False Widow?

[John]

Caught this little blighter walking across our downstairs loo.

I've had a look at other pictures of them and the little dimples / faint markings looking like the usual skull can be see on it's ass but is it actually an FW or just a different spider from the same group - the markings aren't really as pronounced?

 

[Deleted member 113659]

John, surely the obvious thing to do would have been to hold it in the palm of your hand whilst taking the photo. Then we'd have a sense of proportion.

 

[John]

I didn't fancy that idea in case the fecker bit me.

So the plastic thing I had the spider in was the lid from Johnson's cotton buds.

I would guess the length of the body was 2cm > 2.5cm from tip of head to tip of rse.

 

[John]

Well, maybe I didn't need to remove the False Widow in the end as I now have a new pet Tube Web spider I suspect - which eats False Widows.

 

[John]

I'm going to tempt it out at some stage to see if I can get a picture.

It might only be the one in the "Tube Web Spider" video in this "it must be true" Daily Star article:

WATCH: The spider so massive it EATS false widows – and could be in YOUR home

 

[Piff]

Once stood on, they all look much the same

 

[dog68]

 

[John N]

Well, maybe I didn't need to remove the False Widow in the end as I now have a new pet Tube Web spider I suspect - which eats False Widows.

View attachment 72205

Have you considered the fact that the second spider may be the female and you has a family of them in your home?

 

[John]

Spiders don't bother me which is just as well given it's my job to eradicate them.

 

[MrRight]

we have tons of false widows here in Surrey hills. the shocker was last year when I moved to the house in winter. My daughter loves cuddling a stuffed toy or one of her baby dolls at night. she was barely a year old at the time. I set up her cot and it was so nice and cosy.
cue bed time and I was very pleased to see a falsie tucked into her bedding , as snug as a bug for sure.

They also get into my loft through various gaps and work their way down into the house when they fancy some female company . I don't mind the little blighters though around 3 months ago one was having a much deserved break in my shoe overnight. sadly I didnt know it had taken residence and it bit me. bite still hasn't healed 3 months later. I probably wouldn't want my daughter to get bitten and it is very much spider season at present so I've taken the reluctant step to smoke bomb my loft and garage.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Widows, button spiders, redbacks etc .....usually have a very bulbous abdomen......Google both and you will see the difference.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Widows/ Button spiders/ Redbacks etc .....usually have a very bulbous abdomen......Google both and you will see the difference.

The Brown recluse/ Violin spider bother me more than the widows. A bite makes your flesh rot. My dad needed plastic surgery after getting bitten by one!

 

[Smart320]

Not too many spiders here as its been cooler this year, as we were used to yellow scorpions in our house in Tunisia so not too worried by even the biggest spiders here

 

[John]

Had a lot of spiders this year - mostly little ones which I've been taking out as I find them. Probably dispatched 100 now over the last couple of months.

Not seen many false widows although I've been purging them as I find them. They come out at night outside and hang around the gas meter.

I now know they are not aggressive unless threatened but I imagine they treat nearly / actually being trodden on as a threat!

I'm going to tempt it out at some stage to see if I can get a picture.

I tempted it out (and a second one) and took videos. They were huge.

This is not my video but this is pretty much what they are like - very chunky although my ones move a lot quicker than this one:

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I now have Boris 3 living outside my house, who I have yet to coax out but I will do, but for now here is a picture of him below (mortar is the usual 2cm thick there for scale).

The good news is - they don't tend to come in your house!

 

[markjay]

Any idea what this one is?

 

[markjay]

About the size of a 20p coin... including the legs.

 

[John]

Looks like a typical Garden Spider to me...

Not an expert by any means!

 

[MrRight]

Any idea what this one is?View attachment 89025

not sure but it is a stunning pic ! looks possibly similar to a wasp spider which grows quite large ie >50p piece including legs

Rorywquin, thanks for the info on the brown recluse. seems like they can cause some serious bites just like the falsies. the only issue with falsies are they love coming indoors, but luckily like to hide away , or unluckily in clothes and shoes and bedding etc

 

[John]

Widows/ Button spiders/ Redbacks etc .....usually have a very bulbous abdomen......Google both and you will see the difference.

The Brown recluse/ Violin spider bother me more than the widows. A bite makes your flesh rot. My dad needed plastic surgery after getting bitten by one!

I'm based in the UK Rory.

We don't get any of those except the False Widows (which do have that "Skull" looking marking on the back).

Or at least they have yet to be sited here - but that could change of course.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Had 4 of these beasts in the past month, the 2nd one was too big to get down the plug hole.