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Nature & Environment

Deadly Australian spiders invade Britain

By T.K. Randall
November 14, 2011 · Comment icon 61 comments

Image Credit: CC 3.0 Repat
Deadly redback spiders from Australia have been discovered in homes across the United Kingdom.
Hitching a ride in luggage, transported goods and food crates the spiders are able to handle the cold weather by living in people's houses where it's warm. The redbacks are related to the black widow spider and are easily recognised by a distinctive red stripe. "As the world becomes, theoretically, a smaller place and people go on more unusual holidays and we bring in commodities from unusual places, the spread increases," said Pest Control Association official Richard Moseley.
With eight legs, lightning speed and a deadly bite, the only reassuring thing about the redback spider is that it lives 9,000 miles away in Australia. But not any more.


Source: Telegraph | Comments (61)

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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #52 Posted by Still Waters 14 years ago
Check out these "spider trees" in Pakistan where millions of spiders took to the trees to escape rising waters. The trees were filled with spiders. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/pakistan-tree-spiders/ Wow, I remember seeing pics like that before too. There was an article posted on here - http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=203385&st=0&p=3853305&hl=spider%20trees&fromsearch=1entry3853305 We have some reasonbly large spiders here in Thailand, some of which have a leg span the size of a dinner plate. I saw a couple of them in Phuket but on bo... [More]
Comment icon #53 Posted by Englishgent 14 years ago
Just as I thought, the spider pics are on my old hard drive which I dont have access to at this point in time. Just as well as apparently there are those here who would probably die if they saw the pics lol. However, for those who do wish to see what we have here, all you need do is check out Google images under the heading 'spiders/thailand
Comment icon #54 Posted by pixiii 14 years ago
I have heard that the common daddy long legs spider (not sure of the technical name for it sorry) is the only predator to the redback spider. I'm not sure how true that is, but I leave the daddy long leg spiders outside the house just in case That said, I haven't seen a redback in aaaages here.
Comment icon #55 Posted by libstaK 14 years ago
I have heard that the common daddy long legs spider (not sure of the technical name for it sorry) is the only predator to the redback spider. I'm not sure how true that is, but I leave the daddy long leg spiders outside the house just in case That said, I haven't seen a redback in aaaages here. I've never seen one - and this is from someone who went through a can and a half of Baygon in one day the first year I moved into my new home - the whole security grill on my back glass door was a veritable metropolis of the mixed race spiders munching on the various insects who were misguided enough to... [More]
Comment icon #56 Posted by pixiii 14 years ago
I've never seen one - and this is from someone who went through a can and a half of Baygon in one day the first year I moved into my new home - the whole security grill on my back glass door was a veritable metropolis of the mixed race spiders munching on the various insects who were misguided enough to try to get in the house. IT WAS BEYOND GROSS - hundreds of them dropped out of the security grill AND the nooks and crannys of the brick wall either side of it after I sprayed copiously (gagging and cringing all the while ) - it was armageddon for the arachnids care of yours truly - I will neve... [More]
Comment icon #57 Posted by Habitat 14 years ago
Spiders keep insects numbers down, so they can be an asset, but admittedly webs around our living spaces are not the most attractive look.
Comment icon #58 Posted by Robin_Shadowes 14 years ago
red backs are not that bad but a funnel web can kill a man in 8 seconds just by looking at him. You have mistaken Chuck Norris for a spider and it is four seconds, not eight.
Comment icon #59 Posted by Tia 14 years ago
My whole house is full of Daddy long legs no matter what I do, part of living in the National Park. Honestly except for kids and the elderly, red-backs aren't that bad there's anti-venom and you have plenty of time to get to the hospital. We see a lot worse here with spiders and snakes it's a part of life.
Comment icon #60 Posted by libstaK 14 years ago
LOL yes I'm the same! I find here in Melb we get some summers with lots of spiders and others with lots of flies. This year I think we've got a bit of both Sooo true ... last years flies were slow and dopey, this year they are large, loud and fast, they are getting on my nerves too.
Comment icon #61 Posted by Still Waters 14 years ago
I don't mind the daddy long legs, or crane flies they're also called here. We get those coming in the house too. Thankfully the big spiders have stopped coming in now until next autumn. *phew*!
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