There was a redback on the toilet seat, When I was there last night.
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I was once on the toilet and felt something watching me - one of the bastrds was sitting right on the wall next to me. I got up, finished, quickly looked around to find it had gone, which is kind of worse than it it still being there. I got to just before the door frame and it was just sitting there, looking at me and daring me to come at him. Looking around all I had was the hair dryer. I managed to blow it away on the cold setting as my second rate bhuddist deal wouldnāt let me set it to hot in case I burnt its fringe or something. I peeked out the bathroom door and it had dissapeared again. I put my pants in got my keys, wallet and phone, walked to front door and guess who was sitting in the middle in the middle of the front door this time.
The prick made me go round the back door. I refused to go back in the house when I got home until my missus caught it, which somehow she did.
Little fkr. My own house.
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Ha. House as a kid had a very high roof at one spot and curtains accordingly. Opened them once and a huntsman who had been concealed in the folds came flying down to me.
My brain saw it all in slow motion as, legs fully spread, he descended to my head.
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The car sun visor in car park,
Mrs said sheād never seen a man run so fast into a supermarket
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Ha Ha! Best thing Iāve seen this year.
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I get fug all of them up this way. Mostly cos we have geckoes, which feed on spiders and other creepy crawlies. Natureās insect repellant.
I just wish they wouldnt ā ā ā ā all over the walls and window sillsā¦
Went to use the bathroom in the middle of the night recently and the toilet bowl and seat were crawling with dozens of baby spiders. Iāve got no idea why they were there, but they found out how the flush works that night
Iām generally cool with spiders unless big ones (huntsman etc) surprise me, like when you see one on the inside of the windscreen, in which case I tend to set a high jump record.
I like to tell tourists from OS they have nothing to worry about, but itās really cool when they see small spiders like a red back near the outside bin or a daddy long legs and they freak out and Iām like āoh yeah, donāt worry about them, they donāt really countā.
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Had to remove one off an outside umbrella for the wife on Sunday. Donāt mind the old Huntsman, peace loving jobbies that just go about their business.
Had a mate years ago who was a bit of a mad bugger. Reasonably big boy at about 6ft and maybe 90kgās. Knocked off a car to drive home from the other side of Melbourne one night and didnāt stop driving until the police had put five rounds into the car. Had him as a passenger in my old HT wagon when he dropped the sun visor and had a tiny little Huntsman (maybe 7cm across) land on his lap. Within about 3 seconds he was sitting in the back seat swatting himself. Absolutely ā ā ā ā ā ā myself laughing and nearly ran up the ā ā ā ā of the car in front. Will always tolerate them for that memory alone, even if they were nasty buggers, which of course they arenāt.
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2 things in life scare me.
Spiders and sharks.
I donāt understand how people get scared of a little mouse especially compared to a freaky,hairy looking thing with 8 legs and fangs.
My wife is absolutely petrified of them and will use a whole can of spray just to make sure they are dead.
Iām not scared of them but donāt like them. Many years ago as an apprentice mechanic I was bit on the arm by a red back that was living behind the radiator in an old Commodore and it did cause some minor discomfort but thankfully it passed after about 20 minutes. My youngest brother however was bit on the calf by a white tail whilst sleeping on the couch and by time it was mis diagnosed by 2 doctors the area had become that infected that he had an area about the size of a golf ball removed
Isnāt white-tail venom just something that affects people who are particularly sensitive to it?
Iāve heard of people getting bitten with no effect and others, like Bruce Ruxton and a cousin of mine, having massive problems, almost leading to necrosis.
My understanding is that white tails donāt cause any necrosis. After further tests it was concluded that my brothers bite had become infected somehow and the tissue was removed
True, ā¦ based on all available evidence.
The truth about white-tail spiders - Australian Geographic
8-10 minutes
By Jackie Nicoletti | April 11, 2017
White-tail spiders have gained a frightening reputation since the 1980s ā much of it undeserved. Weāve answered your questions about these misunderstood and maligned arachnids.
IN JUST 20 YEARS, a previously little-known spider with virtually no evidence of harm has stirred up terror both in the public and even modern medical communities. Unfortunately, reliable facts on white-tail spiders are shrouded with horrifying urban myths and blurred evidence from the media.
