661-Pete wrote:Mick F wrote:I picked one up in the living room some time back, to transport it outside.
As I cupped it in my hand, it bit me.
It actually hurt!
I suppose you
may have encountered the Hobo Spider of ill repute, rare in Britain and rarely found indoors here. But after a bit of googling, it seems that the much commoner Giant House Spider
can occasionally inflict a bite, though it is non-aggressive and very reluctant to do so. News to me at any rate! I have often picked them up without problems. I suppose the trick is to hold them very gently, and avoid squeezing. Or if - like so many people - you're squeamish about handling the creature, try to trap it in a cup or something.
But - unless it's in a really inconvenient situation, like stopping you from having a bath, an even better practice is to simply leave it alone. While it's squatting on your wall or ceiling, it really is harmless....
Apparently Giant House Spiders and Hobo Spiders really don't like each other, so if you have the one you won't have the other. Another reason to leave Giant House Spiders alone. Not sure how you tell them apart at a glance though.
I too handle House Spiders (
Tegenaria) (my wife and children insist they are evicted) and have felt the occasional pinch, but they never break the skin.
Mouse spiders (
Scotophaeus) and Tube Web Spiders (
Segestria) both look to me like they could bite, so I avoid handing those. They occur in the shed but I've never had them in the house.
Woodlouse Spiders (
Dysdera) and Diving Bell Spiders (
Argyroneta) are also supposed to be capable of penetrating human skin. Diving Bell Spiders have to be one of the most fascinating bits of wildlife we have, they live underwater but are air breathers who keep an air supply in a modified web. Globally they are somewhat rare, but can be locally common in Britain.
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