TravelingChris Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 My dd who is extremely afraid of spiders asks how you can live there? I, the only member of my family who is not afraid of spiders at all, though I don't want to be bit, said if I lived in Sydney I would help capture the funnel web spiders for the anti venom program. She thinks I am nuts.:001_smile: Tell me about your interactions with spiders there, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCJessieRN Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Now I need to google funnel web spiders! I didn't realize Sydney was know for their spider population. I'm about to check it out:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Spiders are all over Australia :) We are in Perth, the other side of Australia to Sydney and i have about 50 spiders currently living in my house. Most of them, the Daddy long legs are harmless. Some of the black ones are nasty but they like to hide in nooks and crannies. The Red backs are very bad, and poisonous. The spiders catch a lot of flies and mosquitoes and unless they are bothering me i leave them be. They tend to just stay in their webs and hang out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I don't *think* there is anyone on the boards here from Sydney. I'm in Central Vic, which is about 9 hours southish of Sydney and my place sounds just like Amber's, even though her place is 4000 odd km away :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I'm in Victoria too :) We get a lot of red backs about the place, wolf spiders and huntsmen. That's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneC Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I live in Canberra, 250km SW of Sydney. We get the occasional funnel-web and with the kids so young we kill them. The others we leave alone unless they are somewhere dangerous, like the white-tail in the kids bedroom. We had a redback that one of my boys nearly grabbed when he was a few months old, that's the scariest interaction that we have had. Mostly we coexist quite peacefully. I did have an arachnophobic neighbour who used half a can of fly spray every time he saw a spider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 We're in Perth, way the other side of Australia from Sydney. We have actually seen remarkably few spiders, although everyone tells me they are All About Us, especially now it is summer. I tell people we had a special "no spiders" clause added to our immigration contract. Should have thought to add that "no flies" clause. It's redback spiders I'm worried about, and I check under outdoor chairs before I sit on them. We'd been here a couple of weeks when we went to a big hardware shop. Ds2 was hanging on the end of the oversized shopping trolley, bouncing on a hinged flap at its base when dd asked me "Is that a spider R is bouncing on? And does it have a red back?" It was and it did. Yikes. But that's the only one I've seen... I recently saw a local ER reality show where a toddler had been bitten by a red back which was inside a shoe he put on. Now the kids have to go barefoot for safety reasons. No, I don't like spiders... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaOz Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I live about 2 1/2 hours north-west of Sydney and I have seen a funnel web in a town about 35 mins from where we live. Thankfully it had been dealt with by someone else before I saw it ;). They are nasty. We get quite a few red-backs hanging around along the back of our house, and the occasional white-tail inside as well. It's summer here now and we have had a lot more spiders inside than other years - don't know why!!! I am not a spider fan either :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 It's summer here now and we have had a lot more spiders inside than other years - don't know why!!! I am not a spider fan either :tongue_smilie: We do too, fortunately they are only daddy long legs, though I did see a white tail a few months ago and dh says there are lots of them and red backs in the shed. He was reading online that the weather conditions have been perfect for flies and mozzies this year, so to expect much more than usual. That might explain the extra spiders too... Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katrina J Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 We're in Perth, way the other side of Australia from Sydney. We have actually seen remarkably few spiders, although everyone tells me they are All About Us, especially now it is summer. I tell people we had a special "no spiders" clause added to our immigration contract. Should have thought to add that "no flies" clause. It's redback spiders I'm worried about,....... But that's the only one I've seen... If you've only seen one redback, you are very lucky or maybe you don't know where to look??? I just had a quick look on my back verandah, one of their favourite spots. I found one underneath a toy ride-on car and another under the handle of the green garbage bin where I keep the chicken feed - that one scared me a bit as I get the kids to feed the chooks quite often. I didn't check the BBQ. Redbacks have webs that dangle in a few long tatty strands from chairs or they are low to the ground. The webs look old and discarded and usually have some leaves and twigs hanging in them. If you find a dusty leafy bit of spider web, you'll usually find a redback nearby. I've never seen a redback in the house, thankfully they prefer to live outdoors. If shoes have been left outside I always like to systematically tread on them to squash any spiders before I put my feet in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I grew up in Sydney (now I live in Perth). It's true, funnel web spiders are deadly and every now and then, someone dies from a bite- but there is anti venom. I do remember a 4yo boy on the news when I was a kid- a funnel web got into the washing basket and he was bitten, and died a few days later. I was taught never to put my fingers down small holes as a kid, since they do live in funnel like holes. But we have all sorts of things like that over here, and truly, it is very rare for anyone to die from them. We have poisonous snakes here in Perth parklands- I have often seen them on my morning walks. Its very rare for someone to get bitten (they run away as soon as they feel you- they are blind), and there is anti venom. We have a pet snake- a Stimpson python- non venomous- and a beautiful pet. I am pretty sure more people get stung and die from reactions to common everyday bees or the common flu, than our poisonous