How do spiders get into bathtubs?

[Tim Streater]

and dogs are my enemies.

[Owain]

Apparently mouse kebabs are a popular street snack in some parts of Africa.

Sold with head and fur still on.

Owain

[Steve Firth]

Well... Spiders are related to horseshoe crabs. So you can get a vague idea of what they may look like when broiled.

[Andy Champ]

There are no dangerous British spiders, and AFAIK only one immigrant (false widow) and even that isn't a killer.

Andy

[polygonum]

As I understand, you are quite right. But for some, it is because they cannot penetrate human skin rather than that they do not produce venom. Anyone know for sure?

[Nick Odell]

My Dorling Kindersley "Wildlife of Britain" (£14.99 on the cover but four quid from some book remainder company or other) doesn't have an entry for the false widow. Maybe because it's not British wildlife or perhaps because it's known under another name.

All the other spider types sound like entries from THHGTTG as they range from "Harmless" through "Beneficial and harmless" to "Beneficial and harmless but larger species may bite."

Nick

[Andrew Gabriel]

Some can penetrate the skin, but I don't think there's one which can both penetrate the skin and is very toxic to humans, although a few people can get reactions but bites are very rare anyway. I think most, if not all, produce venom, but it's not designed to work on us.

It's probably the case that dangerous spiders elsewhere in the world are also not designed to work on humans, and it's more of an unintended consequence when they do.

[damduck-egg]

I'd never expected to feel the bite of British spider till one evening there was a rattle from a chimney and some gritty soot bounced onto the carpet accompanied by a large spider which proceded to stare at us.This was in my youthful shared house days and the reaction of my fellow housemates and the usual accompaniment of Girlfriends ,drinking buddies etc was in the main to jump up on the sofa, as there was no room left for me and mindful that a broken sofa would dent my house deposit I undertook to pick the blighter up and remove it. Felt quite a nip as it bit. Picked many up since but if it's a similar looking one to that I use a glass and a bit of card.

G.Harman

[Tim Streater]

Do that anyway so as not to damage it. Same with bumble bees in the conservatory etc. NB if the BB is looking a bit flaky you can mix a spot of honey in a teaspoon of water and get the little blokette to sup from it.

[Nick Odell]

I'll remember that, ta.

I know human beings are inclined to seek the miraculous in the mundane so while I marvel at the way that my accommodating a few spiders at home keeps the flying insects away I'm sure that while there's a rational explanation, it goes beyond a belief that my spiders gobble up each and every flying critter in the area. I suspect that the scent of spiders - whatever that is - triggers a keep-away mechanism in the fly. Or maybe, and more likely, the scent of digesting fly-bits does the same thing.

My mother and her mother before her used to 'charm' wasps. If the wasp came into the house, they used to talk nicely to it and persuade it to go elsewhere and the wasp would leave and that was the end of the matter. They used to say that if you killed a wasp, another would come to its funeral and when I've been with people who feel they must squash wasps it has appeared to cause more trouble than it has cured. Maybe wasps recognise the scent of wasp death too - who knows?

So my tip for uk.d-i-y - particularly appropriate as the fruit harvesting season is under way - is: don't squash wasps. Use a glass jar and a piece of card to trap them then put them outside. It's a lot less bother in the long run.

Nick

[Tim Streater]

What you *certainly* don't want to do is to stand under a hornets' nest killing them. If you see such a nest move away smartly.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I did that many years ago, and was firmly told off by a bee keeper.

This is a good thing to do, but apparently you must make sure the honey is completely pure local honey. In particular, if it includes any imported honey, you risk introducing bee viruses to colonies here which they haven't been exposed to and have no resistance.

[Tim Streater]

Good point. I was, however, only referring to bumblebees. Dunno if that makes a difference.

[Andy Champ]

Quite a lot of entomologists actually. If you really want to know google for "wasp pheromones" - I'm no expert, but I do know there is an alarm pheromone (= smell used for communication).

Andy

[Gib Bogle]

On 7/09/2012 9:00 p.m., Tim Watts wrote: ...

A beauty! I didn't know about these ones.