FOLLOWING the story in the Melksham News last issue regarding a false widow spider sighting in Bowerhill, many people have contacted us to say they have also found them in their homes.
It also seems that false widow spiders are not the only type of arachnid to have descended on the area as residents from Melksham sent in photographs of unusual spiders found in their homes.
Paul Sunderland saw the story regarding false widow spiders before finding a bright orange spider in his home with banding on its legs. He sent in a photograph of the spider asking for help identifying it. He said, “I never seen one like it before, but I’m not saying it’s a false widow, but is there anybody who can recognise it? The photo is of reasonable quality and if you magnify in, the legs have the banding.”
Further to Paul’s sighting we also received many images of what appears to be false widow spiders in Bowerhill. These include sightings at Tangmere Close, Mitchell Drive and Locking Close.
The false widow spider, which is recognised as Britain’s most venomous, has gained notoriety recently following an increase in sightings and bites across the country. The arachnid has now been spotted in different locations in Bowerhill, with some found in sheds and conservatories. Despite the negative press coverage of the false widow spider in the national press, experts say the species is not aggressive towards humans and that being bitten is rare. John Tweddle from the life sciences department at the Natural History Museum said, “The species is becoming more common and widespread but it is not an influx as such, rather existing populations are expanding.
“There have been very few confirmed incidences of bites from the false widow, although adult female false widow spiders are certainly capable of biting humans if handled without due care – the smaller males are not known to cause bites. It is not an aggressive species towards humans and is most likely to bite when accidentally prodded or squashed, or trapped in clothing.”
