There I was on a Tuesday morning, running a touch late for work, trying to get my sticky garage door open so I could grab one of my old battered BRM wheels to take into the office. The wheel itself wasn't the subject matter rather the tyre that wrapped it. You see, we are having a little tyre war at work. The question of which of the two tyres looks better, (Firestone F560 or some kind of Michelin ZX - not worrying too much about the function) has split the office down the middle. But that's another story for another time. I had an F560 and Steve had the Michelin so we agreed to bring them in for some visual debate.
I eventually got my door open (somewhat annoyed about the stickiness but also happy knowing any thieves would also encounter such hassle), located my wheel and threw it into the back of my Polo. I set off to work wishing I had washed my hands before caking my eye with dirt in an attempt to relieve myself on an irritating itch.
After lunch it was time to retrieve the wheel so James and I went to fetch it. I opened the boot, picked up the wheel and quickly threw it to the ground when I saw a sinister black spider about to crawl on my hand. "What the f**k is that?" I screamed at James.
"Ooer" was the response from James, now sporting a disgusted look.
We had a good look at our new pet, both pretty sure it was a Black Widow. How it got in my garage is beyond me, and how it survived the below freezing temperatures is another mystery but there it was, plain as day, sitting on the pavement. Having not seen a spider like this before I had my doubts as to what it really was, and it was a lot smaller than I had thought it should be for a spider with such a huge reputation. We armed ourselves with photos, checked the wheel for any more, cleared it of the egg sacks (yep there were quite a few) and ended the relationship with our new found friend.
After some research and photo comparisons from the internet it turns out it really was a Black Widow that originates from West America. This gives a likely answer to it being in my garage. A Black Widow egg could well have been in one of the items I have fitted to my car like the ragtop cover or the seats. We'll never know. But one thing is for sure, I am going to get the council in to clear my garage and check for any more as I don't want to take my Bug out for a spin and get bitten on the bum!
Jon's previous posts:
Fuchs
Wheels
Black
Widow Spider
Notek
Spotlight
Ragtop
Day
MoT
time
VW Oil rush
Engine
tune up
Ragtop
gets a new home
Ragtop
Beetle replica
Ragtop
rebuild video
Snapped
by Beaker
The
first MoT
BRM
Wheel detailing
Drive
your VW to work
First
drive
Project
update
61
Ragtop Update
TMI
door cards
Dropped
spindles
Full
steam ahead
Project
'61 is getting there
Ragtop
now in paint
Ragtop
mechanism
Care package
Shock
install: The last phase
Shock
install: Trials and tribulations
TMI
seat covers go on
TMI
seatcovers arrive
Front
end adjustment
Suspension
parts
Narrowed
beam
VW
gearbox
Pistons
Gearbox
clean up
Floorpan
detailing
New
parts for the '61
NOS
mirror
Chassis
strip down
Off
to the painters
First
coat of primer
New
number plates
Body
stripping
Weekend
work
The
sanding begins
What's
in the box?
On
the night shift
Body
prep
Body
seperation
Photos
Ragtop
resto photos part 1
Ragtop
resto photos part 2
Ragtop
resto photos part 3
Have your say!
Latest comments
Sandra Morrish
September 24 19:31
Its a false widow spider they are not native to this country but they are becoming common place now in the south of the UK. They do bite but you wont feel it till after the bite it will swell and be quite painful worse than a bee sting. on rare occasion it will cause problems but more of allergic reaction than anything more. some numbness and tingling does happen but passes . i have quite a few of these in my garage i just avoid them :)
Seth Draper
March 27 20:03
I had one in my ghia when it came over from the states- It survived for about six months through a very cold winter in an essex field- I had the car fumigated with a smoke bomb and some spray on stuff as well- When they let the smoke bomb off loads of little spiders ran out from all the cracked window seals- They turned out to be native but I never did feel comfortable sitting in that one-
Jon
March 24 09:57
Ahh yes the Rabbit Hutch spider. We had a look at those and it isn't one I'm afraid. Take a look at this image: http://www.jimstonefreelance.com/black_widow_spider.jpg That is exactly the spider that was on my wheel
Peter_1960_Split
March 23 17:21
Hi,
That is a Rabbit Hutch Spider, also known as Steatoda bipunctata. They can bite but will feel more like a hornet sting. Check out: http://www.uksafari.com/falsewidows5.htm for pics and more info.
Pete