Dr Geoff Isbister, an expert in envenomation at the University of Newcastle, NSW, has published many articles and studies on white-tail spiders. The āmodern plagueā, as he calls it, is the idea that spider bites can cause ghastly necrotic ulcers . This phenomenon, known as necrotic arachnidism, has been falsely associated with the white-tail spider.
In 2003, Geoff co-authored a leading study in The Medical Journal of Australia investigating 130 white-tail spider bite cases in an effort to dispel the irrational stigma around them. However, news stories still surface from time to time that revamp fear of the spider as a flesh-eating monster.
What is true about the white-tail spider, and what is fabricated? Why and how did the myths start?
Here are some concrete answers to your frequently asked questions about white-tail spiders.
White-tail spider bites are unlikely to cause the horrific ulcers of urban legends. (Image: Dr Geoff Isbister)
What is a white-tail spider?
There are two common species of white-tail spiders in Australia: Lampona cylindrata and Lampona murina . They are both part of the Lampona genus, native to Australia and New Guinea.
White-tail spiders are vagrant hunters that usually roam at night. Instead of spinning webs and eating insects, they prefer to feast on other spiders, such as curtain-web spiders, daddy-long-legs, redback spiders, and black house spiders.
What does a white-tail spider look like?
White-tail spiders have a dark reddish grey colour with a cylindrical, cigar-shaped body. Their defining feature is a white spot at their tip. The male spiderās abdomen is 12mm, and the female spiderās abdomen is 18mm ā roughly the size of your fingernail.
Where do white-tail spiders live?
The Lampona genus is abundant, with some 60 species distributed throughout Australia. According to the 2003 study, L. cylindrata can be found across southern Australia, in southeast Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and southern Western Australia. L. murina is found in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Both species have also been found in New Zealand.
White-tail spiders are adaptable to both bush and urban environments. The spiders like to hide beneath bark, rocks, plant litter, in gardens and within tight spaces inside of homes.
You are most likely to find a white-tail spider indoors, at night, and during the warmer months. But have no fear ā white-tail spiders live in homes to prey on black house spiders, not human beings.
White-tail spiders (pictured, left) are known to eat other spiders. (Image: Dr Geoff Isbister)
What happens when you get bitten by a white-tail spider?
Most spiders, such as the white-tail spider, donāt want to bite you. āThey will only bite if provoked,ā says Geoff.
In the 2003 study, 95 per cent of the bites investigated occurred indoors, and 75 per cent between 4pm and 8am.
The preferred hiding spots of white-tail spiders are between pieces of fabric. Two-thirds of bite victims found the spiders nestled in bedclothes, towels, and clothing. (So itās a good idea to shake out your sheets and towels if youāre afraid of spiders!)
If you do get bitten by a white-tail spider, the symptoms are similar to those of a bee sting: an immediate burning sensation in the local area, followed by mild swelling and an itchy red mark.
Geoff and co-author Michael Gray ā a spider expert at the Australian Museum ā concluded in their 2003 study that the symptoms of a white-tail spider bite follows three patterns: pain only, pain and a red mark lasting less than 24 hours, or pain and an irritating red lesion lasting from 5-12 days.
Eighty-three per cent of the spider bites resulted in a red mark. Out of the 130 cases in the study, none resulted in necrotic ulcers.
Pain and discomfort occurred in all cases, but only 27 per cent of cases reported āsevereā pain, which was classified in the study as āpain greater than a bee sting or equivalentā.
Another study in The Medical Journal of Australia in 1989 tested and identified eight white-tail spider bites, and the results concluded that the bite caused only local swelling, mild pain, and itchiness and either no systemic symptoms, or anxiety.
Are white-tail spiders dangerous?
So, are white-tail spiders the flesh-rotting monsters that gory internet memes and chain emails would have you believe? There is no evidence to prove this. In fact, referencing the two studies mentioned above, there is good evidence to suggest the opposite.
Despite this, myths surrounding the white-tail spider persist, and the media often fuels the fire. A recent story involving the white-tail spider on 5 April 2017 broadcasted a misleading headline of: āFather-of-two loses legs after a white-tail spider biteā, even though there was no evidence the spider caused the infection.
