An "OMG - I just crapped my pants" moment...

mental4astro (Alexander) · #1 20-04-2016, 12:54 PM

Spiders,

I don't mind them. They fascinate me too. I've had dinner-plate sized huntsman's run over my hand. I've been in awe of seeing a redback take down a skink and haul it up its web. Even watched a golden orb weaver take on a furious wasp that got snared in its web. That's all fine, until you come face to face with one at your weakest moment...

Midnight, going from bathroom to bedroom, stuffing around with my phone to get a feeble light going to illuminate my way - as I get to the doorway i look up, and eyeball to eyeball I find myself with a flaming big redback that's somehow spun its web across the bedroom door...

OMG!!!

I couldn't scream or swear as the rest of the family were all sound asleep. All i could do was quietly pooh my pants and back away...

Not a pleasant way to finish of the day...

Alex.

MortonH · #2 20-04-2016, 01:08 PM

Nice story, Alex.

Reminds me of my first spider incident when I had just moved to Australia back in 2004. Went into a dark room, fumbled for the light switch and touched something furry...

BilliGoatsGruff (Billi) · #3 20-04-2016, 01:23 PM

It would have saved you a trip to the bathroom

As a child I had a pet Redback (my parents must have been crazy!) that used to live in a small vented container. She must have been pretty happy because she managed to find a fella and created quite a large family. The young spiders were separated into a seperate jar after they tried escaping from the container, cheeky buggers. Turns out they're super dominant, or just not fussy about food, because after a while there was only one spider left.
I don't remember what happened to it, or the mother spider, but I can honestly say that as a parent I won't be letting my kids do the same thing! I have no idea how my mum managed to cope with me as a child. I'm terrified of them now!

Nikolas (Nik) · #4 20-04-2016, 01:39 PM

I've been bitten by a redback, it's a tad over rated as a deadly spider. Unless you have a severe medical condition and elderly or very young the bite hurts in a burny fashion for a while along the limb then you may feel a little warm and feverish during the night then that's it. I felt immediate burny pain in the arm and then nothing but irritation in the bite site which ice helped appease the situation.
funnel webs are a different kettle of fish however.
If bitten by a funnel web you treat it the same way as a snake bite. then get medical attention straight away.

strongmanmike (Michael) · #5 20-04-2016, 01:54 PM

Scary stuff Alex...similar thing happened at my observatory over summer, walking in to my admin wing (site shed) and a Huntsman was hanging by its silk thread right at eye height...instant duck and drop to knees reflex kicked in!

Lucky I had my red headlamp on!!

Mike

uwahl (Ulrich) · #6 20-04-2016, 03:06 PM

Had an acreage back in the day and was burning off a pile of rotten wood one very cold winters night. Leaning up against a tree near the fire enjoying the warmth when I noticed a VERY large huntsman spider sitting on my shoulder sharing the warmth. Came close to peeing my pants that night.

graham.hobart (Graham stevens) · #7 20-04-2016, 03:26 PM

Yuk Alex!!
As an aside I had a conversation with a toxicologist recently about venoms and he had anecdotal evidence that spraying GTN spray on a red back bite helped enormously. This is the stuff you have if you get angina (nitrolingual spray). Just saying so for those who have it already on hand, for other medical reasons then give the bite a spray.
cheers
Graz

Sconesbie (Scott) · #8 20-04-2016, 03:59 PM

What's worse is when I am driving a car and my wife screams as one runs along the inside of the windscreen. The 8 year old daughter also then begins to scream. They (both of them) make me pull up and get rid of the thing.

When we did pull up it disappeared. "I am not getting back in until you can show me you've killed it"!!

I couldn't help but laugh but my wife was in no laughing matter. I think I got the hint that she wasn't happy.

I did find it and showed her the remains.

AstralTraveller (David) · #9 20-04-2016, 04:09 PM

Let me get this straight. You're an astronomer, you observe in the dark, you walk around observing fields in the dark, yet you use a light to walk around your own house. I'd have been in the dark and walked straight into the web.

floyd_2 (Dean) · #10 20-04-2016, 04:10 PM

We used to have a LOT of huntsman spiders around where I grew up. I remember seeing one run up the windscreen of my car as I backed down the driveway once. I wound my window up faster than ever before. When I parked the car, I decided to get out of the passenger side of the car (just in case). Sure enough, there he was perched just over the driver's side window on the roof waiting to enter the car as I got out. The tricky devil was trying to out think me, and let's face it, it's impossible to drive a car with a mystery huntsman somewhere inside.

