False widow spiders in the UK.........

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17123737

It always fascinates me how some species, helped by human actions, will find a new place to colonise and thrive....muntjac deer, ring -necked parakeets, mitten crabs, little owls....all escaped or introduced into the countryside and have done remarkably well. Love them or loathe them, you have to admire their opportunism. False widow spiders have been here a long time apparently, having arrived in boxes of imported fruit. I wonder how they have coped with our recent run of cold winters......? Worth treating with respect if this woman's experience is anything to go by........

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2130975/Woman-loses-hand-bitten-false-widow-spider.html