FALSE ALARM!

It's been a while.

I've been busy exploring Los Santos.
Funny really, because while I've been exploring a fictional, fanciful and violent world within a game, the British press has been playing its own game, planting one hell of a fictional, fanciful and painful seed in people's heads that makes GTA5 look like an episode of the Good Life!

Perhaps the Good Life is a suitable place to start because I'm talking about a humble spider here, which was (perhaps) creeping merrily around in suburbs 'darrn sarrf' decades ago. Well, it was. And still is.

I've tried to resist blogging throughout Britain's vilification of the False Widow Spider (because that's what I'm talking about - obviously) and the way it's 'plaguing' the nation.
But I take no more! I say stop!

Silly, silly, silly!

If you've been living on Mars, you'll have no doubt missed the fact that Britain has recently decided it's all got a bit like Australia up here and a warm summer has left us poor folk vulnerable to toxic spider bites that will make our legs fall off, arms explode, and probably cry a lot unless we can kill every arachnid in sight!
I'm not trying to patronise folk, or dumb down actual cases of medical reactions to spider bites, but Britain should maintain its stiff upper lip. Perhaps rest a spider on that very lip. It will scuttle off - it won't eat your face!

Towards the end of August 2013, the odd one or two tales of terror about Steatoda Nobilis (a well established, significantly [in UK terms] venomous spider began to crawl into the British tabloids. This is nothing unusual. It's a staple favourite in any kind of news copy drought EVERY year.

The fact is, it is one of a handful of spiders established in the UK with fangs strong and large enough to penetrate human flesh as a means of defense when trapped or threatened. It so happens it also has an unpleasant (that's unpleasant - not deadly or neurotoxic) venom, which, unfortunately, if you're bitten by one, means it's quite possible you'll know about it.
In the majority of bite cases (which in themselves are rare) range from a nip to a wasp sting sensation, but some bite patients report flu-like malaise, which can last a day or two.

OK it's very fair to say we've always had a false sense of safety in the UK when it comes to dangerous animals - we've all been told about adders and not to touch snakes [as they're drilled into us as our only potentially deadly land animal] and we're pretty sure we don't have black widows (for some reason people always think they're the most deadly of spiders), but, suddenly, we humble Brits have a venomous spider?

Not true at all. The False Widow has been a UK resident since the 1800s and probably arrived here in fruit imports from Madera or the Canary Islands (entomologists aren't entirely sure which). They just know that the spider is thriving and has been for millennia in those places. It causes no known problems there.

The venom of Steatoda Nobilis is actually no more powerful than a wasp or bee sting.
Spiders don't see humans as prey (and while I accept many people are scared of them - I myself [whilst fascinated by them] wouldn't want one crawling on me or biting me.
Venom is a spider's means of trapping its food. If this process didn't take place, you, I and every animal on the planet would be plagued by flies, crickets, wasps etc.

The rare problem with False widows (and this is the same case with all species of spiders capable of giving a nip in the UK) is that a bite can introduce bacteria to human flesh - resulting in severe infection (sometimes). This is why cases reported in the Daily Mail, while probably true, don't justify the vilification of the Steatoda species alone (false widows).

The False Widow (Steatoda) family ARE related to the potentially dangerous Latrodectus family of spiders, which include America and southern Europe's infamous black widow and the Red Back spiders of Australia, but fatalities are rare, even if, and when those species bite. There hasn't been a fatal red back bite since the late 1940s.

Scaremongering about British spiders is rather pointless. No species settled in the UK has ever delivered a fatal bite. Although I'm sure the Daily Mail is on a mission to seek out the first case, just to prove us otherwise.
Each year in Britain, people are trampled to death by cows, fatally kicked by horses, mauled to death by dogs, die of infections spread by cat scratches, succumb to allergic reactions to wasp and bee stings and poisoned by ingesting mushrooms that have grown here since the dawn of time.

Yet, a tiny, humble eight legged beast, with an almost robotic brain and instinct to do nothing more than eat and breed, is our current whipping boy!

As I always say, don't handle spiders and stay webwise!

You can read more about Steatoda spiders, elsewhere on this blog.

BI-GOD (punctata)!

It's always great to get correspondence on Arachnipedia.

It's great to get a backstory too, but it gets web-spinningly better when there's a cool photo too to accompany it. 

This week I received a particularly pleasing email from a guy called Paul. 

Of course, I'm flattered and chuffed that Arachnipedia came up tops in a Google search for a spider. 

But I'm genuinely more impressed by the fact that people are prepared to evaluate a situation when an unrecognised eight-legged beast appears on the scene, rather than immediately employing that reliable slug of rubber which lies between sole and concrete. A spider squished is a spider missed in my book!

Therididae - comb footed spiders.............

steatoda nobilis        steatoda bipunctata       steatoda grossa        latrodectus

I'm hoping the contributor is fine with being quoted, as verbatim in his email.

It's easier explained with the email!

