Uk house spider ate large black cricket

[mr_x_plosion]

A couple of days ago i spotted this little beastie in my kitchen, it shot into a hole in the skirting board as I walked in, I thought about removing it but thought I'd let it come out by itself so I could capture it with ease.

This morning I was tempting my red knee with a black cricket and she wasnt interested, then I thought I wonder if I could bait out the house spider with the cricket, even though the crickets body size was double the spiders. The spider came out to greet the cricket at the entrance, then the cricket ran in the hole with the spider, emerging rapidly 5-10 seconds later, i poked the cricket and it ran at the waiting spider, the spider pounced and in an amazing feat of strenth managed to pin the cricket while biting it, then it let go, the cricket was clearly in trouble and it looked like the spiders bite was taking effect.

I had no idea these spiders were capable of taking such large and aggressive prey, lets face it black crickets are not friendly.

I'd estimate the spider leg span at being under 1 and a half inches.

I just found this pic on google that looks like the spider

Tegenaria gigantea

 

[pitbulllady]

I haven't been able to get my Tegenaria to eat crickets yet, but she/he is very fond of American House Spiders(Aracharanea tepidariorum), which are fortunately very plentiful. I'm not sure what species of Tegenaria mine is, if it's an adult of a juvenile, but it does looks almost exactly like yours and is the same size. It's already set up home inside a toilet paper tube and started on a new web.

pitbulllady

 

[mr_x_plosion]

Thanks for that pitbull lady

Just fed her a house fly, she snapped it up and now struggles to fit in the hole in my skirting lol, here is a pic of her making her way back in.

 

[mr_x_plosion]

second fly today, she is gonna get fat.

 

[Black Widow88]

That is truly amazing! This is why I love insects and spiders. They're so interesting and unpredictable! Hope she does get nice and fat.

Black Widow88