Photos of Steatoda noblis – the (noble) false widow spider. This is the spider that is generally referred to when people talk about false widows.
The other main species of spider referred to as a false widow is Streatoda grossa. Also known as the cellar spider or cupboard spider S. grossa packs an equally (if not more) painful bite. S. grossa is also more likely to be mistaken for a black widow as it sometimes has darker legs and body than S. noblis. There is considerable variation in appearance between individual spiders in terms of pattern and colouration. The markings, when visible on S. grossa tend to differ from S. nobilis in that they are more regular and consist of a crescent followed by 2 or 3 ‘chevrons’.
I was bitten by a Rustic Wolf Spider (Trochosa ruricola) on the 2nd Jan 2023. I was picking carrots in my garden when I felt what was like a bee sting. I looked down at my hand and there was this spider on top of my little finger biting me. It was not trapped or threatened by me as far as I am aware. I flicked it off and took a picture of it. There was only a tiny mark on my finger and the pain wasn’t any worse than a bee sting. The next day there was a red mark and I felt really unwell with the worst headache I have ever had, then about every 6 hours the size of the mark would double, then it started blistering and turning black and blue. I took some antihistamines but that didn’t help. On the 5th it was getting so much worse and painful that I rang 111 and they told me to ring 999, they told me to get to A&E where they would be waiting for me. They cut the swelling with a scalpel and attempted to squeeze as much of the fluid out as they could. They said it was all a reaction to the venom as there was no sign of any infection. I asked if they deal with many spider bites and they said quite a lot. It is now the 10th February and it is still red and painful and not showing any signs of getting better.