Recently 2 seperate sources have assured me that the common household spider (UK) is the most poisonous spider in the world, but not to be feared as it is unable to puncture human skin. Can this possibly be true? | Notes and Queries (2024)

Recently 2 seperate sources have assured me that the common household spider (UK) is the most poisonous spider in the world, but not to be feared as it is unable to puncture human skin. Can this possibly be true?

Dan Brake, Hay on Wye Wales

• No.Spiders have a pair of clasping mouthparts, one could say fangs, known as chelicerae. They use these to grasp prey and to inject poison thus enabling them to disable large insects which otherwise would be a bit of a handful. The poisons are neurotoxins which don't actually kill the prey; they just paralyse them. They can thus be wrapped in silk and kept to be eaten at a later time.To bite into an insect, spiders have to get through the exoskeleton made of chitin. If they can bite through that, most should have little problem with human skin. In fact we find that even tiny money spiders, which we encounter often in late summer and autumn, can cause irritating itching with their bites.Now there are many kinds of spiders to be found in houses. But the animals normally referred to as house spiders belong to the genus Tegenaria. There are about 10 different species of Tegenaria to be found in Europe; the largest of these, Tegenaria gigantea can be as much as 13 cm across counting the legs. There is little doubt that they can bite if cornered.Many of these house spiders have been spread around the world by man's activities and one of them, Tegenaria agrestis, has become a bit of problem in the USA. Known there as the Hobo spider or Aggressive House Spider, it is a spider to be avoided. It can and does bite and the poison can cause dizziness and headaches. In addition, it causes necrosis of the tissue near the bite, which may lead to the need for surgical treatment. It does not prove to be a problem here in Europe because here it lives outdoors and is rarely encountered. We don't hear of the others causing any problems. But we can put this down, not to their inability to bite us, but to their retiring habits which cause them to flee instead of attacking.As for the deadliness of the poison, the European Black Widow spider, Latrodectus mactans, remains the one most to be feared. But again it is unlikely to bite unless it is handled or it gets trapped in clothing.

  Terence Hollingworth, Blagnac France

• I knew there was a reason why they petrify me. Now it all makes sense!

  Adelina, Cardiff UK

• I'm not sure about the relative toxicity of different spiders, but it is a fact that all spiders kill their prey by injecting venom.

  D Sutherland, Wick Scotland

• I have heard this too, but i suspect it to be rubbish due to the quantity of them I have seen our cat eat without consequence.

  Ben, Southampton UK

• While I do not believe that the comman house spider is the most poisonous spider in the world (from my time studying applied biology), it's venom is capable of killing a human but its fangs are indead incapable of puncturing human skin rendering it harmless to us but not to flies.

  James Mchugh, Birmingham UK

• A domestic (?) spider once bit me on the lower part of my thumb. The area remained numb for over three weeks.

  Jonathan, Lancaster, U.K.

• Recently, I picked up a moderately-sized spider to evict it from the house and could feel its pincers in my finger. I was somewhat surprised to find a red dot on my hand where it had bitten me. It was definitely blood but there were no ill effects.

  Bryan Ramsey, Snaith UK

• Having been bitten (bizarrely,up my right nostril!) by a very ordinary British bathroom spider and survived, I think I can say our homegrown spiders are not deadly poisonous.Also,after relating my unfortunate encounter wih said arachnid to numerous friends and acquaintances, I was surprised to find many people had also been bitten by spiders concealed in yesterdays jeans,gardening gloves and the like.By the way, the spider who bit me expired immediately after it's assault on my nostril. Perhaps it is WE who are poisonous to them!

  Ms Newsome, Leeds UK

  See Also

  I think a spider went up to my right nostril and my nose has been blocked and sore. Kindly advice.Spider SymbolismBugs that Burrow Under Skin, and What to Do About Them10 Reasons Why Spiders Are Considered Good Luck!

