Eggcorn Forum

Headline: Very aggressive, venomous hobo spiders attack family in Britain
Kirsty Garland and her partner Liam Forrester have found no less than 30 of the aggressive Hobo spider (Tegenaria agrestis) in their home. They suspected the spiders were in their attic. When they opened the door, sure enough, all the spiders began coming out and into other parts of their home. The Hobo spider very much resembles an ordinary house spider, but has longer, bigger, hairier legs. They are also known to be more aggressive than normal spiders, a trait which Forrester discovered first hand. Forrester was bitten by the spider, and the wound took three months to heal. “They don’t seem to be scared to run at us either; they run towards us and seem very aggressive. When you corner them they rear up their legs,” Garland said in an interview.
The attack of the aggressive hoboes

Native to Europe, the aggressive house spider, or western hobo spider, was accidentally introduced to the Northwestern United States in the 1980s.
Tegenaria agrestis are known as hobo spiders and aggressive house spiders.
Arachnophobia Pest Control

The hobo spider is also commonly known as the: “Aggressive house spider.” It got this name, because “agrestis” means “aggressive”. ... Even though this spider isn’t as deadly as others this spider is still considered to be a medically important spider in North America. This spider is very venomous and the symptoms to this are, first it gets red, and then it swells
School web pages

Akre, R.D., J. Bruce, & D. Suomi. 1987. The aggressive house spider. Extension Bulletin 1466, Washington State University Cooperative Extension Service, Pullman, WA.
Akre, R.D. & E. H. Myhre. 1991. Biology and medical importance of the aggressive house spider, Tegenaria agrestis, in the Pacific Northwest. (Arachnida: Araneae: Agelenidae). Melanderia
47:1-30.
Baird, C.R. & Akre, R.D. 1993. Range extension of the aggressive house spider Tegenaria agrestis into southern Idaho, Utah, and Montana. Proceedings of the Washington State Entomological
Society 55:996-1000.
Roe, A.H. 1993. The aggressive house spider (hobo spider) Fact Sheet #86, Utah State University Cooperative Extension Service, Logan, Utah 5 p.
Roe, A.H. 1994. Distribution and occurrence of the aggressive house spider in Utah. Proceedings of the 47th Annual Meeting of the Utah Mosquito Abatement Association.
The madness of scientists

Until a couple of weeks ago this part of the world was literally crawling with these temerarious, hairy * shudders * beasts who skulk in funnel-shaped lairs. As noted above, the symptoms of its noxious bite is “first it gets red, then it swells.”

This is a strange one, where a misreading of the significance of the name, Eratigena agrestis, has led to a groundless reputation for aggressivity, toxicity and deadliness. Agrestis means “field”, and is cognate with agriculture. (When the genus name was changed, an anagram of Tegenaria was chosen.)

But I suggest you not accept any transparent attempts to restore its reputation. Especially on Hallowe’en night…