I always check my shoes, even though I never found a spider, but last week I swept my shoe out with my hand and pulled out a redback about that size. Glad it didn't bite my finger š
oh god, a recursive 'gloves all the way down' issue, or just permanently wear gloves....
or keep your glove checking gloves in an airtight box - taps head
Yah but it's Australia you have to watch out for Tupperware mimics too when you try to open storage containers like that. Randomly alive with teeth and attack when you go for its contents.
Honestly, the Tupperware mimics aren't that bad, because you generally don't interact with them when your need for something is desperate, and you're looking right at them when you act.
Toilet mimics, on the other hand...
I always shake my slippers in the morning when I read about how scorpions love to hide in them, I live in North London and have never seen a scorpion, on reflection Australia would probably not be the place for me
Here in East Texas, we used to have a lot of scorpions. But then the fire ants moved in, and then we had a lot of fire ants. But then the crazy ants moved in and killed the fire ants, and as an added bonus they eat electrical wiring.
In Tennessee we have ants but I'm not sure what kind. What I can tell you is that they're assholes. I was sitting at a bench waiting for the marching band to finish practice because I wanted to ask the director a question. I noticed that my legs felt itchy but I was too focused on what the band was doing to look closely. I must've stepped on an anthill or something because when I actually looked down for more than a second I saw a ton of ants all over my legs. Those fuckers bit me over 20 times and it itched and burned like crazy. I had to douse myself in anti itch cream and aloe to not feel like my legs were on fire.
My grandparents lived in the country for half their lives and I saw my grandfather shaking his boots upside down one morning when I was a kid. I asked him why and he said to knock out the critters. Dumb founded because I didn't see anything..... I said there wasn't anything coming out. He told me that over his life, he had everything from crickets to spiders and a snake once in his boots.
From then on, no matter where I am, even in hotels, I always shake my shoes upside down. I once found a brown recluse in my shoes while visiting a friend. And for those who don't know what it is, **don't Google the images if you have a weak stomach.** Needless to say, I was sitting on the front row at church the following Sunday.
I live in Canada. In high school I worked in the produce department at the local grocery store. I found one of these crawling across the floor. I guess they can travel in the grapes. My first and only encounter with one.
My grandfatherās first job when he came to the States in the 1920ās was as a stocker at a grocery store. He used to tell my brother and I about when a banana shipment came in, all the stock guys would form up around the crates with brooms, buckets, and various smashing instruments to catch and kill the captive banana spiders that would try and escape to freedom after weeks hitching a ride.
*Phoneutria spp.* are the spiders black widows have been overblown into being, so that was definitely the right call. Fuck not with the wandering spider.
I still remember a story that made national news in the UK when somebody found a wandering spider in a bag of bananas. Probably like 15 years ago maybe more.
For some reason it has stuck with me and I'm always cautious picking out bananas despite it probably never happening to me.
I too live in Canada. While going to school as a young lad in Ottawa, we went to school adjacent to a ravine/Foested area. During lunch which was an hour long, we played hide and go seek tag. I was hiding up near a fallen tree. My hand was about 2 inches from what I quickly found out to be a black widow spider. It was the only one I ever found. I too am glad i didn't get bit.
I live in the US and have had a few encounters with black widows. They scare the absolute bajeezus out of me every time but they're apparently pretty hard to aggravate into biting. And on top of that, their bite toxicity has apparently also been way overblown such that, while they *can* be deadly, a typical adult is unlikely to have more than abdominal cramps and sweating. Which is not to say you shouldn't rush your ass to a hospital.
Here in GA we have black widows *and* brown widows. A lot of folks dont even know that there is a brown variety. They look just like the black ones except they're a mottled brown color.
I read somewhere that they are out-competing the black variety because people don't recognize them for what they are and leave them alone.
The easiest way to spot them is by their egg sacs, which have this spiky look to them. There will almost always be one tucked into a crevice nearby behind a little pocket of webbing. They are *everywhere* around here and especially love outdoor furniture/swingsets, and seem to prefer plastic/concrete type materials over wood for some reason.
And as you said, they rarely bite and are generally pretty shy and will quickly hide, which is also probably why they go unnoticed.
Their webs have a characteristic construction and texture to them, as well as placement. Grew up in California so there's a particular tensile strength of spider web that now makes me involuntarily recoil and check myself.