animals and insects (or fish- check out the box jellyfish!) We don't have bears or cougars or anything like that in the bush, either. The koala is not really a bear and far from one that attacks. Although up north there are crocodiles and you dont swim in the rivers that are salty up north. But most of us don't live up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I live is a bushy property. in far eastern Victoria. we have heaps of red backs. I know some are living in the bathroom under the cupboard. I am terrified of huntsmen, and have been known to scream hysterically when they get on me ( I know they are harmless, just can't help myself) . we have a huge amount of snakes, mostly red belly black snakes and tiger snakes. the tiger snakes tend to not go away when you see them. they sort of raise themselves off the ground and flatten their heads a little( they are related to the cobra). personally I like snakes, and leave them alone, I know we have one living in the green house, and another has just moved into the shed. on any typical summer day, we see at least 2 snakes around our property. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 :::shudder:::: I HATE spiders. I could not live in Austraila, I think I'd freak out. Here in FL, we have black widows that hang around outside our house, in our shed, etc. I've never seen one inside, thank the Lord. Now I'm off to google all those freaky sounding Austrailian spiders LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 If you look in my blog I've got pics of a couple of the spiders I've found around our place lately. Tons of redbacks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vkay Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Do you have to live with so many spiders in and around the house? What I mean is, here in TX, we are known for having big bugs and spiders, but if you have an exterminator spray regularly the house and patios stay clear. Is that a possibility there, or do you just have to get used to the extra house guests. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Do you have to live with so many spiders in and around the house? What I mean is, here in TX, we are known for having big bugs and spiders, but if you have an exterminator spray regularly the house and patios stay clear. Is that a possibility there, or do you just have to get used to the extra house guests. :tongue_smilie: It is possible, but do you realize how bad that is for your own health? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vkay Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 It is possible, but do you realize how bad that is for your own health? We only get the perimeter of the outside of the house done. It's enough to keep creepy crawlies away. We've never had the inside treated in any manner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 If you can cope with black widows, you could cope here :) Why spray the place over some daddy long legs? I suck them up the vacuum cleaner when they get annoying. Other small spiders can be squished with a shoe and naturally I run screaming to get dh if there are big and hairy spiders around. They are too big for the vacuum cleaner trick and I'm a wuss :D Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vkay Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 They are too big for the vacuum cleaner trickRosie :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Do you have to live with so many spiders in and around the house? What I mean is, here in TX, we are known for having big bugs and spiders, but if you have an exterminator spray regularly the house and patios stay clear. Is that a possibility there, or do you just have to get used to the extra house guests. :tongue_smilie: Yes, sure you can spray, and dh used to surface spray places like underneith outdoor furniture, and window sills, when the kids were little, to minimise the risk of them touching a redback. But once they are a certain age, most Aussie kids just know about spiders and are a bit careful, just like the adults. You don't go around shifting pots in the backyard without just checking briefly for redbacks on them. We dont get many spiders in the house we are in presently. Some houses seem to have more than others. I let the huntsmen stay, usually. They are the very large spiders that live on the walls and catch insects, but they are non poisonous. Other members of teh family will remove them, though, but even they wont spray them. We will spray redbacks sometimes if there are a lot on something, but we try to be mindful about poisons like insecticides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCJessieRN Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I live in Canberra, 250km SW of Sydney. We get the occasional funnel-web and with the kids so young we kill them. The others we leave alone unless they are somewhere dangerous, like the white-tail in the kids bedroom. We had a redback that one of my boys nearly grabbed when he was a few months old, that's the scariest interaction that we have had. Mostly we coexist quite peacefully. I did have an arachnophobic neighbour who used half a can of fly spray every time he saw a spider. I would be with your neighbor on that! I am so terrified of spiders! Even if they are small and harmless I freak out. I know I have issues;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
min Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Not in Sydney, but I'll join in on the conversation anyway! I relocate Huntsman spiders because they're so big and I imagine treading on one in bare feet - it would be like squashing a mouse!!! LOL at myself. We also don't get many redbacks in the house, but they're around everywhere. If a spider and the web is out of my way I tend to think "great, they'll catch flies and mozzies" and leave them where they are. In the house they get relocated or squashed, depending on their venom-status. One of my kids woke up one day covered in bites and the doc thought that a spider had got trapped in the bed. :eek: Actually what bothers me are the cockroaches that come into the house looking for water at this time of the year. Yuck. Zero tolerance for them! Also the snakes. I cycled around a suburban lake a few weeks ago and nearly ran over a tiger snake! Fortunately it went left while I went right and we missed each other by about 10cm. There are many of them there. It doesn't stop me going there, but I do make sure I take a phone with me, just in case. Min Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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