Tolerate False Widows on the house?

Sazz101

Are people killing false widows on or in their homes?

We have a 70’s style tiled house on the edge of woodland where spiders seem to thrive. My love of wildlife is pushed to the limit by the many chunkier specimens like giant house spider, woodlouse spider and Black Lace-Weaver which we see in the garden or on the house. Fine. 

This weekend we disturbed some pots next to the house and saw this chonk. Are people killing false widows due to perceived risk of biting or because it’s a non native species? We don’t have children or pets but she was surprising big and fast. I don’t like killing things but the thought of one coming in through the window kept me awake last night😕

How are people handling them?

Obelixx

Leave them alone.  If I find one indoors it goes outside, alive alive-oh.

Fire

I found some in my shed. They keep themselves to themselves.

dave125

When we last moved house from a Georgian lodge we found around 30 or so underneath various bits of furniture. I was aware of the rubbish written about them but still moved them all to somewhere more secure. Basically we didn't know we had them but if we had we'd have only moved when necessary. It was the indoor slugs that was the real problem! oh and the three wasps nests, the Tree Bumblebee nest, the Honey Bee nest, several noisy swift nests, bats galore - it was great. We didn't bother them and they didn't bother me. My wife was getting stung all summer :-)
Luv Dave

Obelixx

@Treeface There's a world of difference between a destructive pest with no redeeming features and a beneficial creature which will eat pests or pollinate plants or improve soil fertility.  Better than chemicals any day.

Sazz101

Thanks for the replies everyone.  We have cellar spiders galore in the house (more to do with my lazy house keeping than love of nature) but I’m not sure about the false widow sitch. Now I’m aware I’m seeing them everywhere. 

Great so see there’s a mix of opinion and some people do live with them in their homes without bother. Thank you. 

Singing Gardener

My OH was bitten by one last year when he rolled over onto it in bed. There was another recent post from someone whose wife had been bitten by one. I don't think they bother you unless you bother them though.

Sazz101

Singing Gardener said:

My OH was bitten by one last year when he rolled over onto it in bed. There was another recent post from someone whose wife had been bitten by one. I don't think they bother you unless you bother them though.

Hi Singing Gardener. Was your OH ok? How bad was it compared to a wasp sting? 

Fire

Treeface said:

This forum is weird. It's ok to kill vine weevils, torture slugs, crush lily beetles and squash aphids, but not a spider. If you kill any kind of insect then you shouldn't be allowed to come on here on the moral high ground because someone killed a spider or any other insect deemed not to be a pest.

I don't think anyone here is telling people what is ok or not. Each gardener has their way round. There is a lot of rubbish written about false widows in the tabloids - how people who have bitten have their arms fall off etc. I think people here are saying there is no great cause for alarm. It's probably good to know you have them around in case you do have a grand reaction to a bite.

A forum will always have a wide range of opinions - that's the beauty of it. We do not think as one. That's the point.

Singing Gardener

Sazz101 said:

Singing Gardener said:

My OH was bitten by one last year when he rolled over onto it in bed. There was another recent post from someone whose wife had been bitten by one. I don't think they bother you unless you bother them though.

Hi Singing Gardener. Was your OH ok? How bad was it compared to a wasp sting? 

He had quite a bad reaction in terms of swelling but not too painful. Mind you, he's tough. He got bitten by an adder when we visited a maize maze and didn't even notice until the next day!

B3

Amaizing😖