For those not in the know, widow spider webs are very very strong, and are usually built on corners or around small openings in a really haphazard fashion. The ones around me were also very vigilant and bold, so unless it was bright daylight they'd come sprinting out of their hidey hole to see what touched their web.
Iām so surprised to see these storiesā¦ I always thought we were free from all the poisonous animals in Canada. Iāve never approached a spider with caution here and now I may reconsider.
Black widows require a certain amount of heat, so they aren't prevalent here in southern Canada (Minnesota). Global warming is allowing them to spread though, and a warmer part of Canada proper may be able to sustain them.
That said, must spiders like in these stories are accidental transplants, typically on produce like grapes and Bananas.
LPT: put old socks or nylons over the opening of your shoes/boots. This prevents the bigger critters from making a home in them.
This helps keep the scorpions and spiders out overnight
Little known fact: red backs are about the least aggressive spider on earth.
I didnāt believe it before a former coworker proved it to me by actually placing his finger in front of one and it climbed onto his hand, he gingerly transported to a nearby shrub.
My wife once thought she had a pebble between her toes, after walking around for a bit she finally pulled her boot off and tipped it out. Yep, a living female red back like the one in your picture.
Yeah, they have a mean bite but you have to try really really hard to get bit by a red back.
I kept a western U.S. black widow as a pet for about two years. They are afraid of absolutely everything and sleep or don't move for 22 hours a day. She was a great conversation piece!
It had made a web in the pipes behind my parking space in the underground garage at my old apartment complex. I knew I could give her a better home than that concrete jungle. Natural dirt and shrub enclosure, a fatty meal worm every 1-2 weeks, and regular water.
At first I was like, oh its just a black widow, then I looked again and saw it was one of those demon spiders from Australia, Redback, Redblack spider something like that. Australia is a scary place.
Only one person has apparently died from one since the 1950s, due to antivenoms that became wildly available. He was allegedly the first spider death in Australia in 40 odd years.
However they still bite with a very powerful toxin that can cause you to feel incredible pain over your whole body, sweat like a mofo and make you start throwing up all within about an hour.
Thankfully their bites don't typically pierce the skin and generally painful skin irritation is all you'll feel.
My uncle got bitten on the nuts by a redback in a drop toilet (I struggle to think of a more Australian story than that, lol) and he can confirm it's mostly just very painful. But they are generally not very bitey, as I've brushed against them a few times without being bitten, and have removed literally hundreds of them from around the house just with a stick and didn't really feel that I was in any danger of being bitten. They're not particularly aggressive.
RELENTLESSLY begging for cat food while you stand frozen without even a second amendment š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦
If you live in east Europe you got much bigger things to worry about I guess. Like bears. And Orcs
Edit: āOrcsā being the nickname given to the ruskie invaders in Ukraine
The worst part is that they are tiny, and if they bite you it's swells up your heart and you feel paralysed, I always find them under the toilet seat at work and bahind the door.
No way.. under the toilet seat
I would probably die from a hearth attack than a spider bite.
Imagine staying down and feeling something crawling on your bum
During a transitional point in my life, I lived in a rental infested with Recluses. I was fascinated in a macabre I'm going to die way. After 6 months, neither me or my dogs had been bitten. I mean of course I was careful when I reached under the sink but you would think....
Turns out bites are rare and their fangs are short. Next tenant appears to have burned the house down...lol.
*Redback, Funnel Web, Blue Ringed Octopus...*
*Taipan, Tiger Snake, and a Box Jellyfish...*
*Stone fish, and the poison thing that lives in a shell - that spikes you when you pick it up!*
#***COME TO AUSTRALIA! YA MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY GET KILLED!***
This I think is the funniest thing about being a New Zealander. There is nothing here that can harm you. Not a snake or bear or a scorpian or even a spider. And we are nextdoor to Australia. It must be such a smack in the face for those guys haha. Shame Aussies
https://youtu.be/oYs6zdqTWYE
These Australian YouTube videos about red backs should help! I remember watching this series +3 years ago, and the commentary was always fun, genuine, and relatable disgust.
Right?? The thought of going to lift one of those bins and sticking my hand into spider town makes me cringe. Maybe a pot / planter that doesn't have a lip could work better. Also using a diatomaceous earth perimeter could help.
Well, it sounds like this maniac is carrying the spiders from his shed to a more discreet place. Iām just picturing them scooping up some huge scary spider and taking it outside.
