspect this eternal story is a staple favourite of journos in the usual summer copy drought, or 'silly season'. I think I've read the headline 'Dangerous spider spreads across the UK' every summer since I first took an interest in the eight-legged beasts!

But still, it's fact I guess, and definately worth a mention on Arachnipedia.

So, here's the link http://current.com/items/90069751_venomous-spider-spreading-breeds-in-britain.htm

A Mediterranean species of arachnid, introduced to the UK in the 1800s, through fruit carriage, the false widow is similar to, and related to the notorious Latrodectus family (black widow), found in America and some southern parts of Europe, and the potentially deadly Australian redback.

The spider [steotoda) has had somewhat of a stronghold in some south western and south eastern areas of the UK for decades. It has been noted in Dorset since the 1980s and has been reported as a biter with nasty symptoms, including arythmia, swelling and flu-like illness.

Generally, its bite should be no more frightening or painful than a bad bee or wasp sting. But people can react differently.

It is also true that its tropical cousins the black widow and Ozzie redback have very dangerous bites, but should be noted that fatalities from these bites are incredibly rare, with the last redback fatality back in the 1950s - and it was a young child which sadly died.

So, on that basis, just remember that the false widow has venom nowhere near as powerful as its tropical counterparts.

As I always say though, don't push it, all spiders have venom, most will try to bite if trapped, and some will nip. So, best really to leave them alone and not handle them.

Stay webwise folks. Gav xx

Ladybird Spider

2008-12-26T20:33:00.000-08:00

Just to show Libby (my sister) that they aren't all horrid (not that any of them are), this is the Ladybird spider (Eresus cinnaberinus). And it IS a British spider (one of the country's rarest in fact!).

BBC VIDEO OF LADYBIRD SPIDER

The reason I pinpointed this spider is that it is one of the longest living spiders - (you asked why the one in my window lived for two years!) The Ladybird spider can live for about five years. And also, it is, if a spider can be cuddly looking, perhaps one of the most attractive spiders in the world.
It is only found in certain areas of moorland in the UK. I believe it could be found on Thorne Moors at one time.
Thing is, folk don't often realise we have fancy spiders like this in the UK!

He's gone! :(

2008-12-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

The little fella in my bathroom has officially buggered off/died. Perhaps this is a signal to get my flat in order. I have webs to put Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to shame! Six days without the bog spider - I guess he's dead!
But that is a tiny animal that has lived there for two years. Pretty amazing animal. I've watched him for two years. Crazy little critters if you ask me. Some people (my sister included) just squish them! Eughhhhh!
If I had to live in a window and eat flies, I'd find a morgue window frame! I just feel sorry for the poor little buggers inhabiting windows at Woolies! Windolene ain't quite as tasty as a bluebottle for them.
Mind you, there'll be some beauties at the MFI warehouse off the M18 at Doncaster come April.
Big up the eight-legged beasts!
Stay webwise folks.

xx Gav.

Spider intelligence?

2008-12-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting question. How intelligent is a spider?
Are they just irritating beasts?
Now, obviously, I KNOW they aren't. But I may have just recently conducted a fascinating experiment purely by accident.
About a year ago, perhaps even longer ago, a spider set up camp in my bathroom window. A humble little amaurobius similis.
I wasn't bothered by him/her. And so, this relationship continued for months. It just sat there on the window ledge every day. Regardless of whether I was using the loo, cleaning my teeth, or just having a shower. It was always in the same position. Never bothered it and it never bothered me.
Now, you can call me cruel, or maybe experimental, but about two weeks ago, a smallish tegenaria spider (domestica - too small to be duellica or gigantea) crawled across my sofa. I grabbed him in a beaker and popped him on the windowsill in my bathroom. The amaurobius similis did what I can only describe as packed his bags. At the point I dropped the larger spider, the little amaurobious tried to attack, backed off and disappeared. Then, for days, the tegenaria spider actually sat guarding the web I'd dropped it in, belonging, in fact to the amaurobius similis.
Then I felt very guilty. This little spider had been there for a year. I even had a holiday abroad and came back to see the little fella sat there.
Then, bizarrely, this week, the very same amaurobius similis started appearing around my flat. Obviously looking for warmth or food. Tonight I went to the windowsill, checked the web, found the tegenaria (yes, it was still there - thinking 'cheers mate, you gave me free food here when you dropped me here) removed it and put it outside.
I then found the amaurobius similis, caught it in my hand, left it on the bathroom wall, and, I HAVE to report, it has taken up its usual residence in the silk it laid in my bathroom window frame.

