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Poisonous Spider Sightings Surge In The UK As Lockdown Continues

Poisonous Spider Sightings Surge In The UK As Lockdown Continues

It's definitely a no from me

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

In case you haven't noticed, we're all spending a bit more time at home - and while that might mean you don't get to see your family and mates as much, it might well mean you end up seeing more spiders in and around your home.

In fact, social media has been inundated with people sharing photos and stories of their little eight-legged roomies - some of which are actually poisonous.

One that we hear about every year in the UK is the false widow spider, which is one among many species that people are noticing in their homes, now they're spending more time in their houses and gardens.

There are actually six different types of false widows - or Steatoda spp. if you want to get all Latin about it - and although they're not as venomous as the deadly black widow, their bite still packs a punch.

Experts have put it down to a combination of warm weather and the fact we are in lockdown, literally looking for anything to do, as the reason that more have been reported.

A spokesman for the British Arachnological Society (BAS) told Mirror Online: "We have had a huge increase in sightings of all species associated with the house and garden.

"False widows are a small proportion of current incoming records but we already know that the species are very widespread and well established across the southern half of Britain.

"The overall increase is undoubtedly a direct result of the lockdown. Many more people are at home and making the best of enjoying the company of their local wildlife.

"We can quantify our increase in traffic on Twitter but not the change in numbers of records for different species via this route.

"Virtually everyone asking us about false widows is reassured to have factual information, and most think the spiders themselves are beautiful."

It's a no from me, sorry LADs.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, Coronavirus, Animals