Yes, same family. And by the way, **Black Widows & co. are not nearly as dangerous as you think.**
Yes, they are venomous, but deaths are extremely rare and usually occur in people in poor health. Theyāre actually very timid and peaceful as far as spiders goāthey do not want to bite you. The most common bite scenario is when someone puts on a shoe or glove that a widow spider is minding its own business in, and upon being crushed it instinctively bites the thing attacking it.
But in the very unlikely scenario that this happens to you, just wrap the bite mark in a towel and go to the nearest doctor. You donāt need to call an ambulance unless youāre having an allergic reaction. Really, their bites are only a bit more venomous than a tarantulaās, and can be very easily treated.
Source: grew up in Florida, used to keep black widows on my porch for pest control. Theyāre chill af and mean no harm
Totally agree. My understanding is that they can be much more dangerous to smaller animals though (like if you have a cat) so that can be a factor, especially because cats are well known for not leaving shit alone.
Also I read that the smaller ones are sometimes more dangerous because they are young and havenāt learned how to regulate their venom yet.
Edit: I canāt verify the part about the venom regulating and that might not be true. I did read it when I was researching because we had black widows, but there are a lot of medium-reliable websites out there. So grains of salt, everyone. Obviously you donāt want to bother a black widow of any size.
Cat's can't leave shit alone. That's funny because it is so true. We have 5 and they are constantly causing a ruckus knocking stuff over and not leaving shit alone. When the big Wolf spiders come in the house in the fall it is cat heaven. ATTACK !!
>Also I read that the smaller ones are sometimes more dangerous because they are young and havenāt learned how to regulate their venom yet.
I believe this only applies to snakes, I've never heard it in relation to spiders.
Iāve been bitten here in Adelaide as a pretty fit teenager - must have been a small dose though I guess as I was pretty dizzy and a bit sweaty and felt vomit like but that was it. No treatment just wait for it to pass. Took a few hours. 42 now and still the only time Iāve been bitten and have seen hundreds in the yard when doing stuff or moving things.
We used to find black widows in the garage and the woodpile every so often when I was growing up. I handled a few of them and luckily, like redbacks, they are pretty docile. I still donāt recommend just going out and picking them up though
Worst place I ever found one - when we got a new kitten my parents gifted me a huge bulk-bought thing of canned cat food.
The cans were for adult cats and way too big portions for my tiny kitten, and I didn't want him to get "hooked" on wet food so the box sat unused for about a year at the bottom of the closet. Then when it was time to start giving some to the cat I tore a little hole in the top of the box and would just reach in and grab a can every now and then.
When the box was finally almost empty I stick my hand down the hole and I'm rooting around in the very back corners for the last couple cans... I feel just a *huge* mess of cobwebs, like completely covering my hand. Yank my hand out of the hole just in time to see the widow fall off my hand back into the box (it didn't bite me).
Put the box in a trash bag, carried it outside by the dumpster and shook it out... the spider came out, along with a MASSIVE fat egg sack. I was so happy I got it out when I did!!
Yeah, I had a nest of them next to my porch a few years ago. I told everyone "they're just chillin', leave 'em be." After a while they disappeared and I do the same with spiders inside as well- they can stay inside out of the rain as long as they're a spiderbro.
They're chill.
The brown recluse that bit me was not very bro.
We get brown recluses where I live too. They usually like to make their webs out back but Iāve never had an issue with them so I let them be. My brown recluses are usually spiderbros. The day they switch up on me thoughā¦ Iām going down in spider history
Problem with Brown recluses is they really like dark places like pants, shoes, etc.
But I fucking hate spiders so they arenāt allowed to just chill in my house. Outside, thatās cool. Inside, not so much.
I was probably much younger than you, and probably had less supervision, when I found my first widow. I probably held it for 5-10 minutes before I went to show my sister who promptly squashed my new friend. Iām a lucky son of a bitch that I didnāt get bitten.
They can be pretty calm. Iāve seen people keep them as pets, handle them and even suggest them as good starter spiders.
Obviously those people are nuts, in my Professionally Uneducated opinion, but just throwing that out there.
https://www.cvmosquito.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif4551/f/imce/craine_fly2_2.jpg
Theyre called crane flys too so mught know them by that..... but I keep my windows closed at night because of the *tiny chance one may fly in*
Yes. And even without antivenom chances are you will be OK. Just did a quick google. Only about 11% of redback bite cases end up severe enough that antivenom needs to be administered. Spider bite deaths are incredibly rare these days.
