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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 75505" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Kathy, you'd better cross Australia off your list, too. Although a lot of our spiders are fairly harmless, the nasty ones make up for it. Our main house invaders are big, brown and hairy, but harmless (huntsman) - they have wandered in from outdoors and in our house, we show them the way back out. Most people goosh them. And the black house spider - very harmless but looking enough like a funnelweb that most people eliminate them on sight. We have a black housespider (also called Charlotte) who spins a web in my hairy cactus (Espostoa melanostele) on the corner of my kitchen window sill. Between her, the sundew plant (drosera), the pitcher plant and venus fly trap, they keep the insects down a bit. She is one fat spider.</p><p></p><p>We tend to live and let live with our garden spiders because they'll keep the bad spiders in check (we hope). Our nasties are the redback (like a black widow, only nastier - and absolutely everywhere outside) and the funnelweb. At least the redbacks aren't aggressive like funnelwebs. Although we haven't had a fatality from funnelweb for years now, since we got antivenin. These spiders can punch through leather gauntlets with their fangs. But we've found that if you bandage directly over the bite (no more tourniquets, no more slashing the bite) then the lymphatic system of your body will begin to break down the venom in half an hour or so. You still should get to hospital, though.</p><p></p><p>When working outside we wear gloves (redbacks can't bit through them) and check under the rims of pots, underneath them, etc before moving them - goosh any redbacks we find. Funnelwebs - we mostly find them if we turn over an old log, or lift something that is in contact with the ground. Redbacks will climb but funnelwebs tend to be on or near the ground, under things. Unless it's mating season and the males are going wandering... our chooks eat any spider they find, anyway. Mind you, I have seen a huntsman spider bail up a hen.</p><p></p><p>The important thing to remember about any venomous creature - it's not in their interests to waste their venom. It's a precious, expensive resource and they only use it when they feel they have to. Mind you, a lot of beasties have similar impulse control issues to our difficult children...</p><p></p><p>Our mozzies are also huge - we often hear reports of one landing at Mascot airport and they put 2,000 litres of Avgas into it before they realised...</p><p></p><p>So you're welcome to visit, Kathy, but you might want to wear a space suit.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 75505, member: 1991"] Kathy, you'd better cross Australia off your list, too. Although a lot of our spiders are fairly harmless, the nasty ones make up for it. Our main house invaders are big, brown and hairy, but harmless (huntsman) - they have wandered in from outdoors and in our house, we show them the way back out. Most people goosh them. And the black house spider - very harmless but looking enough like a funnelweb that most people eliminate them on sight. We have a black housespider (also called Charlotte) who spins a web in my hairy cactus (Espostoa melanostele) on the corner of my kitchen window sill. Between her, the sundew plant (drosera), the pitcher plant and venus fly trap, they keep the insects down a bit. She is one fat spider. We tend to live and let live with our garden spiders because they'll keep the bad spiders in check (we hope). Our nasties are the redback (like a black widow, only nastier - and absolutely everywhere outside) and the funnelweb. At least the redbacks aren't aggressive like funnelwebs. Although we haven't had a fatality from funnelweb for years now, since we got antivenin. These spiders can punch through leather gauntlets with their fangs. But we've found that if you bandage directly over the bite (no more tourniquets, no more slashing the bite) then the lymphatic system of your body will begin to break down the venom in half an hour or so. You still should get to hospital, though. When working outside we wear gloves (redbacks can't bit through them) and check under the rims of pots, underneath them, etc before moving them - goosh any redbacks we find. Funnelwebs - we mostly find them if we turn over an old log, or lift something that is in contact with the ground. Redbacks will climb but funnelwebs tend to be on or near the ground, under things. Unless it's mating season and the males are going wandering... our chooks eat any spider they find, anyway. Mind you, I have seen a huntsman spider bail up a hen. The important thing to remember about any venomous creature - it's not in their interests to waste their venom. It's a precious, expensive resource and they only use it when they feel they have to. Mind you, a lot of beasties have similar impulse control issues to our difficult children... Our mozzies are also huge - we often hear reports of one landing at Mascot airport and they put 2,000 litres of Avgas into it before they realised... So you're welcome to visit, Kathy, but you might want to wear a space suit. Marg [/QUOTE]
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