False widow: Ten facts about Britain's most poisonous spider that almost claimed builder's leg

A father of three spent weeks in hospital and faced having his leg amputated after he was attacked by a false widow

False Widow Spider (Steatoda bipunctata female)
Ouch: The female false widow spider

A decorator almost lost his leg and spent weeks in hospital after being bitten by one of Britain's most poisonous spiders.

A false widow sunk its fangs into Ricki Whitmore, 39, as he tried to sweep the creatures away while renovating a school.

He is now unable to work after losing most of the muscle in his thigh and faces a further six months of specialist physiotherapy before he will be able to walk again.

Females range in size from about 9.5 to 14mm in size, while males are 7 to 11mm. But not a lot else is known about the false widow spider.

False widows (aka Steatoda nobilis) are often mistaken for Latrodectus - also known as widow spiders.

But the genus which contains the deadly black widow is not found in the UK, thankfully.

Spider expert and British Arachnological Society member Greg Hitchcock says: “Some people can have bad reactions just like they do with wasp or bee stings.


He added: “It's unlikely they have massively increased this year but there has been a massive increase in public awareness.

 “False widows keep to themselves. They only bite to defend themselves... They're no more prolific than any other spider."

Here are ten facts...

1) Although they can be quite nasty, false widow spiders are not as dangerous as the black widow

2) False widows have a brown bulbous abdomen with cream coloured markings, often likened to the shape of a skull.

3) The false widow was first recorded in Britain during the 1870s - accidentally shipped from their native Canary Islands.

4) While some claim to have seen the spider as far north as Scotland, sightings have so far been incorrect or unconfirmed

False Widow spider (Pic:nhm)
False widow

5) The furthest north the spider has been found is northern tip of East Anglia.

6) False widows don't travel or 'spread' over large distances

7) But Steatoda nobilis's migration north seems to be caused by climate change

8) Female false widows only bite if they feel threatened

9) While male Steatoda are more mobile than their female counterparts there are no reports of males biting

10) If you find what you believe is a false widow – and you don't fancy sharing your house with one – the best way to remove it is via a humane and well-tested method



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