Don’t panic, but false widow spiders are multiplying at alarming rates

It's about that time of year again – evenings are getting shorter, nights are getting colder and as we retreat to our cosy central-heated homes for the winter – so to do our creepy-crawly friends.

In case you haven't noticed, over the past decade or so, Ireland has seen a huge rise in the amount of false widow spiders invading homes across the country (and if you're anything like us, you're not one bit happy about it).

This little guy made its first appearance on Irish shores in Co Wicklow back in 1998, and since then has been found in 16 counties, preferring urban rather then rural areas, and according to The Irish Times, is “proliferating at an alarming rate.”

Identified by its polygon-shaped body and dark reddish legs, the species has now started to attack humans, with three reported cases over the past few years.

However, not to be confused with the infamous black widow, a false widow bite can not kill a human – though symptoms can range from redness of the skin to facial flushing and sweating, as identified by scientists at NUI Galway.

Dr Michel Dugon, the head of the research team based at the Venom Systems and Protemoics in NUI Galway, likened the sting to that of a “big wasp,” and recommended that people who are bitten take painkillers and anti-inflammatories as prescribed by their doctor.