Spiders. They don't give them eight legs for nothing!
Stay webwise folks.

xx Gav.

I'm a spider get me out of here

2008-11-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

It's that unfortunate, yet oddly addictive, time of year again when ITV's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here nibbles away at our better judgement and suckers in audiences for sick-making scenes of 'slebs' chowing down on those poor, unfortunate arthropods.
Already, Joe Swash has eaten two yellow-tale scorpions. At least they were dead as he sunk in his teeth. Interestingly, I doubt they were Australian solifugae though - looked more like the common European variety, so not really true Oz bushtucker!
The new titles for the show/in-programme inserts have an occasional sting featuring the brilliant Netcasting Spider/Stick spider (Deinopis subrufa). Common in gardens right across that wonderful spiders' web of a continent, the deinopis is a completely harmless arachnid (to humans anyway) that grows very large and cleverly back-comes its silk. Being unlike the silk of most spiders, it has no adhesive property, hence, if the animal built a web with it, insects would land and then just hop off!

Click here for video DEINOPIS SUBRUFA

Just for the hell of it, here's the titles for the current series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

Click here for video IACGMOOH

Deinopis (species of which also inhabit parts of South America) has cunningly evolved to, as I say, back-come the silk to give it a spring-loaded effect. It builds a triangular blanket web between its four front legs and uses one of its back legs to hold the 'net' in place, with silk outstretched, using the elasticity it has created with the back-coming to make it taught, spotting prey and then literally launching and catching it in its net.
Like most true arachnids, deinopis subrufa has eight eyes. Despite this, the majority of spiders have relatively poor eyesight. However, Deinopis subrufa has evolved two of its eight eyes as MASSIVE eyes that mark the animal out among most other similar species. These eyes are reminiscent of the eyes of maybe a small mammal like a fieldmouse or bush baby. This spider has often been nicknamed the ogre-face because of its fearful face, hence the name 'Deinopis subrufa', which pretty much translates as fearful appearance, or face.
So, that's the wonderful netcasting spider of Australia - completely harmless to humans. Think of it as the stick insect of the spider kingdom.
I see that tomorrow's I'm A Celebrity ... features spiders, notably huntsmans, another massive, but harmless Ozzie critter. I swear, if I see one of those animals maimed in anyway, I will be writing to Ofcom and the RSPCA - forget Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross! Harm a spider and I mean war!

Stay webwise folks.

Gav XXX

Forgot about the littlest hobo!

2008-10-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

Just a little update here on my blog.
Aside from the massive T.Duellica/Gigantea specimen I photographed/videod (featured in a video at the bottom of this blog), I was just reminded of the Tegenaria agrestis by a US contributor.
This is the smaller cousin of the Gigantea, domestica and other tegenaria species. It IS a UK native. I have always been lead to believe it lives in grass/woodland in Europe. It's a strange one really. No UK bites have ever been recorded from the Agrestis (I also believe that its name is nothing to do with aggressiveness and more to do with grass (a-grass-tis) I suppose.
However, in the US it is known as the Hobo spider. I'll be honest here - I never give these spiders a second thought when I see them here in Doncaster, UK. To me they are very stumpy little Tegenaria spiders and I just bracket them all together as one bunch, catch them in a beaker and let them out.
Although, I understand that the very reason we haven't a problem with the T.Agrestis in the UK is that the T.Duellica/gigantis is so common and kills them off if they enter homes.
What I find staggering is that Canada lists the T.Agrestis as a dangerous spider, yet it lives merrily away in the UK without question. Also, US medical reports show that many cases of necrosis (and fatalities in elderly and youngsters) attributed to the Violin Spider (brown recluse/loxosceles reclusa) are probably more accurately sourced back to the T.Agrestis.
There is, of course, the age-old argument that the US has an evolutionary advanced version of T.Agrestis, which is possible. An introduced spider will up/down the ante with its venom depending on where it is and what it needs as its prey.
Adding to this though, I have found this autumn dismal so far for Tegenaria species. I'm usually snided out with them in my flat, but aside from the massive T.Duellica/Gigantea I have posted on a video somewhere below, I've had a few domestic wanderers, a very small cellar spider and little else in my flat this year!

