Venomous spider bites creeping up in Ireland - study

[Still Waters]

Ongoing research into an increasingly common spider species has found it can deliver bites that may require hospital treatment.

Scientists at NUI Galway have spent a number of years examining the Noble False Widow spider.

They say most bites happen around the home, with the vast majority occurring when victims are in bed or have spiders trapped in their clothing.

The species originated in the Canary Islands and Madeira but has been spreading worldwide in the last two decades. In parts of Ireland and the UK, it is now one of the most common spiders found in urban settings.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2021/0526/1224119-galway-spider-study/

[Ozymandias]

There are a few species of False Widow Spiders, some of them native to the British Isles, but this particular one with the potential to hospitalise its bite victim is the Noble False Widow Spider. It is native to the Canary Islands and was found in the south-west of Britain in the 1970s, from where it has been spreading northwards due to climate warming.

The False Widow Spider | Britain's most notorious spider