Spider Fact Sheet

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Infestation Identification: Spiders have 8 legs and most species have 8 eyes.

False Black Widow Spiders are relatively small, with a body length being 3mm to 15mm. They are shiny, black and have a white marking on their bodies which are a spherical shape.

missing sector orb weaver spiders are 8mm to 16mm long, pale body and legs, with silvery-grey markings on its abdomen.

Giant House Spiders grow up to 120mm as adults

Daddy Longlegs Spiders have small greyish black bodies with long, thin legs and grow up to 60mm.

Lace Webbed Spiders grow to a size of approximately 20mm and are brown with yellow markings on their abdomens.

Zebra Spiders are 5mm to 7mm in size, with a relatively large body with black and white stripy patterns.

 

Common Names:

Steatoda grossa (False Black Widow Spider)

Zygiella x-notata (Missing Sector Orb Weaver Spider)

Pholcus phalangioides (Daddy Longlegs Spider)

Amaurobius similis (Lace Webbed Spider)

Salticus scenicus (Zebra Spider)

 

Diet: Spiders like to eat flies and insects, they use the venom they inject into prey to help deteriorate it. Depending on the species, the female spider will eat the male spider before, during or after mating.

 

Habitat: Most species of spiders will live outside in gardens, shed and garages and only leave their webs and venture indoors to find a partner or to shelter from bad weather.

 

Prevention:  It is practically impossible to prevent spiders from entering your home, especially when the warmer months arrive and windows and doors are left open. However, hoovering on a regular basis will help to prevent spiders, particular attention should be paid to areas such as; carpets, corners, along skirting boards, under kitchen units, backs of cupboards and under furniture. If there are any gaps around window frames, doors or around pipework, we recommend that these access holes are sealed off.

 

Life Cycle: All spiders have the same general life cycle, egg, spiderling, adult. Female spiders construct an egg sac made of strong silk that is tough enough to protect her developing offspring from the weather. She then deposits her eggs inside it, fertilizing them as they emerge. Each egg sac contains anywhere from a few to several hundred, depending on the species. Spider eggs hatch in a few weeks emerging a spiderlings. Spiderlings resemble adult spiders but are considerably smaller, they immediately disperse. The spiderlings will moult repeatedly until the new exoskeleton forms completely. Most species reach adulthood after 5 to 10 moults. Male spiders live for approximately a year and Females can live up to 3 years.

 

General Information: There are around 650 different types of spider in the UK.

Spiders spin their webs from sticky silk produced from glands in their stomachs.

Giant house spiders do possess a potent venom and can bite, but they do not usually pose a threat to humans.

Lace Webbed Spiders have been known to bite humans, the bites are reported to be painful, the symptoms usually consist of localised swelling for around 12 hours.

The false black widow spider venom can cause a short-lived reaction, which is sometimes similar to a wasp sting, but occasionally it is longer lasting and extends beyond the site of the bite, you should seek medical advice immediately if you have been bitten.

 

Treatments: There are a number of different treatment methods available. Using sticky traps is one method, however these will only catch insects which venture onto them. Hoovering spiders up which are seen will also help. If there is serious concerns due to fear or large infestations, we recommend a professional fumigation of the property.

 

Quick Facts:

• There are around 650 different types of spider in the UK

• The web of a garden spider contains around 30 meters of silk.

• research suggests that you are never more than 10 feet away from a spider. 

• The majority of UK spiders will not bite people and if they do, their venom isn’t strong enough to inflict any damage.

• Giant house spiders do possess a potent venom and can bite, but they do not usually pose a threat to humans.

• A fear of spiders is called Arachnophobia.

• The zebra spider is believed to have the best eyesight in the insect world and can jump up to 10cm

• Spiders only usually bite if they feel threatened.

• Spiders spin their webs from sticky silk produced from glands in their stomachs.

• Females spider can live up to 3 years.