Remember, you can send photos/videos of your spiders to gavinpow77@btinternet.com for identification. And if I can't identify them, I'll refer to other users who can.

Stay webwise folks.

xx Gav

Does the UK have any dangerous spiders?

2008-10-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

As this site has now had some interest and is now searchable in Google, I will put on my sensible head and steer clear of any sensationalism...
In the UK, there is no particularly dangerous arachnid in the wild. That is that no fatalities from bites of any indigenous or immigrated and integrated/locally living species have ever been recorded.
It is, however, ignorant to simply dismiss spiders as completely harmless in the UK.
The danger is that to talk the truths, the facts can sometimes become contorted through rumour. This is one of the main reasons I set up arachnipedia.

There are perhaps four spiders of notable interest in the UK capable of inflicting a painful bite. ANY spider can bite and if threatened, it will try to as a natural defense mechanism. Even a humble money spider will try to bite.
All spiders carry a toxin. This is vital for disabling prey. These toxins can, when a spiders' chelicerae (fangs) are sharp or long enough to penetrate human skin, be dangerous. But there is no spider living in the UK wild able to deliver a bite any more painful than, perhaps a bee, hornet, or wasp sting.
The danger in this description is always apparent. Arachnophobes will now be compelled to squish more on the merit these arthropods bite.

So, I list here some spiders which may (and that is MAY) bite in the UK. The massive Tegenaria Gigantia/Duellica, or UK housespider - the ones that scuttle across carpets in autumn have rarely been reported as biters, but where they have reportedly bitten, it has felt like little more than a gnat bite! Important to get them out of the way, as people often fear these, one of the UK's largest spiders, more than others. Squishing these spiders is self defeating because although they aren't a threat to us, they are the worst nightmare of most other household critters in the UK!

So, the possible biters in the UK.

*Common garden orb-weaver. Fat-bodied brown spiders that spin gorgeous autumn dew-soaked webs. These can nip, but pain is highly unlikely.

*European cave spider - Large rusty-brown spiders (very rare) and live in caves. These can inflict a bite akin to a bee sting. But you really won't see one unless you go in a cave!

*Common Woodlouse Spider (crocata). By a weird twist of nature, these spiders are now considered a hazard to UK gardeners. They have evolved to develop sharp chelicerae to penetrate the outer shells of woodlice. It's wise to keep out of the way of these red/brown spiders (more details elsewhere on this blog) but if you are bitten, it's probably likely to be little more than a wasp sting effect - still not nice though!

*False Widows. There are several members of the false widow (steotoda) genus in the UK. Generally localised to the south east of the country, these spiders are, again capable of bee-sting-like bites. (Again, this spider is featured elsewhere on this blog).

So there you are!

There is a handful of other species that can inflict a significant bite in the UK, but spider bites are so rare it really isn't worth listing them!
Spiders are simply not a danger in the UK!

Click the YouTube links in the top right hand corner for the latest worldwide spider videos (I obviously cannot guarantee any of these are safe!)

Stay webwise....
Gav.

VIDEO

2008-10-24T21:12:00.001-07:00

The right hand corner of this site has a great selection of YouTube spider videos. I'm trying to get the hang of making this site better!

Orb my god

2008-10-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

The UK daily public transport-based free sheet Metro relegated a fantastic spider photo to the near middle of the paper yesterday.

CLICK HERE FOR STORY

A shot of a Golden Orb Weaver eating a bird wasn't enough to tear the hacks away from the bite of the financial climate!
Orb weavers, generally as harmful to humans as Keith Chegwin (and that's pretty much as harmful as they are - nauseating, a bit stingy and leave you irritated) can be of sizes sure to induce sudden panic. Don't get me wrong, they can be massive. But technically, the nice little (or big) fatties you see in your UK gardens in autumn with their gorgeous webs, are Orb Weavers of a sort - and they aren't native either! Imported friends we've had for years from Europe!