• As a teenager I was bitten on the bottom by a spider in my pants! It hurt a bit and produced a little bump which has returned from time to time in the ensuing 30 years. I was also bitten on the finger as a child, and I remember that one hurt like hell. So obviously those fangs can pierce, but the poison can't be very deadly. (Exits, pursued by spider)

  Millie, Ealing

• We have actually had quite a problem with the hobo spider here. It is not smart to have your house sprayed by pest control as it just makes your hobo spider condition worse, as it the spray kills off their natural predators (other spiders and the like). We have set our glue traps that you can buy over here and I have caught over 15 now. I see the webs now and then in the garden (messy low lying web with a smallish hole at the back - hense, funnel web spider). The males do come into your homes from June - late Oct searching for a mate, then they all die at the end of Oct. Most people come in contact with them here, by having long bed skirts or leaving their bed covers drapped on the floor for them to climb up onto. They get caught in the bed and you end up getting bitten by them. Nice, eh? They say that they don't usually climb but I have seen many that are climbers, so that is a load of rubbish. Anyway, good luck with your spider catching.

  Tracey , Sherwood, OR USA

• I live in Texas and we have a very long legged spider commonly called a Daddy Long Legs. They happen to be some of the most deadly spiders in the world but they don't have a very functioning mouthpart therefore they can't bite people. They rely on catching mosquitos in their webs and liquifying them. Mosquitos slurpies!

  Kelly Yates, Denton, TX USA

• No indigenous species of spider that occurs in residential areas of the British Isles (House Spiders/Orb Webs etc) have venom potent enough to be classed as lethal. However some people may actually suffer from an exacerbated reaction to a bite (it could be called an allergic reaction) which may cause complications. And yes, house spiders, especially the larger species such as Tegenaria Gigantia do have fangs powerful enough to pierce human flesh if provoked. However most bites will be defensive and little or no venom would be injected.

  Ben Prior, Gillingham England

• Re: Kelly's daddylonglegs reply, I'm pretty certain that Daddy Longlegs are classified separately from spiders.Not sure why.

  Susan Cho, Baltimore, MD US

• As evidenced by many people who have already responded, even little spiders can *successfully* bite human beings. Black widows are not very large and their heads and mouthparts are smaller by proportion than most spiders. But they do bite. Think of what you could do to a rubber wall by opening up the old fashioned ice tongs as wide as they will go, jabbing the points into the wall, and then closing the jaws. It's easy to believe that spiders can't bite because spiders ordinarily have no inclination to bite. Aside from one spider peculiar to Japan and California, I've never seen a spider that would just run over and bite - and even that spider thought it was catching a meal. I love the little jumping spiders, which are typically about 1/4 inch long. Once I caught one and wanted to take it home with me, so I cupped it between my palms. Unfortunately for me I got it caught in a fold in my palm, that pinched the spider, and she bit me. There was no doubt about the bite and no other culprit in there with her.You needn't be afraid of black widows. They are practically blind, and they move like pregnant dachshunds when they are off their webs. Just don't reach under a box on the ground and grab one by mistake.

  Patrick Moran, Walkertown, NC USA

• Just this Wednesday I was bitten by what the Hanco*ck Museum, Newcastle Upon Tyne assured me was a common british household spider: "Tegenaria (gigantea)" I was not assured as I had just spent a few hours in the hospital suffering from the bite. At first I just had a red itchy area where I had been bitten, but within the hour both legs were driving me crazy itching! I took a Claryton pill with no relief, within the next hour I was very dizzy, faint, nauseous, extremely weak. I was taken to hospital and by the time I was given medication my speech was very slow and slurred and I could not keep my eyes open. Within 15 minutes of medication I recovered wonderfully.But a day later I am still feeling effects including heart palputations even though I am taking antihistamines till the venom leaves my system. Be careful and if you do get bit save the spider and have someone with knowledge identify it for you and let others know.

  Deborah Milligan, Widdrington, Morpeth NorthEast England

• Interesting! I have just caught a large house spider with its fangs stuck into a raisin that my child must have dropped earlier. It seemed to be getting well stuck into it! has anyone else witnessed anything like this? and it was definitely eating it(fangs were in the raisin).

  sean, Newcastle, UK

• It is probably an urban myth as my cottage has lots of spiders and I've never been bitten by spiders in 30 years. The greatest upset was a laser printer that was trashed by a spider. The unfortunate creature had hidden inside the machine. One day I came to use the printer but instead of a proper page print, out came a very squashed but large spider! Ruined the printer it did as a new toner cartridge was more than the machine was worth. The thing to watch out for is mites, in particular don't let the stray garden cat sit on your lap as this may result in an embarrassing biblical affliction to ones private parts. Farm shop and louse powder for horses will clear the problem overnight. Cost is minimal and in the morning tiny black dots will be found.

