Note that long logs are no only welcome they are also highly appreciated.
Arachnophobia is the overwhelming fear of spiders which can result in panic attacks. In extreme cases the sufferer can experience a panic attack just from seeing a picture or even a lifelike drawing of a spider and will often be uneasy in areas where there are signs of spider inhabitation (such as webs). The intense fear can often seem irrational even to the sufferer and can cause embarrassment when it manifests itself in front of family and peers.
Garden spider
Spiders like to live in loose tree bark and small crevices and to a spider a house is a little like a desert, too warm and containing very little food. Not all species of spider spin webs to catch their prey but all have the capability to produce silk from their spinnerets. Initially the silk was produced by spiders to protect themselves and their eggs but over time they developed ways to hunt their prey using the fine but incredibly strong silk that they can produce. Female spiders will defend their egg sacks which resemble small white balls of cotton and can sometimes be seen carrying them under their abdomens.
Tegeneria
Of the seven hundred or so native species of spider in this country there are only about a dozen are capable of biting humans and the bite of these is negligible. At most these spiders can cause localised swelling, redness and very mild pain in extreme cases. The incident rate of UK spider bites is very low in the region of ten to a hundred per year. A slight increase in spider bites has been reported and these have been linked to a couple of exotic spiders that have become established and are slowly spreading in southern regions.
Tube web spider
The first of these is the tube web spider, first documented in the UK in 1845, it remained very localised to a few southern ports until 1990 when it began to spread after a series of mild winters and warm summers. It is a large spider reaching up to 22mm in length and it's bite has been likened to the pain of a deep injection causing redness and swelling.
False widow spider
The second is the false widow spider, first documented in the UK in 1879 but it wasn't considered an established resident until the 1980's. This one is not quite as large reaching up to 15mm in length it's bite, although inconsequential initially soon becomes quite a painful burning pain which is worse than a bee or wasp sting.
Neither of these species are of any concern to us tough types who live on the Northern side of the great divide (and the proper side I would like to add ;) ) as they are confined to localised areas near the southern coast. However, if the thought of hunting around in the exact places that spiders like to call home unduly worries you, then this cache is probably not for you.
Congratualtions to the Magna Defender, Oscar the Grouch! and The Phantom Camel Train on the joint First to Find.
As a note to Oscar the Grouch!; Schnuz. our team name comes from our 'pet' name for the team members which are miniature Schnauzers so technically it is a German name and I suppose some of our caches are unnecessarily complicated, LOL, but we like them that way.
Cheers
Schnuz.
