A man was left itching for weeks after the UK's most venomous spider pounced on him while he was gardening.
After Joe Hildebrandt was shook when a False Widow which fell from his arm while he was clearing his back yard a neighbour, Dave Morgan, got in touch to share his own painful ordeal.
Homeowner Joe was terrified as the spider looks similar to the deadly Black Widow.
"They don’t scare me but this one did," Joe, of Kinmel, Wales, told North Wales Live.
"When I saw it on the floor it spooked me a bit as it has been on my arm and I know they will only bite when provoked."
A False Widow bite is usually no worse than a wasp sting but the critters have a fearsome reputation and secondary infections are possible.
Only two of the six types of False Widow in the UK are large enough to be able to bite through human skin.
Upon discovering the unexpected guest, Joe scooped it up in a container and identified it as female, which is typically larger than a male.
He later released her unharmed into woodland where he knew she would not come into contact with people.
“It’s my first encounter with a False Widow and I hope it’s the last time too,” he said.
“I don’t like to kill any creatures. They serve a purpose in nature, however harmful they can be to us.”
Joe shared pictures online with the post prompting replies from others who have encountered the species along the North Wales coast.
Neighbout Dave Morgan, a landscape photographer who lives in the same village, said he had a similar experience to Joe and was left itching for weeks.
“My hand swelled up for weeks,” he said.
“It was very painful too. The pain eventually turned into a constant itch for about eight weeks and it scarred for almost six months. I keep a safe distance from spiders now.”
In neighbouring Rhyl, a 33-year-old was left with an "oozing hole" in his elbow after being bitten by a False Widow several years ago.
Some 30 miles away in Wrexham, AFC striker James Gray was rushed to hospital after the spider sunk its fangs into his right arm.
Others responded to say they were glad they have not encountered the spider.
“Omg that’s terrifying, It’s freakin huge,” one person said.
False Widows can measure up to 35mm, about the size of a 50p coin. The spiders are thought to have arrived in banana boxes from the Canary Islands in the 1870s.
Once more common in south west England, they have spread north in recent years as the climate warms.
Four of the UK's six types of False Widow are native to the country including the more common Rabbit Hutch and Cupboard spiders.
Their webs usually reach 3 to 4ft off the ground. Many prefer life indoors, and can be found skulking in kitchens and sheds, trying their best not to be disturbed.
Of the 650 known spider species in the UK, False Widows are one of only 12 that bite humans.
Its bite is rare as it only lashes out when threatened, but Joe wasn’t taking any chances.