  Davey, Bude, UK

• Guys, I understand i am probably really late. However i find this conversation interesting and i am willing to have a little test. I currently have a common UK house spider trapped on some duck tape. I am about to try to get it to bite me. Its body its ruffly 1cm and its fangs look about 1mm each. It is indeed producing some form of venom (i got it to bite a latex glove. It took about 3 bites to piece it. Now i am going to get it to bite me.Ok it felt like a pick from a safety pin. My finger it slightly red cant tell if it got through my skin so i will try another finger.Once again, bit red. It did indeed piece my skin. This is after one day now redness has gone and no other symptoms are showing.Day two- SameNothing on day three Seems like they cant kill.

  Daniel, Liverpool England

  See Also

  The Meaning of a Spider: Deep Spiritual Symbolism & Message

• ... So apparently it takes 4 days to kill

  Jackson, Teddington England

• I have caught a live Hobo spider here in West Yorkshire and it has bitten me over ten times. It is sat in a jar on my desk right now. It seems to be aware and it behaves unlike any spider I have ever seen. It was in my bedding for a week or so and when I was getting bitten, it felt like a hot itch. The bites quickly filled with puss and became surrounded with necrotic tissue and took a few months to heal. I used zinc and castor oil cream and neem powder mixed with olive oil and tea tree oil to speed up healing followed by aloe vera gel and vitamin E. It has left pits and scars that look unpretty. I'm not sure what to do with it. I have kept it as a pet. I introduced it to another common spider and the hobo spider devoured it. Some days later, it defacated I think. I have named it peter parker! It is definetly aggresive and seems intelligent. It has visible mouth parts, twin spinerettes, distinctive chevron markings along its back and hairy legs with no banding around the legs. I have taken hi res pictures of it close up. I am thinking of selling it to the highest bidder on ebay!!

  Inam, Bradford UK

• I have 1 or 2 house spiders. I don't like them but I would never kill them or harm them. They leave me alone so I leave them alone. In fact, I have a kitten who is really good at catching flies and turning them into walks so, the injured or dead fly gets sort of flung at the web from the paper I've scooped it up with and the spider does his thing. Love them or hate them, you have to respect their expertise at keeping the fly situation under control. I really hate flies.

  Lisa Atkins, Redditch England

• Well I have had 3 separate bites in as many weeks which came up as sore, hot and itchy lumps each with a black mark on the top. Then next came the yucky stuff from each. Then they went down after what seemed like weeks. Then I had an infection in my eye, ear and throat which my doctor say is due to the bites - they have caused an allergic reaction and this is why for 3 weeks I have been unwell on strong antibiotics in the hope it will clear up

  Eileen Walton, Liverpool England

• Today I went into my salad draw in my fridge to get some salad that had been grown in the EU.Next to it was a very aggressive spider I didn't recognize. I caught it in a glass and put it outside without thinking.Later on i was curious to find out what spider it was, I found a picture with a description, both the description and picture matched the spider perfectly! The spider was a hobo spider! I've looked at what it can do if it does bite and I'm shocked.It was very aggressive, but I guess had nowhere to run so felt cornered. I am wondering whether I should worry about having just put it outside? In any case, I count myself lucky that I always fully inspect and wash my salad and veg before eating!!!

  Lucy Howard, Newport United Kingdom

• Your all refering to the fat hairy ones. The actual one this is TRUE of is the thin long legged one you find in the corners on little webs, also mistakenly at times called a daddy long legs by some. It's venom would easily kill if it could bit us or animals, but it can't so were all safe. I'm glad others have been Biten by the others though as I have been laughed at so much as everyone says they don't bite.

  Paddy B, Soton UK

• I have to say I find these comments extraordinary -- I'm sure spiders are being blamed for bites from fleas, mozzies, etc!I've spent all my life catching and hunting 'creepy crawlies', and have hoards of spiders everywhere around the house and garden. But I've never been bitten. I've been bitten or stung by most things -- perhaps I'm immune!

  Peter, Helston. Cornwall UK