Anyone know if this is a bad spider?

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by Baddad

Hi Marc,
Its often not a good thing to use sprays.

...We all need to be aware of what the affects are on wildlife when we spray. Googling helps. Have a look at the active constituents.

I don't spray the garden. Ever. I'm aware most of the stuff gets into the storm water or drains then god knows where. But I do spray the house every 6 months or I'd be invaded by spiders, ants or roaches. They can stay outside, I don't mind.

Originally Posted by DeeTee

Hi Marc

The perils of gardening.

One of the advantages of Astronomy is that it's a lot harder to see the little nasties crawling around you. I am sure there are many.

You still can feel them though. One night I set up on a bull ant nest. I still remember it. I boiled a couple of kettle and poured it down the hole.

[Shano592 (Shane)]

Originally Posted by multiweb

One night I set up on a bull ant nest. I still remember it.

Yeah, that sort of encounter is one you don't forget in a hurry. And bull ants are on my list of things to kill on sight. In Perth, I used to pour over-strength chlorpyrifos down their nest. And then boiling water. A 3cm long ant is just too big.

A pity they banned chlorpyrifos - I plucked it off a shelf at Bunnings one day. The health warning just said "TOXIC". Apparently 5mL in 500L of water can kill a horse! Awesome stuff!

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

I used to quite like spiders, until a redback bit me about 3 months ago. Little bugger got into my shirt while I was working on the bike, bit me at the waist. Thought, well, it just a bite be ok in an hour or two. Not! Spent the next 36 hours suffering from what felt like Gout in all my joints. 3 shots of anti veneen (most they could give me), and one of morphine before I came good. They are now Persona Non Grata around here. If ya get bit, straight to the doc and take the spider with ya for ID.

[Screwdriverone (Chris)]

Thats not a spider.....now THIS is a SPIDER......

Here is a quite large huntsman I walked under 6 times when bringing my astro gear inside from the backyard. ( I am 6'9", so my head JUST clears the alcove he is sitting on...)

I only saw it after I turned on the light....wouldnt have been the first huntsman on my head though, I have had one the size of my HAND land on my head when I was up the mountains checking the house after the 2004 bushfires... now THAT made the hairs stand up and the adrenaline pumped.....

One time when my wife and I were driving through Liverpool, a 10cm diameter (legs extended) Huntsman crawled out of the crevices on the car body and proceeded to climb up my wife's passenger side window......she SCREAMED and scared the crap out of me on the Hume highway, I swerved and she pointed out said monster, I asked her if it was on the inside or the outside, she said "OUTSIDE", so I continued driving, wherein she kindly told me (read: screamed at me) to PULL OVER AND KILL IT, KILL IT NOW!!!!!,

Then she proceeded to LOCK HER DOOR, well, that was it for me......I pissed myself laughing for 10 minutes while I pulled over, hazards on, left lane of three lane highway, braved the traffic, ran around the car, took off a shoe and brushed it off the car where it ran off into the grass......got back in and continued on with tears in my eyes and sore ribs from laughing.....

She said: "why are you laughing at me..???." I said......"honey, I know it scared you and it was a BIG spider.....but do you really think it was going to try to OPEN THE DOOR to get to you????". I kept cackling all the way to our destination....



Still bring up that pearler during family dinner parties.....LOL!!!

Cheers

Chris

[Baddad (Marty)]

Good one Chris.

We can say goodbye to a few hundred pesky bugs in that release area.