Researchers believe arachnids arriving in imports of food and plants are now able to survive and spread thanks to the UK's increasingly mild climate.
The new inhabitants include a species of false widow spider and some believe the deadly black widow could be next to invade.
Conservation group Buglife wants import rules to be strengthened to stem the tide of alien species invasion.
Matt Shardlow, director of Buglife, told BBC News: "Other countries in the world take great care about what biological material they allow in, because it can contain pests that can damage our goods, our livelihoods, our health and our biodiversity.
Our increasingly warm climate is starting to suit many more spiders
Stuart Hine, Natural History Museum
"Currently in the UK, we have a laissez-faire attitude - there is an open licence for people to bring in dangerous pests."
But a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said that a new strategy was in place to "tackle the threat to the UK's native biodiversity from unwanted pest species which have 'hitchhiked' into the UK on plants".
Aggressive arachnid
John Partridge from the British Arachnological Society said his organisation had had an increase in the number of enquiries about "strange spiders".
He added: "We are certainly getting more spiders coming into the UK - and it seems that more are spreading around the country once they are in." --------------more of this creepy crawler story and more videos at the link!------------------------------------------------
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This story makes your skin crawl! But you know what? Spiders are important. One example: I owned a home on a river in the Rockie Mountains and we would get a massive amount of mosquitoes in certain months. One time I noticed a very beautiful large web being made at the front door and decided to leave it and watch the spider do his thing. The next day there were probably several hundred mosquitoes in his web and I said, Wonderful, I don't have to use chemicals to rid the mosquitoes! It seriously cut down the mosquitoes entering my house! Now, I always remember this and praise the creepy spider and let him do his thing. He's there to protect and eat many spiders! The circle of life...
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- Vierotchka
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I never kill spiders - I welcome them in my home. I only get rid of the cobwebs once they have been abandoned and gathered dust. They help control insects inside my place as I tend to live with the windows wide open almost year-round. In my neck of the woods, it is said that it is unlucky to kill a spider. They are fascinating and intelligent creatures, related to crabs, shrimps, scorpions, etc.
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sneaky little ninjas they are.
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- sowalabear
- 1 year ago
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LOL sneaky little ninjas...
It's cool, but if we get the black widows, I'm off to France...yes, even France is better than sitting with spiders. Just.
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- dirtyemowords
- 1 year ago
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I used to work in a garden centre and once a large yellow spider crawled out of one of the hessian bags labelled Brazil. I think it contained pebbles. I just put a flower pot over it and got my boss to deal with it. I have a pet tarantula called Con Carne, so they dont freak me.
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I'm not a fan of the creepy crawlies,have a bit of arachniphobia. However I do understand their place in the ecosystem. I also have mosquitoes invading my home each year,so I let the spiders do their thing and leave them alone. I tell them as long as they stay in their space and don't invade mine (like my bed) they are fine,but..if invade my space,they are bug goo.
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I don't kill my spiders either, you will never see a bug in my house....natural predators are the best!
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It's that time again!
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omg I hate spiders and ALL bugs in general. I cant have them in my house! I usually freak out and spray Raid, or posion spray all over my house x_x
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- ctrl_alt_del
- 1 year ago
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I have a bug vacuum that DOESN'T KILL bugs. It's cool, made for kids, but it works perfectly. You just suck them in, and dump them outside. You can look at the through the magnifier first too if you want.
I think if more people watched these amazing creatures more closely, they'd never kill one again.
Besides, who made it your right?
Check it out!!!
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Spiders are awesome! I just hate the occasional spider bite though.
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- bonemachine
- 1 year ago
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just as climate change makes fish react differently, and humans thinking differently, the migration of spiders and other species of wildlife does not suprise anyone.
If the environment changes, either adapt or move out of it. -
I wish I could be more accepting of spiders, but I've got a touch of arachnophobia, so the rule in my house is:
if I see you, I squish you.-
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- flyingkick
- 1 year ago
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spiders are just like frogs and snakes, its the real colorful ones you want to catch. Those are the nice ones! kidding....stay away, stay very far away.
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- ResistRebelRevolt
- 1 year ago
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Black widows are exotic? Why? Cause they're red?
They're creepy and a bite will make you really ill, but they're certainly not exotic.Tons of 'em in every nook and cranny here in California.
The Brazilian bird-eating spider, now THAT'S exotic.
And also terrifying.
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Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew
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Good thing i don't live in the UK,
Yea USA we win again!-
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- Krystal_Pasco
- 1 year ago
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i think its weird how these spiders are able to survive in a new habitat.i dont think its a big deal because rthe article said the new spiders arent poisonuse.
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Spiders aren't so bad as long as I know they aren't poisonous--if they're iffy I get freaked out.
Thankfully, I don't have to kill them though. My cats are very good about doing that for me!
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OH NOOOO!
:Othats really freaking scary
loli hate spiders
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aawww that sucks
i cant belive that -
this is interesting because if its because of the climate i wonder what other animals will appear.
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- adilene123
- 1 year ago
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If I do ever get bitten by a crazy spider, I hope I have the superpowers after the sickness is over...
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I ****ing hate Spiders! I have the worst arachnophobia.
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Spiders are cool, I have one that lives outside my room in a lil cranny in my window, I call him pete. I always see him wrapping some shit bag mosquito up :D
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- Hendrix_Is_God
- 1 year ago
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Wouldn't want this spider popping up in your house.
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- Hendrix_Is_God
- 1 year ago
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