Although this myth was debunked by experts shortly after the articles surfaced, the public was still rattled by the possible association, and misleading headlines continued, which only perpetuated fear.
āThis association remains despite no significant evidence to support the involvement of spiders in necrotic ulcers,ā said Geoff in a 2004 article in The Lancet , called āNecrotic arachnidism: the mythology of a modern plagueā.
Alarmingly, it isnāt just the public and media that are adhering to a false association between the white-tail spider and necrotic ulcers ā it is also occurring in modern medical practices.
The misdiagnosis of a white-tail spider bite is common in the medical community, according to Geoff. Another study he co-authored in 2004 investigated nine patients who had received diagnoses of either a white-tail spider bite or ānecrotic arachnidismā ā a flesh-eating spider bite. In all nine of the cases, the researchers found the patients had been misdiagnosed. White-tail spider bites were not responsible for any of the infections.
āThe medical community is by no means immune to the myth of necrotic arachnidism and is responsible for its persistence by not questioning the evidence or investigating necrotic ulcers in the same way as any other disorder,ā said Geoff.
How did the white-tail spider myths start?
The remaining question is, how did these myths endure over the past 20 years, despite the obvious lack of evidence?
The false case studies date all the way back to 1987, when an Australian patient was diagnosed with necrotic arachnidism after developing severe ulceration. This, like all other cases, was a misdiagnosis.
However, the establishment of spider phobia in the media and now even in some GPs goes well beyond a few false case studies. The unfounded fear of spiders has influenced cultural mythology since the dawn of time, according to Geoff.
āThe diagnosis of a spider bite continues to be based mainly on suspicion and fear of spiders,ā he said.
This fear is largely irrational ā only two of Australiaās 10,000-plus spider species are dangerous. In fact, spider bites are less life-threatening than snakes, sharks and bees.
What should you do if you get bitten by a white-tail spider?
Rule number one: it may be painful, but do not panic. Of the 130 patients in the 2003 study, zero needed to be admitted to the hospital after the bite.
Always clean the site of your bite. The most common treatment for white-tail spider bites is icepacks to reduce the swelling. Other than that, there are no other necessary first-aid treatments, says Geoff, āexcept to make sure your tetanus shot is up to date like any spider bite or woundā.
Which is why people should never go to any NoozCorpse,ā¦ or for that matter any other Commercial (TV or Press) news source, ā¦ unless of course they enjoy being lied to and unnecessarily panicked/outraged, for no other reason but click bait profit.
Case in point.
Yeah butā¦I actually know someone who had their arm farked up by a white tail.
I meanā¦could have been a coincidence.
Bitten by a white tail, needed half their arm cut off.
Iāll be erring on the side of caution, thanks.
Yeah, I still eliminate them, ā¦ just for where they like to hole up is a good enough reason.
This is interestingā¦
CSL Antivenom Handbook
Spiders
Return to Spiders / Contents / Toxinology home page
Necrotic Arachnidism
This condition encompasses a broad spectrum of responses to spider bite, from very mild local skin damage through to major skin damage and systemic illness. It is a phenomenon seen in many parts of the world, but particularly in the Americas, where it is caused by the recluse spiders (Loxosceles reclusa, L. laeta, L. gaucho and others; āLoxoscelismā). In Australia local skin damage following presumed spider bite is not rare, with probably hundreds of cases each year. Most of these are minor, with ulcers of less than 2cm in size, but there are a few cases with large areas of skin loss requiring prolonged hospitalisation and ultimately, skin grafting. Several spiders have been suggested as causes of these ulcers (eg. white tailed spider) but until recently, none was proven. Recently in South Australia there have been cases where the spider was caught at the time of biting and in these cases it was a relative of the recluse spiders (fiddleback spider; Loxosceles rufescens ). This spider is not native to Australia but has been accidentally introduced and is establishing itself in metropolitan areas. However, it cannot be said that all cases of ānecrotic arachnidismā in Australia are due to this spider. Indeed, it is likely that in many cases the cause of the ulcer is secondary infection.
Moreā¦
http://www.toxinology.com/generic_static_files/cslavh_spiders_necrosis.html
surely this thread has run out of legs?
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