Householders are on the alert this week, amid reports of sightings of a false widow spider in Dublin.
A father who spotted one of the creepy-crawlies in his own back-garden shared the frightening revelation with the Irish Daily Star.
The Crumlin native told the publication: “I knew once I saw the spider that I needed to get rid of it from the playhouse as you certainly wouldn’t want one of your kids getting bitten.”
Believed to have originated in the Canary Islands, false widow spiders – also known as Steatoda nobilis – are often mistaken for their deadly cousins, the black widows.
The false widow is one of the few arachnids known to inflict a painful bite when threatened. While their bite is not regarded as being fatal, it has been connected with cases where people have been left seriously ill.
With the warmer temperatures we’ve been experiencing over the past number of weeks, and the amount of time our little ones will be spending outside during the holidays, it’s important to be vigilant.
The latest report comes just a day after a warning about seed ticks went viral – for the second time.
People have begun re-circulating a post from one Beka Setzer, who took to Facebook to warn people of the danger of these tiny bugs last summer.
She shared a photo of the tiny bites which left her young daughter, Emmalee, with a fever and swollen lymph nodes.
“I want to make every parent aware of what these look like, so you can be on the lookout,” she warned.
“They’re not as easy to see as the ticks you’re likely looking for on yourself or children.”
It’s also important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease, an infection caused by the spread of ticks. For more information, check out this link.
Be safe out there, mums!
