I've noticed that S. nobilis have become more commonplace lurking around my parents' garden shed (in London) over the last three years. The same structure used to be a guaranteed place to spot a few Nuctenea umbratica, which seemed to be the most obvious species before I noticed S. nobilis showing up. Whenever I have checked at night in recent times N. umbratica seem to be absent.
I'm in no way wishing to contribute to the hysterical demonisation of false widows - I'm just wondering if this represents a case of competition of some kind between these species leading to the reduced abundance of N. umbratica within a shared habitat. Maybe it's just coincidence, or the time of year, or some other factor. Has anyone else noticed anything similar?
Chris
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