Of the 680 spider species in Britain, only a handful can nip through human skin. Of these, the Noble False Widow spider (Steatoda nobilis) is the only one whose bite can be of medical significance. It arrived here from the Canary Islands and Madeira in the late 19th Century but in the last two decades has extended its range from a few sites on the south coast to encompass most of lowland England and Wales, with a few records from Scotland. In southern England it is now very abundant, remaining largely associated with built-up areas.
As both the spider’s range and abundance have increased, probably because of climate change, the number of reported bites has inevitably risen. However, the risk of a bite causing a wound needing medical attention is very low (most are no worse than a wasp sting), as is the chance of being bitten in the first place. These spiders are not aggressive and only bite when threatened. Thus, despite the abundance of Noble False Widow spiders in southern England, there are very few cases in which the recipients of bites are medicalised. Wounds wrongly diagnosed as Noble False Widow spider bites are likely to be common, a result of self-diagnosis or a lack of experience of true spider bites amongst medical professionals. In many cases, a spider culprit is assumed rather than proven. This is a species that we have already learnt to live with, although education and research continue to be important in better identification and diagnosis of its bites.