Deadly Australian spider comes to Britain (via Matt Salusbury)

With eight legs, lightning speed and a deadly bite, the only reassuring thing about the redback spider is that it lives 9,000 miles away in Australia.

But not any more. Redbacks have been discovered in homes across Britain, the most dangerous in a wave of foreign creepy-crawlies which are finding their way to this country.

Arriving in imported goods or the luggage of returning travellers, the invading species are able to survive in warm British houses even if they cannot cope with the climate outdoors.

Redbacks have been discovered in homes as far apart as Aberdeen, Swansea and Coventry, while in one incident a dozen of the creatures emerged from a crate at a factory in Preston.

The spiders, in the same family as the black widow, are named for the distinctive red stripe along the back of the female.

The pea-sized female is much larger than the male and is responsible for most bites, which cause extreme pain and swelling followed by nausea, chest pain, sweating, fever and possible respiratory failure.

In Australia 14 deaths have been attributed to redbacks, and each year 250 people need antivenom after being bitten. Victims are told to apply icepacks and to collect the spider so it can be identified.

The spread of the redback in the UK emerged in a survey of local authority pest control services, which highlighted the extent and variety of exotic pests now infesting properties across the country.

Whilst no national figures are kept – and in many cases, householders may have the creatures eradicated without ever identifying their type – experts in the field say that the number of such outbreaks is increasing year on year.

Richard Moseley, from the British Pest Control Association, said: "These insects move with trade and transport.

"As the world becomes, theoretically, a smaller place and people go on more unusual holidays and we bring in commodities from unusual places, the spread increases. These insects are on the move now."

Many of the species are tropical ants, which are difficult to eradicate from properties because traditional methods such as spraying their nests with poison actually cause them to spread, as the colonies split up and the ants build more "satellite" nests. Among those reported in British homes are:

– stink ants, which smell like rotten coconuts when crushed. Colonies have up to 100,000 workers and many queens. Hard to control because they establish subcolonies. They like fruit, especially melon, but will also feed on meats and cheese. They like to be near hot water pipes and in crevices near sinks and kitchen cabinets. Found in London.

– crazy ants, so-called because of their erratic, zigzagging path. They can bite causing rashes and are difficult to control as they forage over large areas, making their nests hard to find. Found in London.

– bigheaded ants, originally from Mauritius, are believed to be the newest arrival in the UK. They are able to chew on electrical wires and are on a list of the "world's 100 worst invasive species", maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Up to a quarter of an inch in length, they nest in potted plants. Found in London.

– pharaoh ant – the most established of the invaders. They travel from room to room within the walls via plumbing pipes and electrical wires and are a particular problem in hospitals, where they can spread disease by getting into sterile dressings and even feeding on open wounds. In homes, they are also happy to feast on shoe polish and paints. Can nest behind skirting boards or in linen, curtain rods or stored newspapers. They got their name because of the mistaken belief that they had been one of the ten biblical plagues of Egypt. Found across southern and central England from Lincolnshire to Somerset.

– ghost ants – often mistaken for Pharoah ants, but are very pale in colour – hence their name – which can make them hard to spot. They can nest in wall spaces and potted plants. They usually forage in kitchens and bathrooms, because they need water. Found in London

– Argentine ants – they benefited from this year's balmy spring and appeared in record numbers. They are similar to native garden ants but more ferocious and are able to wipe out the British variety. They create nests under cookers, cupboards and floorboards. Last year Rentokil Initial carried out 13 per cent more treatments for ants than in 2009. Found in Lancashire and London.

Dave Coleman, from Camden council in London, said: "We have been increasingly getting different species of tropical ants. It started with the pharaoh ant, but we now have other strains. They come from all sorts of hot climes."

The survey also found reports of infestations of Oriental and German cockroaches, which can pass on diseases such as dysentery, gastroenteritis, typhoid and tuberculosis, at locations in London and Lancashire.

Dr George McGavin, an entomologist and television presenter, said: "It is very difficult to keep small things out of the country. Insects will always come in.

"Whether or not they can breed in the wild is a different thing. But we have lots of heated homes that are warm through the year with plenty of food available.

"So some species can survive in them and breed in them. Homes are a very big habitat now."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8885990/Deadly-Australian-spider-comes-to-Britain.html