A spider infestation has become so widespread in one home in Bristol that the family residing in it is considering moving away. They fear their three young children might get bitten.
Kirsty Garland and her partner Liam Forrester have found no less than 30 of the aggressive Hobo spider (Tegenaria agrestis) in their home. They suspected the spiders were in their attic. When they opened the door, sure enough, all the spiders began coming out and into other parts of their home.
The Hobo spider very much resembles an ordinary house spider, but has longer, bigger, hairier legs. They are also known to be more aggressive than normal spiders, a trait which Forrester discovered first hand.
Forrester was bitten by the spider, and the wound took three months to heal.
"They don't seem to be scared to run at us either; they run towards us and seem very aggressive. When you corner them they rear up their legs," Garland said in an interview.
According to arachnid experts, the bite of a Hobo can be very serious if not cared for properly. The bite can cause necrosis in the tissue surrounding the wound and surgery may be required in extreme cases. Some people who have been bitten by Hobo spiders report that their vision became blurry and had headaches.
Garland is reaching her limit with the spider situation in their house. She calls them spiders on "steroids" and is absolutely terrified of them, especially with their three young children in the house in danger of getting bitten as well.
The UK has been experiencing an unusually large spider infestation because of the warm summer months that were conducive for insects, which spiders prey on, to lay eggs and multiply. As the weather becomes cooler and wet for the fall, the arachnids are transferring indoors and into people's homes.
Hobo spiders can be tricky to eradicate because spiders are solitary and do not build nests.
