I was working on a car the other day, trying to get a dropped bolt out of an inaccessible place and I managed to poke my finger into something. Anyway, I pulled my finger out and there were two little dots of blood on the end. Possibly poked a sharp, bit of metal. They look too far apart to be a spider bite at 12mm.
A little while later, I was working on the car again, still at the front, but at a different part of the front. I felt that kind of prick poke thing on my finger, different part of my finger, and pulled out, and there were two dots of blood. Again, two punch marks, about 12mm apart. And not a part of the handball would have banged it into something. So this was something biting me.
12mm part looks too wide for the false widows or wolf spiders or whatever. Any suggestions? Is this side of a snake? I don't really want to start googling snake bites because they get a bit gory. The marks in the 2nd photo aren't as obvious as they haven't scabbed up, but they are at the base of the forefinger with the same spacing as in the 1st photo.
What's living in my car and biting me?
May I be the first to suggest Honey Badger?
(Or a rodent?)
Centipede? Woodlouse spider?
Does it hurt?
Edit if you're fairly southerly it could be Segestria Florentina (I had one on my door once) but the bites usually hurt I hear...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segestria_florentina
Those look like a rather large spider bites but I am not sure.
I used to get small two holes tiny bite marks from time to time but I just didn't what caused them.
The same type of fixing in a different location.
As a survivor of a false widow attack I can confirm it's not one of those.
I reckon it's an AI staple gun gone rogue
Southampton and yes it hurt both times. A bit like being stabbed with sharp metal which is what i assumed the first one was as I was poking my finger under the radiator trying to find a dropped nut. The second time I had my whole hand undernetah and behind a bit of radiator ducting and there was a stab/bite rather than my hand banging into something. That is what made me think spider but the bite marks are further apart than I expected.
Next question
How to remove one or more Segestria Florentina from the almost unreachable parts of my car?
Is the car nicknamed Christine?
To the rodent suggestion if it was serious, mouse or rat bites you're getting bitten by the long central incisors so not getting the spacing like that, you'd get one skin puncture.
Well if I was a spider I'd hang out near the radiator.... Warm.
Is this the project car? If so, quite possibly a spider 🕷️
it was Porsche viper, it prays on people who modify their living environment.
Off the wall idea but an Adder is the only UK bitey thing with a bite of 3 - 5 cm , but I stand to be corrected as I haven't been bitten by an adder.
I've been bitten by an Adder.
I can suggest that is not like the bite I had (lots more claret) and the aftermath courtesy of the venom was pretty noticeable...
Southampton and yes it hurt both times. A bit like being stabbed with sharp metal which is what i assumed the first one was as I was poking my finger under the radiator trying to find a dropped nut. The second time I had my whole hand undernetah and behind a bit of radiator ducting and there was a stab/bite rather than my hand banging into something. That is what made me think spider but the bite marks are further apart than I expected.
Next question
How to remove one or more Segestria Florentina from the almost unreachable parts of my car?
Leave the car out in the cold for a few days. That way your numb fingers won't feel a bite (and the bitey thing will have hibernated anyway)
It's much more likely to be a 12mm staple that you keep catching 😉
Have you got one of those bendy inspection cameras? Quite a useful tool for a mechanic anyway, and not very expensive. You might be able to actually see what it is if you get the angle right.
It is hiding somewhere in here. I am hoping the frosts will persuade it to go somewhere else, or possible die.
Do you have an air compressor? If you do, charge it up and blow away the creepy crawlies and maybe the bolt will be taken by the wind and end up in a retrievable place?
And whilst you’re at it WCA, how about a YouTubey video? (Pretty please).
Vampire Stapler. Avoid daylight. And Buffy.
[i]And whilst you’re at it WCA, how about a YouTubey video? (Pretty please).[/i]
I guess I should put one out post MOT but not too much to show as it is too cold to use resin etc. I will see how much footage I have so far and might start one, just for you, tomorrow.
Since the MOT I took it to the Porsche GB Owners club Christmas meet (not as member but gatecrashed it), Brooklands New Years Day meet and the New YEars day meet at the Pheonix on the way to Brooklands. Some praise, much puzzlement and far fewer negatives than I expected given how half finished it looks.
Here is a bit of me a a local car show. Someone saw it and made his mate move his real DS across the car park and park next to me. He actiually really liked what I had done, but I suspect he was biaised.
Hopefully not a young Boomslang, you can feel fine for hours and then it gets nasty.
I know it’d be very out of character and I feel stupid suggesting it, but maybe wear gloves when working on cars?
🙂
I was wearing gloves but couldn't get my fingers into the gap.
I took the gloves off and managed to get my fingers into the gap and was bitten/stapled.
I put a (super) magnet into the end of the finger of a latex glove, put the glove on and could get into the gap, the nut stuck to the magnet and I didn't get bitten.
All I was actually doing at the tiome was unbolting the airdam from the front wings / underfloor and one bolt rolled along the underfloor and into a stupid littl gap beneath the radiator. I thought I could squeeze my finger into the gap an knock it sideways. It failed with big gloves, it failed when bitten but a magnet in the end of the finger of laytex works.
All I was actually doing at the time was unbolting the airdam from the front wings / underfloor and one bolt rolled along the underfloor and into a stupid little gap beneath the radiator. I thought I could squeeze my finger into the gap and knock it sideways. It failed with big gloves, it failed when bitten but a magnet in the end of the finger of latex works.
That’s actually a very neat idea! I shall have to remember that tip for future reference! 👌🏻
Interesting that Segestria Florentina is widely spread across the West of England, I’d never heard of it until now, False Widows are obviously common nowadays, I get them in the house from time to time, but the get evicted, and I’ve heard that Brown Recluse Spiders have been found in the U.K., which isn’t good - their bites can have unpleasant long-term effects, but Segestria is completely new to me.
As the back of my house is south-facing, I’ll keep my eyes open for them - it’s a 1930’s council house, with lots of little hidey-holes where a tube/funnel web spider might like to take up residence!