So what is this spider...

[-Ralph-]

...that my daft dog has been sharing his basket with? I've never seen one with these colours before.

It has spun a kind of cotton wool ball type web and was sitting on top of it. It was about 20mm x 12mm

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd82/colinbal4/SNC00014.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd82/colinbal4/SNC00014-1.jpg

[husky03]

that web is a egg nest- suggest can of bo spray and a lighter

[-Ralph-]

that web is a egg nest- suggest can of bo spray and a lighter

Hmm, I brushed it out into the grass, I'd have to go and find it. I don't mind it breeding so long as it isn't dangerous to dog or kids.

[minimorecambe]

Id be inclined to say that it is an orb-weaving spider :)

[Jabba]

So what is this spider...

That, Sir, is a Red-Ar$ed Dunny Spider.

Native to Australia, it may have travelled here by hitching a lift care of Quantas in holiday-maker's baggage.

Normally livs under a loo seat, biting the bu-tocks (Forrest Gump stylee) of unsuspecting but otherwise relieved personages. This has never struck me as being entirely fair.

[Amanda M]

It looks like the spidys we have in our garden - orb-weavers I think they are. Beautiful webs our ones have, and are merrily munching their way through loads of little flies at the moment. I don't think they're harmful at all but I've never got close enough without a big lens in front of me :D

[minimorecambe]

They can bite but it is rarely toxic to humans.

[Amanda M]

They can bite but it is rarely toxic to humans.

Glad I've not got too close to them then ;) They seemed happy enough munching flies so I might have been safe anyway :D They're lovely things to watch :cool:

[gruntygiggles]

It looks like a particularly pretty garden spider to me. The most common of Britains orb weaving spiders. I wouldn't worry about being bitten by it. I've picked up thousands of these things in my life, never used to let my dad trim the hedges in the back garden until I had moved them all to safety. I never got bitten! :-)

[minimorecambe]

I'd expect they would only bite you if you walked through thier web and startled them.

I would also bite some who wrecked my house!! :p

[gruntygiggles]

Well, I used to just cup my hands around them and pick them up, then put them down in a part of the garden that wasn't about to be attacked with a petrol trimmer...lol.

I have now got back to being comfortable picking up the big house spiders. Still feel guilty when I chuck them outside into the cold though.

I think there are 12 species of toxic spiders in the UK now. The Tube Web in this article is worrying if you worry about these things as it could be easily mistaken for a house spider. I wouldn't want to pick one of them up...lol

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7573530.stm

[gruntygiggles]

I did get bitten by one of those little crab spiders once. Little bugg3r jumped on my finger and bit it...lol

[gruntygiggles]

According to the Natural History Museum, this, the Walnut Orb Weaving Spider is the only orb weaver in the UK that can give a toxic bite...but apparently just like a nettle sting with pain for a few hours to a couple of days.
All just stuff I've just looked up though.
http://www.uksafari.com/jpeg2/walorbw1.jpg

[Milky Bar Kid]

Cheryl, you are weird. That is all.


(Although I like that you save me from the spiders.)

And so you know, I managed to scroll down past Ralphs pic before it loaded so it didnt scare me too much!

[dizzyblonde]

I have now got back to being comfortable picking up the big house spiders. Still feel guilty when I chuck them outside into the cold though.




I feel guilty at chucking them outside too, even when they look at me with them great big eyes!
Ours are feckin huge, there was one on the living room wall the other night. Came downstairs to do Olivers feed, turned light on, and there was the biggest spider staring at me....I blew it and it fell to the floor with a thump and buggered off under the sofa!

[AndyBrad]

feck that, keep them away from me. We went to longleat safari park a bit ago and they said dont worry, it wornt bite. I had to be stopped from killing it!


urgh!

[-Ralph-]

That, Sir, is a Red-Ar$ed Dunny Spider.

Native to Australia, it may have travelled here by hitching a lift care of Quantas in holiday-maker's baggage.

Normally livs under a loo seat, biting the bu-tocks (Forrest Gump stylee) of unsuspecting but otherwise relieved personages. This has never struck me as being entirely fair.

LOL

Well, if you guys say it's an orb weaver, then an orb weaver it is! :D Thanks

Still google images doesn't throw up a red/orange one, so I guess it's quite a rarity?

[Jayneflakes]

Wow, what a beauty.

Thanks for that link on the tube web GG, beautiful little animals and I have been out looking for them recently too!

I wish that I still had my Ruby (http://www.tarantulaguide.com/tarantulas/honduran-curly-hair-tarantula/), she was a real beauty. Stating that they are docile is somewhat of a mistake though, they can be very docile, but they can also very horrifyingly fast and aggressive.

[BigBaddad]

Looking at the reference books I have in my library, I can say for sure that spider is of the Incey Wincey variety. Rare to observe one indoors as they usually inhabit waterspouts. I would guess that due to the heavy rainfall of late he got wash out. Don't worry if you leave him alone, when the sun comes out and dries up all the rain, the jolly little fellow will make his way backup the spout again.

Pleased to have helped.

[-Ralph-]

Looking at the reference books I have in my library, I can say for sure that spider is of the Incey wincey variety.

Pleased to have helped.

My 3 year old already came to that conclusion :D

[xXBADGERXx]

I would say it is an Araneus Diadematus . They Are also known as a "Cross Spider" as they sometimes have a Crucifix marked on their backs in White . They can sometimes be found in the Brick Red colour that you have shown , most of the time they are Tan coloured . They have banded legs of light and dark colours . They usually form a Ball for their eggs in the Autumn and the hatchlings come out in the spring .

[-Ralph-]

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd82/colinbal4/SNC00014-1.jpg

I would say it is an Araneus Diadematus . They Are also known as a "Cross Spider" as they sometimes have a Crucifix marked on their backs in White . They can sometimes be found in the Brick Red colour that you have shown , most of the time they are Tan coloured . They have banded legs of light and dark colours . They usually form a Ball for their eggs in the Autumn and the hatchlings come out in the spring .



Looks like xXBADGERXx's the closest so far :takeabow: google image "cross spider" and you get

http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/images/orbcollage.jpg

though the image is called "orbcollage", so I assume a cross spider is part of the orb weaver family :-k

[gruntygiggles]

Yes, AFAIK a cross spider is one of the garden spiders, which is one of the orb weavers. I think they're lovely. We used to get some whoppers in the garden at mum and dads