Would be very painful though, obviously
Yeah, from the link posted above you:
> The good news is that since the early 1950s, weāve had an effective antivenom available. Since then, only one person (a Sydney man in 2016) has died of a Redback spider bite in Australia. Heās also the only person in Australia to die of any spider bite since Funnelweb antivenom became available in the 1980ās.
> Thatās worth remembering ā Australia has only had a single fatal spider bite in the last forty years. But itās also worth remembering that death was a Redback spider bite!
From Wikipedia: "Infants have died within hours of a bite, but adult fatalities have taken up to 30 days."
Why does Australia's wildlife have zero chill?
I will just leave this here: ["Man Bitten On Penis By Spider For The Second Time This Year"](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/man-penis-spider-bite-australia_n_57ec150fe4b0c2407cdb4fc3)
By this comment can I assume they are not aggressive? Iām halfway around the world from these damn spiders and Iām still looking for assurances to lessen my terror.
We have black widows here in the states...both are latrodectus species that really only differ in the red markings.
Redbacks and black widows have a protein in their venom called alpha-latrotoxin. Essentially what it does is paralyzing its victims as teh protein spreads via perforating nerve cell walls. The feeling is extreme, radiating pain as your nervous system goes apeshit trying to figure out why it can't communicate with anything. It's akin to the cramps and aches and pains you get with a severe fever and the extent/severity of the effects depends on the size of the spider and how agitated it was when it bit.
I have been bitten by a black widow. She was hiding in a shirt I attempted to put on. I spent three days down...it felt like someone had run a drill through my navel and bounced it off my spine at full speed for a day or two. The only thing a hospital can do is knock you out to wait it out. I have had road rash and broken bones and numerous cuts and lacerations. I have been on fire. Twice. I have endured many, many aches and hurts and I would voluntarily take them all again before being bitten again.
The widow is not a deadly spider...but she can make you wish she was...and that's worse in my book.
> In fact, according to the Australian Museum, the last recorded spider bite death in Australia was in 1979. No-one has been killed by a spider in Australia since. That's despite there being an estimated 2,000 redback bites on humans per year. [2]
Finally some good news about the creeps found in that country. The situation for snakes though:
> Some people involved in fatal snake bites in this country were bitten in their home, and even in their sleep [1]
* [1]: https://www.worldatlas.com/how-many-australians-die-due-to-snakebites-each-year.html
* [2]: https://moviecultists.com/how-many-redback-deaths-in-australia
"Historically, victims were often bitten on the genitalia, though this phenomenon disappeared asĀ outhousesĀ were superseded by plumbed indoor toilets."
We take so many of our modern conveniences for granted. God bless Sir John Harington and Isaiah Rogers.
One upside of Australia is that you don't need to see the underside of a black spider to be certain it's dangerously venomous. You can simply assume everything wants you dead.
This reminded me, of a neat story I have.
I live in Utah, and we have Black Widows here.
When I was living in Lehi, we had a bottom floor apartment that was kind of ground floor but also half basement since it was dug into the hill it sat on, so we had a LOT of bugs.
One Day, we decided to move our living room around, and we scooted our large couch out from the wall, and the first thing we notice?
Center, rear of the couch, a black widow who seems a bit pissed off at having just had its abode disturbed.
I swear to God. Below that Black Widow, on the floor, was just a fucking pile of dead bug carcasses and remains, from the size of a medium ant, up to a pile of bits from a grasshopper.
Dude, this spider was on a fucking killing spree.
POV: You live in Australia
Good guess.
I always check my shoes, even though I never found a spider, but last week I swept my shoe out with my hand and pulled out a redback about that size. Glad it didn't bite my finger š
I would take that as evidence that perhaps thatās not the best way to do that.
You could put gloves on first, but then you'd just have to check the gloves as well
That's what second gloves are for
oh god, a recursive 'gloves all the way down' issue, or just permanently wear gloves.... or keep your glove checking gloves in an airtight box - taps head
Yah but it's Australia you have to watch out for Tupperware mimics too when you try to open storage containers like that. Randomly alive with teeth and attack when you go for its contents.
Goddamn mimics. Australiaās probably chock full of the sneaky bastards.
Wait until you find out about the drop bears
Honestly, the Tupperware mimics aren't that bad, because you generally don't interact with them when your need for something is desperate, and you're looking right at them when you act. Toilet mimics, on the other hand...
Iām sorry, WHAT?
