Creepy Crawlies

[Guest scott&lisa]

Dazz,

By the way does this Tara N'Tula have a WEB address!!!!! Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Lisa.

[Guest pez]

Oh noo!!!!! I was not looking forward to the spiders in OZ but have just discovered there are such things as cane toads. My heart is beating very fast and I feel quite sick.

 

Anita

[Guest choobs]

Oh noo!!!!! I was not looking forward to the spiders in OZ but have just discovered there are such things as cane toads. My heart is beating very fast and I feel quite sick.

 

Anita

 

1) Punting cane toads long distances using golf drivers is rumoured to be a national sport.

 

2) Having a huntsman or two around the house aint such a bad thing because they're not poisonous and, I read somewhere, they tend to eat the poisonous ones.

 

Both of the above may be complete fiction but they made me feel better

 

Choobs

[Guest ABCDiamond]

Oh noo!!!!! I was not looking forward to the spiders in OZ but have just discovered there are such things as cane toads. My heart is beating very fast and I feel quite sick.

 

Anita

 

1) Punting cane toads long distances using golf drivers is rumoured to be a national sport.

 

2) Having a huntsman or two around the house aint such a bad thing because they're not poisonous and, I read somewhere, they tend to eat the poisonous ones.

 

Both of the above may be complete fiction but they made me feel better

 

Choobs

Both are true.

 

I saw my first cane toad a few weeks ago.

 

Still not seen a Huntsman though

[Guest sparky]

Hi All

 

Just been reading all your post about spiders and sending hubby out to check the car, mine is more scared than i am,but i have just found an ingenious device(spider catcher) on the net for £8.99 , i will buying several of them!!

 

Lisa.

[Guest corinne]

:shock: Scott, Lisa

Have you resolved fears of spiders, if so can you k now help me because i am that terrified that i am not even going to go nopw to Aussie. The Huntsman may be a friendly bunny but i assure you if it came near me i would need to have either electric convulsion therapy for the rest of my days and my heart would need re-starting!

Corinne

[Guest corinne]

:shock: Scott, Lisa

Have you resolved fears of spiders, if so can you k now help me because i am that terrified that i am not even going to go now to Aussie. The Huntsman may be a friendly bunny but i assure you if it came near me i would need to have either electric convulsion therapy for the rest of my days and my heart would need re-starting!

Corinne

[Guest scott&lisa]

Hi Corinne,

 

No - I think I will be taking my fear of spiders with me to OZ! I'm just hoping I will be the same as ABCDiamond and not see a Huntsman within a 16 year period!!!!! Knowing my luck though I will probably meet one on my first day in OZ!

 

I guess I will have to get my 2 year old daughter to get rid of any Huntsman as she isn't scared of anything!!!! Bad Parent - I know!

 

I'm sure we will all be fine - if not I will be joining you for "shock therapy"!

 

Good luck anyway.

Lisa.

[Guest corinne]

:roll: Lisa

Thanks for getting back. Good luck anyway and just never where shoes take flip flops only that way you will never have to check your shoes.

Oh you will be there yonks in front of us so let me know how you get on and if you see any crawlies

xx

[Guest amanda]

Oh noo!!!!! I was not looking forward to the spiders in OZ but have just discovered there are such things as cane toads. My heart is beating very fast and I feel quite sick.

 

Anita

cane toads urghhhhh... they are piosonous, they have a scretion gland near their eyes which if the scretion gets in to your skin and causes a heart attack(so we have been told). just keep a golf club handy, and whack them up the bum on to the next continet... this is what our pals in wamuran do, Not nice i know. there is a bug spray called"BAYGONE" which kills creepy crawlies instantly. everyone has mentioned spiders and wasps and cane toads,what about cockroaches the size of jack russel dogs and they bloody fly as well...... :roll: :shock: :!:

[Guest Gollywobbler]

I haven't heard any particularly big horror-stories about spiders in Oz, except that the big, hairy bastards are generally not dangerous. However, Australia provides hospitality to both Funnel Web Spiders and Black Widows, I believe. Not that I have ever clapped eyes on either, I think they are quite small. Don't mistake the blighters for money-spiders, boyz & girlz.

 

However, on Friday my sister announced that her cats in Perth are fond of catching snakes and carting them into the house. :shock:

 

Some of the snakes around Perth are potentially deadly as well, according to sister. Jeez what a place, especially since Mother added helpfully that she has seen scorpions too in Sunny Perth. This is suburbia and all, not the rural outback of WA.

 

Not sure whether scorpions kill, but I'm now seriously concerned about the ruddy cats and a load of irate snakes slithering around in the vicinity of an elderly, disabled lady.

 

Gill

[Guest fatpom]

Funnel webs are common in Sydney particularly North Sydney up to 15 per acre. However you'll be very lucky to see one. They grow up to about 2" in dia. The males go on the prowl every now & again but it's unusual to meet someone who's seen one. I got one thrown at me (dead of course) when I first started work there - a sort of initiation. There is an anti-venom available so with prompt medical attention there should be few worries. Never met anyone who even new someone who got bitten - extremely rare event. Perpective is important here - crossing the road carries far more risk.

