A SPIDER which has been extremely rare in the UK has begun appearing at Awbridge.

They have popped up near the village hall at a conservation area looked after by local conservationist Brian Raines. He believes their presence is further evidence of global warming as they need three months of sunny weather to breed successfully.

The females lay their eggs in the autumn and the spiderlings emerge in early summer the following year.

How they first arrived in Awbridge, he said, was a mystery, although it was possible the eggs might have been brought across from the continent on imported railway sleepers.

A Mediterranean species, the yellow and black wasp spider favours sheltered sunny grassland where there is an abundance of grasshoppers and crickets for them to hunt.

It has a distinctive zig-zag web of the type associated with tropical spiders.It rises almost stem-like from the ground, which helps to disguise it as an unopened flower.

Grasshoppers and other insects are lured to the web where they are ensnared and although it is harmless to humans, the wasp spider has a bite which appears to immobilise grasshoppers before they can break free.

The wasp spider's appearance also acts to deter predators such as pheasants and other birds.