I rarely trouble my doctor on my behalf, but I finally had to call Devon Doctors this evening with what I thought was an insect bite to my finger. I had been in some discomfort with it for over ten days and it had remained inflamed and swollen. There had been two or three puncture marks and a black semicircular mark which gradually elongated below the surface of the skin.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWuUwlW_jRuG4NjlxatcWl7EeRedGQsvUDY4jbW3Dw24iJQgoPm96djMwAQm-AdNZwW67A5uB8lTy7-g62Jh8yosAcmow_48Paso3RVMy92JJH7dr55_2ECz2iL-NdqA1O-B43Nh_6kLTJ/s320/bite+640.JPG) |
Dressing applied to the bite. |
I was treated at hospital and had the finger dressed and advised to watch out for red line tracking - a sign that antibiotics would be needed. During the course of the examination, it was mentioned that it may be a spider bite.
Apparently there are a dozen UK spider species that can administer a bite to humans. The most infamous is the false widow spider which was first documented in 1879 in Torquay, having reportedly come ashore in a consignment of bananas from the Canary Islands.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ENTHeP6etw0eJ4R01289OkL77iDuAOcFYULdiejCVNpkuVT2LVvjJrgoYZmLlU8SAKakZ7TFOcErW1l3CpnNjcHtNcL-BkYv7LisL90mPWGMznYeb737IT_RQSfb7DpYesg6KUkxho3N/s320/False+Widow+spider+M.jpg) |
Most infamous UK spider: the false widow. |
Another spider that packs quite a nasty bite is the cupboard spider which I have seen in our bungalow on a few occasions.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfQRzRFsQV-5Myclne4zrsW-K7iLPN-1hrsTSrB7X58yvW8qs70lDvJCSMmtswshl37uyqTBf9krR_B3dN3-Ea9J-trBjgXHzFIDIEkOnlb4I4YoFVZNRWU8WwOZoic0eM9wHXnLvOv_a/s320/Cupboard+spider+M.png) |
Nasty little spider: the cupboard spider. |
'Fingers' crossed that my infected finger recovers from whatever bit me, it is quite nasty as a few residents commented on seeing it.