Guest The Pom Queen Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 SPIDERS TEND TO INCITE more fear than favour and even provoke phobias for some. And many a visitor to our shores has been more than a little worried about our venomous eight-legged friends. It's true that we have some of the most venomous spiders in the world - but Australia's spider reputation is bigger than its bite: records show no deaths from spider bites here since 1981. "The fact is that, from a human perspective, spiders just aren't that dangerous" says Dr Aaron Harmer, arachnid researcher Macquarie University. "While many spiders can give you a nip, in most cases it is less troublesome than a bee sting." [h=2]Spiders less dangerous than bees[/h]Spiders are the most widely distributed venomous creatures in Australia, with an estimated 10,000 species inhabiting a variety of ecosystems. But even though spiders live around us, from our urban centres to the bush, bites are infrequent. In fact, spiders are less life-threatening than snakes or sharks, or even bees. "There are more deaths from allergic reactions to bees" says Dr Geoff Isbister, a researcher specialised in envenoming at the University of Newcastle. He points out the extent of our irrational fear of spiders: "While we all still happily get in our cars (about 1000 people die each year in car crashes), then we can't really worry about spiders." Antivenom for two of our more dangerous spiders, the funnel-web and the redback has been available since the 1950s and 1981, respectively. It is only administered when the envenomation is really severe, which is rarely the case. Spider venom contains a cocktail of chemicals, some of which can be harmful to humans - but humans are not really the intended victims. Spider venom is designed for small prey and delivered in small quantities that, while often fatal to tiny creatures, can be handled by bigger organisms. When injected to a horse, for instance, spider venom triggers the animal's immune system to produce antibodies to fight the effect of the toxin. Below is an image of what to look out for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikey Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I thought orb weavers were harmless - doh! Prob just as well I live in the UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 This is a good source of information: http://www.findaspider.org.au/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I thought orb weavers were harmless - doh! Prob just as well I live in the UK I know most aren't. We have two huge golden silk orbs in our garden at the moment, absolutely stunning and we just leave them alone. I love how their web is a lovely golden colour. I tried to take a photo the other day but it just didn't do justice to the size of it. I know they can bite but to be honest watching ours I can never see that happening unless we went out of our way to provoke them or catch them. All they do is sit in their web and never move. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_silk_orb-weaver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maidensarah Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Yuk. I hate all spiders. It's the legs. My OH played a mean April Fool on me this morning and said there was a massive spider in the bathroom behind the toilet that even he was dubious about getting for me. How cruel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W8ENN Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I hate spiders. Not too scared of the smaller dangerous ones like the red backs. I can deal with them. It's the less harmful huge horrible huntsmen that I'm terrified of. Rats, mice, lizards, snakes don't bother me, but spiders..... :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I hate spiders too ,doesnt matter if they can kill me or not i just dont like them and the nearer they are to me the worse i react,lol.. I was worse in the UK, so i think i have toughened up a little on the crawlie front since being here. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zk2102 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I've been bitten by a spider. I sat on one in my bedroom! Very ouchy but not poisonous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Some of them give you a bite which is ok for a couple of days and then it fails to heal- just gets bigger and the skin round the edge starts to break down. White tails can do this and so can huntsmen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Les Patterson Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I thought orb weavers were harmless - doh! Prob just as well I live in the UK The venom of all spiders is toxic....just depends who or what they bite....the Golden Orb is a docile spider.......you would have to really stir one up to illicit a bite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikey Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 It made me laugh when I was in brissie and my ozzie friend told me "dont worry about spiders they wont hurt u as long as u dont do anything silly like lifting up a plant pot without looking underneath first"..... which being a pommie is exactly what I WOULD do. Ozzies are taught this from birth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Les Patterson Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 It made me laugh when I was in brissie and my ozzie friend told me "dont worry about spiders they wont hurt u as long as u dont do anything silly like lifting up a plant pot without looking underneath first"..... which being a pommie is exactly what I WOULD do. Ozzies are taught this from birth! a spider is just a spider as a snake is just a snake....you learn to live with them.......never been bitten by either in 65 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Les Patterson Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Had a beautiful St. Andrews Cross spider on my balcony a couple of weeks ago but gone now......I think a Gecko may have got it.......I hate Geckos (introduced species from Asia) I kill them with Mortein surface spray at every opportunity...mongrel lizard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Those Golden Orbs make huge webs really fast too. We had one at our rental that insisted on weaving its web right across our garden about 6ft from one bush to the next. The times I nearly walked into it face first in the mornings. Even after a storm there it would be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I know most aren't. We have two huge golden silk orbs in our garden at the moment, absolutely stunning and we just leave them alone. I love how their web is a lovely golden colour. I tried to take a photo the other day but it just didn't do justice to the size of it. I know they can bite but to be honest watching ours I can never see that happening unless we went out of our way to provoke them or catch them. All they do is sit in their web and never move. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_silk_orb-weaver Catch a katydid, chuck it on the orb's web and watch... Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasepom Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 The only one I'm wary of in Victoria is the Red back and have found quite a few in the garage. Thankfully never been bitten though. Yeah the huntsman spiders are intimidating but really harmless. They freak you out when they jump off walls though. A really amazingly athletic spider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I love geckos- they are cute little critters and keep the flies down. Too cold for them down here though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodipodi Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I have to say on our reccie we were all overcome by spider awareness, except hubs. .but it really got me and the eldest on our guard....the kids were scared to go in the pool if there were 'floaters' of the 8 legged kind. Hubby played a rotten trick on our eldest son....with the stork off the tomato.....he nearly jumped out of his skin...poor bairn was crying his eyes out...:biglaugh::no::shocked: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImageConfident Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I am more worried about my poor doggy being bitten by a spider than I am about me. Is there anti-venom for dogs? xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ayan05 Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Well I'm no expert on spiders but seriously dude are you tellin me that youse don't have spiders in USA? I would have thought they would be everywhere in the world just like flies and ants and roaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kapri Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I love spiders and I'm not frightened by them at all. I think Aussie spiders are fascinating. We've had a couple of red backs, several white tails and a few huntsmen. We have lots of orb weavers and St. Andrew's Cross spiders outside. I got bitten by a wolf spider over summer. He was just defending himself (I didn't see him) but I didn't have a reaction so no ill effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob dc Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I was bitten by a white tail during the night a few weeks after we arrived 5 lumps like mossie bites grouped together, very sore and painfull, badly swollen, blistered all down one side took weeks to go down, still got 5 scars where the bites were nearly 2 years later, not nice mortien bomb the house regularly, spray anything spider like that moves dont believe anyone who tells you ' natural ' spider repelants work to be fair only seen a couple of red backs outside in 2 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.