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Exotic wasp spider that bites swarming across England
Last updated at 11:52am on 04.09.07For decades, only the gardens of the South Coast were warm enough for them.
But after years of mild winters, one of Britain's most colourful and striking spiders is on the march.
The population of the wasp spider has exploded and is spreading rapidly north.
This year, females have been spotted in Surrey and Hertfordshire.
Striped wasp spider's size in comparison to a two pence coin
By the end of the autumn - the season when spiders are most in evidence - they could have spread well beyond the Home Counties.
Wildlife experts urged gardeners yesterday to be on the lookout for the creatures over the next few weeks -and report sightings.
Originally from the Mediterranean, they were discovered in England in 1922 where the climate was just warm enough for them to survive.
For decades they clung to the sunnier South Coast but in recent years have been seen as far north as Cambridge.
Many conservationists believe their move northwards is linked to our warmer climate since the 1970s.
Stuart Hine, of the National History Museum, said: "We are getting a lot of reports of people finding them in their gardens. Last year we had unprecedented numbers.
"We are about to start the spider season - when females are at their largest and when the males look for mates - so we could see more."
Female wasp spiders are around the size of a 2p piece, with body marking resembling those of wasps and bees.
But while they can bite, the creatures are not poisonous.
The males, which are far smaller and brown, are often eaten by the females after mating.
Because of this danger, males lurk on the edge of the female's web until
she sheds her skin.
For a while after this process her jaws are soft so he can mate in relative safety.
Despite such precautions, many males are still devoured by their partners.
The females leave their egg sacs on grass leaves and therefore can only thrive in areas where grass is not regularly grazed or mown.
The species - Argiope bruennichi - eats beetles, flying insects and grasshoppers.
Experiments have shown that they are also capable of dealing with the fearsome bombardier beetle.
The bombardier beetle can produce a blast of hot chemicals from the tip of its abdomen.
By wrapping the beetle in silk, the spider can immobilise it from a safe distance.
"They are a prickly, spiny spider so if you pick one up it can feel like you have been bitten," said Mr Hine.
"But they are harmless."
Hertfordshire's biological records centre has had four sightings of females in the last year.
Climate has been linked to the spread of a number alien species across Britain in recent years.
Among them are scorpions which are reported to have migrated from colonies in London's docks.
Reader views (23)
I am a photographer, and have over the last few years collected a few photos of the wasp spider, and it's impressive colours and web. just 2 days ago there was another in my garden, and they really are becoming quite common as I spot them whilst out on walks with my dog to.
- Laura May, dover kent
Can't believe this article is from today. Saw a wasp spider in a field in Southall today near the Grand Union Canal. Not as exciting as the tortoise I stumbled across in a field when I was 10, but very colourful. Needless to say I didn't pick it up.
- Ed Payne, Guildford, Surrey
I was driving to work with my colleague in his car when a very bright stripey female decended on a web (In a mission impossible style) from the drivers door crease. It was right next to my colleagues face as he was driving. I froze staring at him in disbelief and as he turned his head to see what I was looking at, he had a massive shock. He nearly crashed the car!..
He put the window down and tried to 'bat it' outside with his hand but the air flow outside blew it back into the rear of the car... Where it promptly disappeared.
That was on Sunday 06 September 2009... We have travelled in the car on Sunday and Monday and have so far not seen the spider since... Now i know it bites... I may Walk from today!
- Scott Gardner, MOSSLEY, Oldham, Lancashire
hi i have a wasp spider in a insect tub omn my kitchen window sill which i found yesterday by my back garden.its in the insect tub as my 7 year old daughter likes to see them magnified.this is the 2nd one i have found in the past 3 years.
- Teresa Smith, maidstone uk
The internet is great, I just typed in Spider with wasp like markings and found out about the female who has a web near our terrace, she obviously enjoys the heat we are having here in France, I would not want to harm her or damage her web so I don't weed the area she lives in.
- Patricia Blyth, Grassac, Charente, France
I have just been bitten by a male wasp spider! It was inside my dressing gown. Glad to hear it is harmless...
- Julia Hall, Colchester, Essex
I found a wasp spider a week ago, whilst walkng the dog in a field that has been left fallow for a couple of years. I had never seen one before and had to look it up on the internet . I have been checking on it most days and it is always there in the same place. Aug 2009.
- Kim Balls, Clacton on sea, Essex
We found an example of a wasp spider on a web on the gate in the car park, not sure if male or female - 10/10/08
- Susan Morgan, Manningtree, Essex, UK
I saw this spider on a tyre then it change colour
- Ashley Beckett, East cowes
Saw this scary spider but thought it was not a biter. Now not sure. On a garden wall
- Diana Giles, Braintree Essex uk
Found a female example today (20th Sept, 2008).
- Phill James, Frinton on Sea, Essex
Found a female this morning, 18th Sept 2008, guarding her egg sack, on a garden wall besige an overgrown garden.
- Jack Hards, Hamworthy POOLE Dorset
Found on our plant. again convinced this was exotic deadly spider.
Very happy to see it is not!
- Colin Cooper, Goodwood, West sussex
We found a spider at our place of work (Ashford, Middlesex) which looked a lot more like a wasp than the images shown, the area where found is very overgrown grass and shrubs, the thing looked menacing and scary even to me at 6ft 2in and 16 stone. Are there any other species with these markings? As I'm not convinced it is the same thing as your images.
- Alan Knight, West Drayton, UK.
We had a small one of these wasp spiders in our living room, walking around the TV at the weekend (June 08). It look quite scary, even if small and I am petrified of spiders, so the husband got rid of it but used a tissue as I was convinced it was some strange dangerous spider and would not let him touch it! Glad I found it on this website as was worried what is was!!
- Karen, Watford, Hertfordshire
We have seen two in our garden, one of which bit my Mum on the hand! Not popular in our household, I think the country could do without a species of spider that bites!
- Jamie Gould, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England
I'm in Cheshire and have seen two of these spiders! I only wish I had taken a photo. It seems they have spread well beyond the Home Counties.
- Jen, Cheshire
I have one at the bottom of my garden. I'm so scared of spiders, I saw it and looked it up as it didn't look familiar to me. I think it's in the process of eating a male or a wasp/bee as it's feeding on something wrapped in silk that you can just make out similar wasp like markings.
- V Sibley, Wareham Dorset
I have had a male and a female wasp spider in my garden for well over 2 weeks now, I am absoloutely terrified of spiders generally. I left them well alone! One is red and brown and the other is yellow and brown.
- Joanne Franklin, Sidcup, Kent, England
Was working on a urban gardening project in Mile End, and the place was teeming with them! I counted 12 females in total. Probably because they don't get disturbed there!
Numerous beautifully crafted egg sacs too!
- Nick Grinyer, United Kingdom
We have a female wasp spider in our garden has now been with us for a week near our patio door.
- Kerry Spiers, Newport, Isle of Wight, Hampshire
I live in the Borough of Lewisham and recently spotted the female wasp spider in my garden feeding on a ladybird.
- Jordan Ihama, Lewisham
I would appear to have a female wasp spider living in semi-log grass just outside just the back gate at the bottom of my garden.
- Paul Warren, Guildford, Surrey
