Watch out, the black widow's sister is ready to bite you

The Daily Telegraph ^ | 17/11/2006 | David Sapsted

[Mrs Ivan]

A man spent three days in hospital after being bitten by a venomous spider now spreading across the country because of global warming.

The false widow spider, a relative of the black widow, bit Jason Fricker, 34, three times on the chest and stomach after it fell down the front of his shirt a week ago. By Sunday, after treatment as an outpatient the previous day, Mr Fricker, a father of two from Dorchester, was admitted as an emergency by doctors who believed the venom was attacking his nervous system, causing a heart attack.

The creature that caused such damage, Steatoda nobilis, is the only species of spider in Britain capable of biting humans. Although it has been known in Britain since arriving in Torquay in bananas from the Canary Islands in the 1870s, its numbers and range are now growing because of the milder climates.

While it is not nearly as venomous as the black widow, in recent years it has spread from the West Country across southern England as far as Sussex and is now migrating north through Surrey.

Stuart Hine, the manager of insect services at the Natural History Museum, said: "It is moving further northwards and is thought to be in London now. That's to do with the general warming up of winter temperatures because they are able to survive the winter and breed.

"All spiders are venomous but the difference with these false widow spiders is that their fangs can pierce the skin. Global warming means that spiders which originate from southern Europe and North Africa and Asia are now more likely to be able to survive in Britain."

Mr Fricker, who runs a fishery and tackle shop, discovered he had been bitten as he set out his angling goods on his stall at the market.

"I was carrying the goods in a cardboard box when I think the spider must have come out of the corner of the box and went down my front," he said yesterday. "Five minutes later, I felt this sort of burning sensation on my chest like a wasp sting.

"I shook my jumper and the spider fell down on to my stomach. Then it must have bitten me again and I saw this spider fall to the floor and scuttle off into the centre of Salisbury."

Mr Fricker thought nothing of it until the next day when he started to feel unwell. His wife Katie, 30, spotted the bites. "When the doctor saw the puncture wounds he got all excited and said: 'You are the first person in my career I have seen who has been bitten by a spider. There is no doubt about this'."

After identifying the spider as a false widow on a hospital computer, he was sent home with anti-histamine tablets. But the next day, his condition deteriorated. "I thought I was having a heart attack. The pain in my chest was excruciating," he said. "I seriously thought I was going to die, it was that bad."

Mr Fricker was admitted to Dorchester County Hospital where doctors believed he might be having a heart seizure caused by an extreme reaction to the bite.

"I was wired up on drips and was given heart drugs. I spent three days in hospital for being bitten by something I hadn't even heard of," he said.

Mr Fricker, who has a son Ryan, nine, and daughter Charlotte, two, was released from hospital on Tuesday and is convalescing at home.

Doctors say that, in the vast majority of cases, the spider's bite should be no more painful, and the medical consequences no more serious, than a wasp sting.

[Roy Tucker]

A man spent three days in hospital after being bitten by a venomous spider now spreading across the country because of global warming.

Global Warming, is there anything it's not capable of?

[Sarajevo]

I had a black Widow take up residence in my well house because of global warming...........it was cooler inside. /sarc

[Mad Dawg]

Yes, global warming happens. Yes, it can change and may already have changed the geography of flora and fauna.

It is also true that it is part of the official religion of the UK not only the Global Warming is happening but that trashing the economy will mitigate it. The second proposition fills me with doubt.

And the assertion that global warming has to do with a bite from a spider that, according to the story, has been in the UK for more than 100 years (unless I misunderstood) seems to me to be more the writer's attempt to whip up "religious" feeling about global warming than a statement of fact related to the story.

As one poster implied, global warming has its "good" side. It's doubtful that that side is often gratuitously inserted into stories as the alleged "bad" side was crammed into this story.

That's what leads to the complaints, I suggest.

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[AmericaUnited]

Is there a reason you dodge answering my point made, i.e. that you seem to be clueless as to why these articles appear?

[Jaxter]

Wait a second! I thought global warming was supposed to turn the UK into an icebox. I'm confused. Does anybody have Al Gore's phone number?

[Rummenigge]

yup I am dull as a donkeys butt.

[dhuffman@awod.com]

Perhaps, but enough. 'Poisonous creatures' extend beyond mere spiders. Is anile a synonym for 'poisonous creature' (also abbreviated PC)?

Either we are equal or we are not. Good people should be armed where they will, with wits and guns. NRA KMA

[Mrs Ivan]

Wait a second! I thought global warming was supposed to turn the UK into an icebox. I'm confused.

Me too - one could almost start to think that global warming is a load of rubbish.

[EmilyGeiger]

Personally I think it is because we can not use pest control poisons that are effective that is causing the spider to survive. But what do I know? I'm not an elitist or environmentalist. :)

[Rummenigge]

um that's modern press - can't sell the story ? there's no story.

I wouldn't say theres much politics implied. It's just the bite of a spider that feels well if it's warm and better if it's getting warmer.

What I hate about this here discussion is this {Dummycrat = manmade global warming happens{ - {GOP = doesn't} polarisation.

If it was impossible for an economical thinking and free minded american to find that global warming by man happens (if we find indications that it does - which it what it seems like) then there's something utterly wrong about the political culture. And of course vice versa.

[Mrs. P]

ping

[Mrs. P]

Everyone check your bananas!

[SWAMPSNIPER]

A Brown Recluse bit me on the left temple while I was asleep, I ended up with exposed bone on 1/3 of my forehead, and an infection that led to forced early retirement. The head wounds eventually healed, but my lungs never will. There is a researcher in Texas who suspects that the venom can hide out in your system, and cause problems for a long time.

[PJ-Comix]

I swear I thought this was going to be a Nancy Pelosi thread from the title. With her as the sister of Hillary.

[Mrs Ivan]

I swear I thought this was going to be a Nancy Pelosi thread from the title. With her as the sister of Hillary.

Nope, just an everyday article about unpleasant, ugly, venomous creatures ... oh, wait ...

[Jaxter]

Right. Maybe we should start calling it Glo-Bull warming.

[palmer]

Global warming happens and with that animals and plants typical for an area are changing. That's a simple fact.

Or not. A poster after you asked if importing bananas to Britain was also caused by global warming since that is where this spider came from. Here in Virginia we have some changes too, but any that are caused by warming pale in comparison to others caused by development, imported species and abandoned or converted farms. The effects from warming are hard to separate and easy to "blame" on warming by those pushing that agenda.

[Mad Dawg]

Well, I think this is exactly why God gave us distilled spirits.

Here's what I also think: You got cheer-leading and you got discussion. Somewhere between the two you have debate. It's perilous to confuse these activities, and it happens all the time.

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[Rummenigge]

It's in the long term statistics - and if you look at the glaciers. Warming happens evidently. IF we all gonna die because of that is highly questionable - but if you wanna go diving at the maldives plan it in the near future.

[Rummenigge]

gotta have it both I guess.