Spider identification help.

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Discussion

TheHeretic

Original Poster:

73,668 posts

257 months

Saturday 31st August 2013
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Was sat squeezing out a you now what, when I noticed a little spider whizzing about on a web line above me. The little bugger was going from the floor to the ceiling, and back again, a few times, and it was interesting watching it doing its thing. Anyway, just for the sake of curiosity I was wondering what sort of spider it was. It was only about 15 mm leg tip to leg tip, so not a biggun.









Anyone have a clue?

AdamC1983

621 posts

154 months

Saturday 31st August 2013
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Its the one from that film 'Arachnophobia' id steer clear!

Simpo Two

85,883 posts

267 months

Saturday 31st August 2013
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I don't know what the spider is but you are Robert the Bruce!

Drogo

721 posts

219 months

Saturday 31st August 2013
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False widow?

Drogo

721 posts

219 months

Sunday 1st September 2013
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False widow?

yellowjack

17,103 posts

168 months

Thursday 12th September 2013
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It does look like it could be a member of the 'False Widow' family, genus: Steatoda, but there are six known species of Steatoda in UK. Spiders are also notoriously difficult to pin down with a positive ID, but this site may be of some help to you...

http://srs.britishspiders.org.uk/portal.php

The species it looks most like (to me, from your pictures) is Steatoda Nobilis - the 'Noble False Widow' spider. The Natural History Museum have some good info on these things...

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2012/february/n...

Then again, I'm not an expert, just interested in the subject, so I'm more than happy to be corrected.

shambolic

2,146 posts

169 months

Thursday 12th September 2013
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This is a false widow! One of over 40 we found while knocking down an outbuilding.
Some egg sacs too!!






digger the goat

2,820 posts

147 months

Thursday 12th September 2013
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Try looking on here... http://www.uksafari.com/wildfiles.htm
I found an unusual spider today..
Turns out to be a 'wasp spider' !!

DannyScene

6,670 posts

157 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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If it was anywhere near me it would've been a dead one, cause of death would have to be decided as I have a few methods I've been favouring recently

Digga

40,488 posts

285 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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Interesting study here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/23898679

BBC said:
according to the Society of Biology, which has launched a new recording scheme, the spiders may have started early.

Thanks to a smartphone app they have already received 3,000 reports - including sightings in August - but there have been few previous studies of this kind for accurate comparison.

yellowjack

17,103 posts

168 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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DannyScene said:
If it was anywhere near me it would've been a dead one, cause of death would have to be decided as I have a few methods I've been favouring recently
Why? Just why?

Are you some kind of wus? It's only a spider, FFS, and a beautiful one at that. Just scoop 'em up and let 'em loose someplace else, there's no need to squish 'em to death rolleyes

They're positively beneficial, cause you no harm and do a great job of ridding the place of pest insects. [devil's advocate mode]Cats on the other hand are highly detrimental to local ecosystems and to my flowerbeds, and can decimate wild bird populations, but apparently it's some kind of offence to stomp them to death and lob their carcasses over the back fence. I'd rather have a houseful of spiders than a single cat in my neighbourhood.[/devil's advocate mode]



DannyScene

6,670 posts

157 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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yellowjack said:
DannyScene said:
If it was anywhere near me it would've been a dead one, cause of death would have to be decided as I have a few methods I've been favouring recently
Why? Just why?

Are you some kind of wus? It's only a spider, FFS, and a beautiful one at that. Just scoop 'em up and let 'em loose someplace else, there's no need to squish 'em to death rolleyes

They're positively beneficial, cause you no harm and do a great job of ridding the place of pest insects. [devil's advocate mode]Cats on the other hand are highly detrimental to local ecosystems and to my flowerbeds, and can decimate wild bird populations, but apparently it's some kind of offence to stomp them to death and lob their carcasses over the back fence. I'd rather have a houseful of spiders than a single cat in my neighbourhood.[/devil's advocate mode]
I dunno, I'm higher up the food chain and I don't like them