Black Widows are American but we have their cousin the Red Backs. Never saw them in Sydney but plenty around the house when I lived in country NSW. They grow to about thumb nail size. They won't bother you but wear gloves when gardening (always - everywhere). The bite of a Red Back is very rarely fatal (if ever?). Only ever met one person who got himself bitten - its venomous so its painful but he was fine - he was told some people are not even aware they've been bitten by a redback & assume its a garden spider bite only.

 

Huntsmen are common in Sydney (as well as other areas I presume). They are harmless but impressive in size including legs about the size of a mans palm. I've heard of some people keeping them in the house in the past as mozzie & fly catchers but I'm not sure of the truth of that?

 

As for snakes - if you're lucky enough to live near the bush you will occasionally see them. Mostly they see you first & quietly bugger off. I've done lots of bush walking & never seen one - probably thousands saw me. Australia has something like 10 of the 12 most venomous snakes in the world but again just be careful crossing that road.

 

It's good sport baiting new poms who are paranoid about the poisonous insects & animals. Take it all in good humour & before long you'll baiting some other new arrival.

[Guest sparklypom]

Went to Oz last Sept and visited my sister in law in Canberra, mainly saw huntsman and those were mainly in her garage( and even these ran away!), she has her house and garden bug bombed twice a year which prevents nasty creepy crawlies! Did seem some ENORMOUS ants,bull ants I believe which can give a nasty nip(rather these than a cockroach, brrrrr....).

We went up to Perigian beach nr Coolum on east coast(beautiful place, should visit there) and I had the joy! :shock: of coming across a rather large snake whilst walking down the path to beach, it just stopped and looked at me and hurtled off, I was so stunned at seeing it, never been that close before, wanted a second look. My husband didn't believe me but had managed one up on me and had seen a monitor lizard on golf course! So, we saw quite alot during our visit, BUT it has not put me off one little bit, believe I've seen my fair share!!!!

[Guest fatpom]

she has her house and garden bug bombed twice a year which prevents nasty creepy crawlies! Did seem some ENORMOUS ants,bull ants I believe which can give a nasty nip(rather these than a cockroach, brrrrr....).

 

There are two schools of thought here:- one which says you should (or can) put a ring of insecticide (son of agent orange?) around the house to keep the bugs away & one which says the bugs are less of a worry than the chemicals. Its a personal choice of course. We don't use the chemical option & it presents no problems. The inside of a house is a desert to insects whilst outside birds will keep the numbers down.

As for ants, I've heard it said that they're good idea to have around as they keep termites away - couldn't say if its true?

Overall I'd say that if you don't allow yourself to become accustomed & comfortable with all the wildlife you'll deny yourself one of the greatest pleases here - the terrific flora & fauna.

[Guest IanL]

Hey Fatpom, when should we tell 'em about the Drop Bears? 8)

[Guest fatpom]

No! they wouldn't come if they heard about those vicious beasties - we don't want to put these poms off do we? :wink:

[Guest LeeJane]

Wow, scary. I just looked at Drop Bears, not sure if I want to move to Brisbane now. It would be awful walking home from a nice meal by the bayside only to be ambushed by one of these monsters. To use their latin name throatsremovis.

[immy21]

One of their most endearing habits is to climb through the car windows if they've been left open at night. They then 'rest' behind the sun visor, which after all is reminiscent of the space between tree and bark.

 

The climate of Australia being what it is, people drive along the road, find the sun is in their eyes and pull down the visor. The spider, taken by surprise, tends to 'drop' straight down into the lap of the driver... who usually responds in total panic and veers across the road as s/he tries to brush the spiders off.

 

A common result of this is an accident. Despite the Huntsman's bite being non-lethal (usually), there is apocryphal evidence to suggest they care a major cause of early morning car accidents

 

 

Now I'm terrified

[Guest Mark'n'Ju]

I was driving home last night down one of our towns more exclusive roads when I heard a bit of a bump.Stopping to investigate to my surprise nay horror that i'd just run over a 5 foot brown snake! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

[Guest daveandgeorge]

do you have white tails there, im in nz at mom and found a whilte tail in the cupboard. i got my partner to flush it down the toliet but have been told since they can come back up, we want to move to oz but im finding out about more and more back things there?

[Guest Lisamarie]

One of their most endearing habits is to climb through the car windows if they've been left open at night. They then 'rest' behind the sun visor, which after all is reminiscent of the space between tree and bark.

 

The climate of Australia being what it is, people drive along the road, find the sun is in their eyes and pull down the visor. The spider, taken by surprise, tends to 'drop' straight down into the lap of the driver... who usually responds in total panic and veers across the road as s/he tries to brush the spiders off.

 

A common result of this is an accident. Despite the Huntsman's bite being non-lethal (usually), there is apocryphal evidence to suggest they care a major cause of early morning car accidents

 

 

Now I'm terrified

 

 

 

Is this quite common? when we visited we had a huge huntsman climb over the bonnet of our car and that was bad enough. If you dont leave your window open, would they still be able to get into the car through another route!! If so, think I might be getting a bus pass when I move over.