spider bite

[small]

I was weeding the asparagus this afternoon and felt a bite/sting on my arm. There was a tiny orange spider, I shook it off and carried on. In a couple of minutes my arm was itching, red and swollen, though with no obvious puncture mark. I put on some Anthisan cream, which has helped, but 3 hours on it is still rather sore and itchy. Has anyone any idea what creature this was? I can't find a reference to something so small and yet so vicious!

[small]

[bridgehouse]

Sorry I don't know what sort it is . but last year I to was bitten on my finger, and that swelled up, and it hurt ,the spider was hiding in my gardening gloves, so now I turn them in side out  just in case ,hope you go on o/k.
   June.

[tvless]

It could of been a woodlouse spider,they have been known to bite humans!!

[small]

Oooh, much much tinier than that - the size of one of those red ones you get on the house walls. Those woodlouse spiders sound a good idea, though, I think it was woodlice nibbled off a load of carrots that had just germinated.....

[Jeannine]

Carry an Itch Stick with you it can neutralise the bite of you are quick and stop it coming up so much.

XX Jeannine

[small]

Jeannine, thanks for that suggestion, I'd never heard of Itch Stick! Looking it up, it'll do the same job as the cream I have but won't burst in my pocket like a tube does....I always take sting relief stuff out and about to shows etc and it's surprising how often I lend it out. I shall cover up next visit to the asparagus....

[chriscross1966]

Was it one of these?



If so you're lucky to not be more reactive to it, can cause unpleasant nectrotising if it gets a good chew on you....

Dysdera crocata, the woodlouse hunter.... there used to be arguments over reported sightings as few experts believed they were native.... now they're everywhere living under decking... it's now the fourth known spider native to the UK that can bite you... the others are the house spider if it gets huge, the wolf spider(ditto) and the gets huge anyway but incredibly rare swamp spider

[small]

No, Chris, nothing like that size. I'm beginning to think it was just an ordinary gnat that bit me and I coincidentally had a tiny spider crawling on me....I brushed several creepy-crawlies out of my hair later!

[artichoke]

I was bitten by The Lundy Spider on the island of Lundy 2 years ago. I picked up a scarf from the floor and felt what I took to be a wasp sting (really sore), dropped it, and a spider scuttled out which I caught and put in a jam jar for a bit, with some grass to keep it happy. No wasp ever found. Bite faded away after a bit of wasp-like inflammation.

We were thrilled with our stay there - not only did we find (and later release) The Lundy Spider but we also found The Lundy Cabbage and the puffins and lots of other wild life we had read about, and some amazingly furry striped caterpillars by the old light house.

[Ru1]

Definately sounds like a woodlouse spider.

Even the little ones have a painful bite, as I found out once ::) ::)

[Gordonmull]

This might sound a bit dramatic but if you do get bitten by a spider that you don't recognise it's best to capture it safely (I know, I know!) and/or go to the Docs ASAP. Some of our freak imports, recent settlers and even some natives can give some nasty and debilitating bites. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/insects-spiders/identification-guides-and-keys/spider-bites/. Most of our natives can't get their fangs through our thick hides, thankfully.

Arachnophobia is there for a reason!