My current favourite method is a small plastic BB gun I've had for a few years, getting steadily more acurate with it now which is nice for the spiders, that big bugger I took the back end off didn't look overly happy about it and I must say I did feel quite bad seeing his front end writhing around but another swift shot sorted him out, in my defence he shouldn't have crawled out from behind my TV, I was more than happy co existing not knowing he was there

evilmunkey

1,377 posts

161 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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method is very similar but a bit overkill. I use a gas powered KWA kriss vector airsoft on fully auto if its fast or double tap if its still also has a red dot scope for splattering accuracy. it has left a few dimples in the wall though, her indoors does not approve but thats just women and guns for you. Those egg sacks need to be sorted too, thinking a can of hairspray and a lighter would sort those buggers out.

DannyScene

6,670 posts

157 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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evilmunkey said:
method is very similar but a bit overkill. I use a gas powered KWA kriss vector airsoft on fully auto if its fast or double tap if its still also has a red dot scope for splattering accuracy. it has left a few dimples in the wall though, her indoors does not approve but thats just women and guns for you. Those egg sacks need to be sorted too, thinking a can of hairspray and a lighter would sort those buggers out.
I applaud your choice of gun sir and can confirm either hairspray or lynx and a lighter (lynx if you want it to cover the smell of burnt spider) works amazingly well on the egg sacks, whatever you do though do not use the egg sack method on spiders, I have a big burnt line on my lovely bedroom carpet where the bugger ran off mid flamethrower and without thinking I followed him across the carpet

evilmunkey

1,377 posts

161 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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DannyScene said:
whatever you do though do not use the egg sack method on spiders, I have a big burnt line on my lovely bedroom carpet where the bugger ran off mid flamethrower and without thinking I followed him across the carpet
cheers Mate, Had a similar issue when i tried to use the flamethrower method on a spider, thought i had picked up one thing but when lit and sprayed turned out to be a spraycan of grey primer.. queue mrs going mental when the paint just worked like napalm and ruined a nice 2 month old floatex kitchen carpet. the bloody spider managed to escape ...git !!!

yellowjack

17,103 posts

168 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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Carpet damage is no more than you pair deserve, IMO. Leave the bloody spiders alone, and put the aerosols down. One of these days a stunt like that might really backfire. Have neither of you got a Saxo to Barry-up or McDonalds wrappers to lob out of car windows. rolleyes



DannyScene

6,670 posts

157 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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yellowjack said:
Carpet damage is no more than you pair deserve, IMO. Leave the bloody spiders alone, and put the aerosols down. One of these days a stunt like that might really backfire. Have neither of you got a Saxo to Barry-up or McDonalds wrappers to lob out of car windows. rolleyes
Sadly I dont have a saxo, my friend does though but neither of us eat at McDonalds so sadly no wrappers to throw.
I need something to do whilst at home so killing spiders it is, except on a weekend when we sometimes go rabbit shooting

Slink

2,947 posts

174 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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you know what works better than primer or hairspray.

WD40, or perhaps GT85, but have not tried the latter only the former and it workers a bit too well imo, its a serious fire ball when it ignites and might easy set your house on fire if done in the dining room, best to reserve spraying it all over egg sacs and then giving it a quick fiery squirt

it is an oil after all, and that tends to be quite flammable doesn't it

digger the goat

2,820 posts

147 months

Friday 13th September 2013
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If you want to live and thrive, let a spider run alive.... yes


NoVetec

9,967 posts

175 months

Sunday 15th September 2013
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TheHeretic said:
Was sat squeezing out a you now what, when I noticed a little spider whizzing about on a web line above me. The little bugger was going from the floor to the ceiling, and back again, a few times, and it was interesting watching it doing its thing. Anyway, just for the sake of curiosity I was wondering what sort of spider it was. It was only about 15 mm leg tip to leg tip, so not a biggun.









Anyone have a clue?
Could be a Brown Recluse. Don't let it bite you!