Hi Gavin,

Thanks to your website I put our minds at ease by identifying this spider we found in our bathroom. It says they like animal dwellings but we only have the one dog but I guess it's kinda cold out there.

I was going to take it to Quarantine at Heathrow as they identified the Australian house spider that hitched a ride and found its way here but after typing in a “spider with dimples” up came your website straight away and now the missus can sleep tonight.
I attached a photo of the beaut if you’d like to use it. It’s a bit on the large side as I didn’t want to go too low with the quality.

Kind Regards

Cass

And, yes, I'm definitely using the photo lol. Thanks for the image and email.

Snappy New Year! 
Been a bit ill over the past few weeks. Not particularly happy that Christmas has been pretty much wasted.
Went for dinner at my parents' for New Years' Day. In fact I'm in bed now.
Before I left my flat, I noticed a cellar spider eating a house spider near my door. Now I'd read that cellar spiders could attack and subdue bigger prey. It amazes me really.
We all have these spiders in our homes. I include a video below (obviously not mine, but demonstrates the bizarre might of these spindly arachnids), and I'm trying to add links to the words I've just typed. Hopefully they will work. If they do, then I am more in love with my Kindle Fire HD than I already was!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj-6x9_Pwlk

Look at her dimples! (II)

A while ago I blogged about a spider called the rabbit hutch spider. I think the blog was 'Look at her dimples', which came after a reader sent me a photo for identification.

In fact, the very last blog I wrote (below this one) is on a similar note.

The rabbit hutch spider (steatoda bipunctata) is widespread throughout the UK, but relatively uncommon, or perhaps un-noticed in the north. That said, it was species I was well aware of, along with its notorious, pack-a-punch venom cousin the Noble False Widow (steatoda nobilis).

Steatoda are a multi-species of spiders in a family called Theridiidae. The Theridiidae family includes potentially dangerous species like the American Black Widow, the Australian Redback and the New Zealand Katipo.
They are (to bracket them together) known as comb foot spiders - they back comb their silk to produce tangle webs. None of your common or garden symetric spider webs here thanks. Imagine pulling a cotton wool ball apart and draping the resulting strands around your living room. That's Theridiidae!

Anyway, that's all by the by.

My reason for being here tonight is that I just got a few vaguely useable shots of a steatoda bipunctata.
And, to be honest, as an amateur arachnologist, I'm pretty damn impressed with my skills of identification these days. I'm also impressed I managed to see it.
I'd gone to the loo. I didn't even have the lights on. In the dim light from the window, I saw a spider chowing down on a small fly. Seeing its bulbous body and the fact it wasn't in a web, I immediately thought, "right, I'm catching you".

All suspicions were confirmed. It's a female steatoda bipunctata. It's probably the first steatoda spider I've seen in the flesh.
To double check, working on what I knew of false widows, I rolled her over and she played dead. Revealing the giveaway Omega, or figure of eight pattern, synonymous with false widows.

I think I demonstrate this in the images above (see circular cut out). Unfortunately, I had to rely on my mobile phone for photos, as my camera battery is flat.

False ALARM!!!! ?

Would YOU know what a false widow spider was if it bit you on the bum?
Well, on the arm, or any other extremity.

Since I began this blog (and I know many people have a fear of spiders) there is one spider that's always piqued my interest. And probably equally, even as a fan of our eight-legged friends, freaked me a teeny bit.
I've never seen it in the flesh, but the False Widow Spider (Steatoda Nobilis) is always ready to crawl into the headlines.
It's a member of the theridiidae genus of arachnida. Its close cousin is the genus Latrodectus, which includes such notorious members as the Black Widow and Australian Redback.
Both notorious for their potentially lethal bite.

In the UK, there are several 'sisters' to the Nobilis, perhaps most notibly Steatoda Grossa and Steatoda Bipunctata. 

The similarities (to the common or garden observer) between these spiders aren't always clear.

The UK press has gone a bit wild this week with the story of former medical photographer Catherine Coombs, of Dorset. As daily tabloids would have us have it, she 'almost lost her hand' after being bitten by a False Widow. This may very well be the case. Both Steatoda Grossa and Nobilis pack a punch that every spider hater's nightmares are made of. BUT this is incredibly rare.
Hence the fact it's even become a news story.

In no way do I even contemplate belittling Ms Coombs' story. The Steatoda Nobilis has a bite, which is, to most people, very similar to a wasp sting. So clearly, incredibly unpleasant.

What I would question though is the odd 'I've been bitten by a spider' mentality that was spawned in the days after the article.

And I do question journalism when THIS is somehow a story!

I sort of think of myself as a British spider expert now. This blog has been floating around on the web since 2007, and I'm not sure I've ever seen such a flurry of 'bites'. It's not really even 'spider season' as UK arachnids go, but each to their own I guess.

Stay webwise folks,
Gav xxx

Legs & Co

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!

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

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

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

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!

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....

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

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

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

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!

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).

*********************************************************

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!

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!

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

Surprise visit.

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.