Four schools in the UK have been closed because of infestations of false widow spiders.
Schoolchildren in two primary and two secondary schools in London’s Newham district were sent home after the discovery of the arachnids, which resemble the far more dangerous black widow spiders.
“Bites from spiders in the UK are uncommon, but some native spiders—such as the false widow spider—are capable of giving a nasty bite,” the NHS website states.
“The safety and wellbeing of students and staff must be our priority, so whilst I understand that this may be very inconvenient for you, it is in your child’s best interest to remain at home and not at school,” she wrote, according to the report.
“We have engaged a company to deal with and eradicate this pest, they have estimated that this will take up to three weeks,” wrote Robinson.
Anthony Wilson, a headteacher at Lister Community School, said he hoped his school would open by Oct. 5.
“Investigations suggest that there may be some of these spiders on our site, and we are therefore following advice from the local authority and will be closing the school as a precaution to allow full investigation,” he said, according to the Standard.
“These spiders can bite humans and the bite is unpleasant, although it is very rarely serious … There have been no reports of anyone at Lister being bitten by a false widow spider,” Wilson said, according to the Guardian.
A government official told the paper false widow spider bites are not especially dangerous.
“We are asking all our schools and nurseries to proactively check their premises carefully for these spiders and if they see any signs, then contact environmental health or pest control.”
There are several types of false widow spiders.
