My workshop resident

**atalantaart** · May 6, 2016, 11:52pm

Made herself at home,she is Steotoda paykulliana a False Widow but a Black Widow look a like,she has a nasty bite but is not aggresive and can’t be provoked to attack so she can stay,besides I know she is by the light switch and burglars don’t , on the bright side she will eat Black Widows should they ever arrive here. Of course I call her Charlotte.

**curiousseagull** · May 7, 2016, 6:14am

I’ve never seen a false widow. I think I’m too far north. For now anyway…I’m sure they’ll make their way up soon enough. Haha

**flamehairedjewellerydesigns** · May 7, 2016, 8:00am

It sounds like you have your own very handy ‘guard dog’, so to speak.

We used to have quite a large spider that used to make its way across the lounge each evening and under the sofa. We called it Sid. Unfortunately, one morning I discovered Sid squashed on the floor. I think our German Shepherd had trodden on him.

**EileensCraftStudio** · May 7, 2016, 9:12am

We used to have a spider that did the same thing and our Jack Russell Terriers used to watch it run across the floor.

At least you know any flies will be eaten and as long as you don’t hurt the false black widow it won’t bite you. They do have a nastie bite and some people do have allergic reactions to their bites.

**SashaGarrett** · May 7, 2016, 9:14am

I’ve got plenty of webs but I think the owners moved out in disgust because of their living conditions, I haven’t seen any of them in a while.

**JOYSofGLASS** · May 7, 2016, 9:52am

All spiders are welcome in my garage. They make sticky webs on the window behind my bench and catch the wasps which wander in there and buzz me aggressively while I wave my hot soldering iron at them.

**atalantaart** · May 7, 2016, 12:35pm

Capture and release is not an option,they have a strong instinct to live in their own web,I released one a mile from home and a week later she was back in her web,I should have called her Christine. I know it was her because of her distinct markings and another spider wont inhabit an empty web. I can only wonder at the how she could navigate and if she went over buildings or around them or even how she knew where her web was.

**wellpresented** · May 7, 2016, 3:47pm

My Mother had one of those many years ago. You could set your watch by it! I’m never sure why she christened it Fred … perhaps in memory of my Father?

**atalantaart** · May 7, 2016, 4:57pm

It seems I am stuck with her for another 3-4 years. In the meantime I was looking at a little patch of soil in our garden,nothing cultivated wants to grow on it so I let anything that does, but just as pretty as anything I could plant I love those big Dandelions and the seed heads they produce.

**coatimundi** · May 7, 2016, 5:29pm

I found something like this under a flowerpot under my potting table. I was a bit alarmed because I’d never seen anything like it before, so I just put it back. I’m not a lover of spiders but I wouldn’t harm one…good to know it’s not deadly

**atalantaart** · May 7, 2016, 5:33pm

Not deadly but not nice either,best thing is to be aware when moving things around,they will only bite if grabbed or you put your hand on one and they feel threatened and you cannot blame anything for defending itself.

**PRaysonDesigns** · May 7, 2016, 6:04pm

I tend to refer to spiders as ‘mobile protein’, or that’s how my cats think of them, with the added bonus of plaything. I rarely see any. I had a couple of the extra large ones last year. One did get in the bath, I picked Angel up, put him in the bath (empty) with it, he looked at it, looked at me, and jumped out for a wash!

**HandcraftedbyPicto** · May 7, 2016, 6:33pm

I have a small spider living behind the mirror on my car, he scuttles into his safe place behind the mirror when I’m out and about.

**atalantaart** · May 7, 2016, 7:15pm

I have one in my mirror,don’t know how many miles it has done,been there last summer and through the winter, it is a widow though because of the tangle web,just strands everywhere,nothing symetrical.
Paula,mercy is a luxery you cannot afford if you see these widows anywhere near your cat and while not fatal to us I don’t know about a cat, I wont have them near Jonesy.
What’s your cat like ? Does he live up to his name ? Mine is a gentleman.

**atalantaart** · May 7, 2016, 7:19pm

Yep,all of them,you get to have the lot.

**PRaysonDesigns** · May 7, 2016, 8:08pm

Will keep my eyes open for this 8 legged horror, never fear.

He does live up to his name, sits on my pillow and combs my hair when I have a migraine, runs to the door to greet me, lives on my shoulder if he can. Snuggles with his sister Buffy on me most evenings.
My Angel

And Buffy

**karenscraftybitz** · May 7, 2016, 8:46pm

Arrrrrghhhh.
I wasn’t expecting to see a spider…

Phew!!! * Takes a deep breath *

Spiders really scare me, but I do have a strong rule that no one kills one if we find one.
I’ve had spiders of all shapes, varieties and sizes living with us and I always give them a name

The biggest lodger was a huge hairy house spider that lived in the lounge. She lived behind a speaker unit and would nip out and watch abit of tv with us. I actually grew quite fond of her, but she did meet a sticky end
My daughter is petrified of spiders so we decided it was time to put the spider outside and wish her well on her new journey.
No sooner had my Husband placed her in the garden a bird swooped down and gobbled her up,
We couldn’t believe it… I felt so incredibly guilty.

I’ve not seen a false black widow spider before. I think the fact she may bite would really scare me. It’s amazing to read they return to the original web if displaced.

Just remember not to put your hand in her web feeling around for the light switch

Karen

**atalantaart** · May 7, 2016, 10:06pm

Charlotte is not the only problem, I didn’t put the cover back on my fuse box and I have straightened my hair on that before today,thats the other side of the switch,it’s a minefield in there.

**atalantaart** · May 7, 2016, 10:21pm

They are lovely cats. The strange thing is that I was never a cat person untill a big ginger turned up during what seemed never ending snow and ice and trying to live off the garbage, we just bonded like superglue. He wont catch birds,mice or go after the goldfish in the pond,he stalks but when he could have a kill just walks off like it was a game.

**atalantaart** · May 7, 2016, 10:43pm

You know I get migrane attacks but never the headache,just the light show, WOW the colours and to think some people pay to trip out. The headache side is not so good though, I have known some people that are laid up for around 3 days when they have an attack.