Australian spider with an 'excruciating bite' arrives in Britain: Cotswolds tourist is left with a hand 'like a balloon' after encounter
Hugh Marsh from Perth, Australia, was in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, for his cousin's wedding when he found the stowaway in his shoes.
Initially thinking there was a wedge of tissue in the toe, he reached in and pulled it out, only to discover seconds later that it was webbing.
With his hand reddened and itchy, Mr Marsh quickly washed it – but it was too late, and the next day it was blown up like a 'blimp'.
'I discovered it in my left shoe just before a wedding,' the 30-year-old said.
'I looked in thinking there was a wedge of tissue in the toe, and pulled it out, like you would, with my fingers.
'That's when I noticed my hand starting to feel itchy and saw the hairs.'
Hugh says he 'immediately' knew something was wrong.
He said: 'I washed my hands thoroughly, but the damage was done.
'And I had a wedding to go to, so hoped it was just a small effect.
'I didn't expect the blimp of a hand the next day.'
He added: 'My whole hand was swollen like a balloon.'
Images captured by Mr Marsh show his hand puffed up in reaction to the spider's hairs.
'It was as if I'd stuck my hand into a pile of cactuses,' he said.
'Extremely fine short hairs covered my middle and index finger, from the tips to the middle knuckle.'
The Aussie event photographer reckons he hadn't worn the shoes for two or three years before the big day, and that they'd been in his closet the whole time.
Though he didn't photograph the spider and is unsure of the species, he thinks it could have been a Badumna insignis after looking at pictures
Black house spider
Black House Spiders are widely distributed across southern and eastern Australia.
They are timid animals, and bites from them are infrequent. The bite may be quite painful and cause local swelling.
Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sweating and giddiness are occasionally recorded. In a few cases skin lesions have developed after multiple bites.
Source: Australian Museum
And though he didn't photograph the spider and is unsure of the species, he thinks it could have been a Badumna insignis after looking at pictures.
An Australian native species, it's better known as the black house spider, and is more dangerous than its name suggests, packing an excruciatingly painful bite.
Some victims have reported nausea, vomiting, sweating, dizziness, and even skin necrosis from their venom.
Hugh is just relieved the spider was already dead.
He said: 'It was a black spider with thin legs and large mandibles, about the size of an Australian 50 cent coin.
'It had been deceased for a while by the looks of it.
'It was like it had gone into the shoe, wrapped itself in a cocoon of webbing and died.'
He continued: 'I think it's pretty funny overall.
'Thankfully it was just the spider hairs that stuck into my fingers and not an actual bite – I'd be a little worried how that could've gone.'
Hugh was able to enjoy the wedding with paracetamol before seeking medical attention.
He was advised to use a strong antihistamine, but said it took a week for the swelling to go down.
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