I can face any amount of scary things but not spiders. Yet I’m always the one they go for. I once cowered for around 8 hours on a steamy hot night in the US, desperate for the loo and clenching mightily, because a huge spider was between me and the salvation of my bladder. Eventually I shot it with an air-rifle. I blame spiders for fucking up my kidneys, the evil little bastards. So I really didn’t need to see this story:
Biting spider widens its web
A British spider which can bite humans is on the move.
Until recently, Steatoda Nobilis, a close relative of the notorious Black Widow, was native to Dorset.
But it can now be found in parts of Devon, Cornwall and Essex.
Steatoda Nobilis is believed to be the only one of Britain’s 640 spider species which bites humans.
It is reported to have bitten at least 10 people in Dorset and four in Devon.
Argh. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had huge wolf or rafter spiders on my pillow, in my sheets, running up my leg in bed…urgh, *shudder*. I’m sure it’s pheromonal.
When accused of irrational arachnophobia I retort that it’s not irrational at all, because I do find them absolutely fascinating. I had no issues with them as a child either – in my family they were known affectionately as ‘graggies’. Nope, my arachnaphobia isn’t irrational at all, it’s a learned response and perfectly rational. The buggers attacked me first.