The Golden Orb Weaver featured in the Metro article is a spider common in the US/Australia/Canaries and Africa, but is one of the real biggies that we really, really, really shouldn't worry about. It is MASSIVE but its bite is no more harmless than the bird eating tarantulas of Africa or possibly even the UK-native garden nasty Woodlouse Spider.
Great spider though and shame on Metro for pushing this mega-arachnid to the inner-pages!
Great though that some woman took the photos in Queensland while hanging out her washing!

Idiotic bloke

2008-10-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

Here we have a visual example of the type of idiot we don't want to see more of. It's the UK, he DOES have a widow spider walking about on his hand. I love spiders of all kinds, but this guy is pushing it. All spiders bite - especially widow spiders - sadly more common in the UK than they should be, so it's best not to handle any of them!

Woodlouse Spider

2008-10-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

A great, robust little spider commonplace in the UK is the woodlouse spider. It is one of the few true UK biters. Relatively harmless, but has fangs that CAN penetrate human skin and deliver a painful bite - akin to a wasp sting. Often a nasty threat to gardeners, the Woodlouse spider is perhaps, alongside the false widow (steotoda nobilis) one of Britain's most venomous spiders!

2008-10-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

Interesting news

2008-10-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

According to a BBC News report this week, tropical species of arachnia are setting up home in the UK. We've had foreign arthropods for centuries.
The common housespider (tegeneria domestica/gigantea) has been crawling about here for years. Thankfully, tegenaria agrestis stays in the long grass. American readers could only wish for this. This spider, a prolific biter, has become known as the hobo spider in the States. It inflicts a necrotic bite, which is incredibly painful and often ends up with a visit to the emergency room.
We, in the UK, live under the false apprehension we have no poisonous spiders. Tegenaria Agrestis lives in our gardens and fields, but generally won't enter a home because we have the massive and fast (gigantea is the fastest spider in the world) T. Gigantea or T. Duellica. These massive housespiders are friends rather than pests. Kill a gigantea (complete waste of a fantastic animal) and you will have more pillbugs/woodlice/flies than you would have had.
We also have a healthy population of orb-weavers. These are the gorgeous brown-gold spiders spinning orbs in our gardens in late summer and early autumn.
Both the orb-weaver and the tegenaria species are aliens. Neither should really be in the UK. But they are, and have been for the last hundred or so years - a price we paid when the British began importing fruit.
And still now, the same is occurring.
The false widow (steotoda nobilis) was significantly introduced to the UK in the early 80s from the Canary Islands, but there are reports of the species many years before. A member of the genus steotoda, it is very similar to the black widow and Australian redback.
This spider was initially reported as a pest in the 1990s in the south-west of England, but has been reported in the south east too in recent years. It has been spreading north ever since. Spiderlings use the breeze to travel and breed, so technically, it could be as far north as Hull and further inland. Steotoda nobilis is a small-to-large shiny spider not unlike the US Black Widow or Australian Redback, with a bulbous, very shiny abdomen with a patchy white circle/star shape on the top of its abdomen.

Another foreigner with a nasty nip is the tube web.

These are two videos from the BBC this week. The British network presented the sensible argument that arachnids are now setting up home in the UK, regardless of where they are from.

CLICK FOR BBC NEWS VIDEO 1

CLICK FOR BBC NEWS VIDEO 2

Tegenaria gigantea video

2008-10-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1voLnHW75C8

YOU GOT EIGHT LEGS?

2008-10-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to arachnipedia.

I'm a British journalist working as a sub-editor in the UK provincial press, but since childhood I've had a fascination with creepy-crawlies.
Give me a cricket over a cricket report any day. I'd rather see eight legs before I see a leg before wicket! Not that crickets have eight legs - they are insects and have six!

I'm living out my childhood fantasy with this site.

With this blog I aim to probe YOUR back gardens and at the same time I hope to dispel some of the hateful myths about spiders in the UK. I also hope that readers share their photos and stories about spiders (not just in the UK, but worldwide).

In turn, I hope to update this blog with my own videos/ reports / videoblogs about the spiders I've encountered (and am about to encounter as autumn sets in!)

So, if there's a big bugger in your kitchen/bedroom/bathroom, don't squish 'im. He'll be looking for a girlfriend. Just pop him in some bog roll and drop him outside. But snap him first and email him to gavinpow77@btinternet.com

Spiders are quite brilliant..
Gav.