GeoffW1 (Geoff) · #11 20-04-2016, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mental4astro

Spiders,

All i could do was quietly pooh my pants and back away...

Alex.

Got a photo ? One of the spider would do as well.

Cheers

Camelopardalis (Dunk) · #12 20-04-2016, 07:07 PM

Alex mate, I almost wet myself laughing

karma is a ...?

The_bluester (Paul) · #13 20-04-2016, 07:32 PM

I have done worse. We visited a friend just north of Maitland once, the place had a big hedge formed as an archway about 10M long as the entry into the back yard. I had been walking in and out all day.

I went to walk out of the yard after dark and blundered into spider web and did that special dance you do afterwards, then I got a torch. There were HUNDREDS of orb weaver webs across the thing from end to end about an hour after dark! I was feeling things walking around on the back of my neck for days.

Exfso (Peter) · #14 20-04-2016, 08:13 PM

When I was a young fella a red back managed to bite me right adjacent to my "family jewels" I was apparently pretty crook according to my Mum, needless to say I am glad I cannot remember it.

el_draco (Rom) · #15 20-04-2016, 09:15 PM

Well, I am just getting over my 39th, (I KID YOU NOT!!) Red back bite. I swear I'm a magnet for the rotten little *$#^ers.

When I was a kid, they just burned like hell for a while but now I get vicious palpitations and at least a day of vomiting. I suspect my immune system is breaking down under the load of venom... or maybe its excess Scotch...

Stonius (Markus) · #16 20-04-2016, 11:08 PM

I was driving when I spied some movement in my upper field of vision. Three large hairy legs were feeling their way along the edge of my sun visor. I was in fast moving traffic with nowhere to turn off, and I watched with horror as the whole thing emerged like the alien mother and crawled across the roof to sit directly above my head like a furry little sword of Damocles.

Took a lot of effort to remind myself that no-one's ever died from a huntsman, but plenty have died in car accidents ("eyes on the road, eyes on the ROAD!!"). Ended up driving the whole way there with that damn thing hanging over my head because I figured, at least I knew where it was.

Markus

bugeater (Marty) · #17 21-04-2016, 10:29 AM

They are freaky little things, but fortunately pretty overrated as a danger - except perhaps the funnelweb.

GeoffW1 (Geoff) · #18 21-04-2016, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by el_draco

Well, I am just getting over my 39th, (I KID YOU NOT!!) Red back bite. I swear I'm a magnet for the rotten little *$#^ers.

When I was a kid, they just burned like hell for a while but now I get vicious palpitations and at least a day of vomiting. I suspect my immune system is breaking down under the load of venom... or maybe its excess Scotch...

Hi Ron,

What does the doctor say? It is at least possible you are becoming sensitised, with consequent worse reactions in future. Special precautions may be needed.

Cheers

Geoff

issdaol (Phil) · #19 21-04-2016, 11:51 AM

he he he very funny though I'm sure at the time it wasn't !! lol

I had a spider experience recently.....was sitting in front of my laptop working from home in deep concentration on a proposal that I was working on...

barely registered a small itch on my arm near my left elbow so ignored it.....kept on working for next 5 or so minutes........little itch was still there and a bit of a background irritation so reach over to scratch it and looked at the same time......

there was this good sized huntsman sitting quite comfortably on my left arm near my elbow.......

I did the whole flick and wave the arm frantically in random directions and jumped up from my chair !!!

thinking back it probably would have made an excellent funny video's clip

el_draco (Rom) · #20 21-04-2016, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffW1

Hi Ron,

What does the doctor say? It is at least possible you are becoming sensitised, with consequent worse reactions in future. Special precautions may be needed.

Cheers

Geoff

Last one I went to said, "how come you are still alive?". Don't go back any more. I reckon 40th will put me in hospital. The reaction is getting worse with age.

Mind you, have not been bitten by a mozzie in years, so it's not all bad