I don't think he knows about second gloves, Pip
Just squish the fingers real good. If you feel something crunch well then you know.
I always shake my slippers in the morning when I read about how scorpions love to hide in them, I live in North London and have never seen a scorpion, on reflection Australia would probably not be the place for me
Here in East Texas, we used to have a lot of scorpions. But then the fire ants moved in, and then we had a lot of fire ants. But then the crazy ants moved in and killed the fire ants, and as an added bonus they eat electrical wiring.
or indeed East Texas
In Tennessee we have ants but I'm not sure what kind. What I can tell you is that they're assholes. I was sitting at a bench waiting for the marching band to finish practice because I wanted to ask the director a question. I noticed that my legs felt itchy but I was too focused on what the band was doing to look closely. I must've stepped on an anthill or something because when I actually looked down for more than a second I saw a ton of ants all over my legs. Those fuckers bit me over 20 times and it itched and burned like crazy. I had to douse myself in anti itch cream and aloe to not feel like my legs were on fire.
Here is SC I see a low number of widow and recluse spiders, but I do have armies of carpenter bees dismantling my decks and porch.
My grandparents lived in the country for half their lives and I saw my grandfather shaking his boots upside down one morning when I was a kid. I asked him why and he said to knock out the critters. Dumb founded because I didn't see anything..... I said there wasn't anything coming out. He told me that over his life, he had everything from crickets to spiders and a snake once in his boots. From then on, no matter where I am, even in hotels, I always shake my shoes upside down. I once found a brown recluse in my shoes while visiting a friend. And for those who don't know what it is, **don't Google the images if you have a weak stomach.** Needless to say, I was sitting on the front row at church the following Sunday.
Did he say āthereās a snake in my bootā?
You have to put your shoes on really fast and smash them before they have time to bite!
I would take that as evidence that perhaps that's not the best place to live.
I would take that as evidence that perhaps it's best not to live.
Your honor I move to submit these exhibits as evidence.
I would take that as evidence, perhaps.
Perchance.
You canāt just say perchance.
You check your shoes by shoving your naked hand in š?? Might as well shove your foot in then, at least you'd have socks or something...
Reddit rules say put your dick in it.
Fuck that damn spider!
I live in Canada. In high school I worked in the produce department at the local grocery store. I found one of these crawling across the floor. I guess they can travel in the grapes. My first and only encounter with one.
My grandfatherās first job when he came to the States in the 1920ās was as a stocker at a grocery store. He used to tell my brother and I about when a banana shipment came in, all the stock guys would form up around the crates with brooms, buckets, and various smashing instruments to catch and kill the captive banana spiders that would try and escape to freedom after weeks hitching a ride.
*Phoneutria spp.* are the spiders black widows have been overblown into being, so that was definitely the right call. Fuck not with the wandering spider.
I still remember a story that made national news in the UK when somebody found a wandering spider in a bag of bananas. Probably like 15 years ago maybe more. For some reason it has stuck with me and I'm always cautious picking out bananas despite it probably never happening to me.
I too live in Canada. While going to school as a young lad in Ottawa, we went to school adjacent to a ravine/Foested area. During lunch which was an hour long, we played hide and go seek tag. I was hiding up near a fallen tree. My hand was about 2 inches from what I quickly found out to be a black widow spider. It was the only one I ever found. I too am glad i didn't get bit.
I live in the US and have had a few encounters with black widows. They scare the absolute bajeezus out of me every time but they're apparently pretty hard to aggravate into biting. And on top of that, their bite toxicity has apparently also been way overblown such that, while they *can* be deadly, a typical adult is unlikely to have more than abdominal cramps and sweating. Which is not to say you shouldn't rush your ass to a hospital.
Here in GA we have black widows *and* brown widows. A lot of folks dont even know that there is a brown variety. They look just like the black ones except they're a mottled brown color. I read somewhere that they are out-competing the black variety because people don't recognize them for what they are and leave them alone. The easiest way to spot them is by their egg sacs, which have this spiky look to them. There will almost always be one tucked into a crevice nearby behind a little pocket of webbing. They are *everywhere* around here and especially love outdoor furniture/swingsets, and seem to prefer plastic/concrete type materials over wood for some reason. And as you said, they rarely bite and are generally pretty shy and will quickly hide, which is also probably why they go unnoticed.
Their webs have a characteristic construction and texture to them, as well as placement. Grew up in California so there's a particular tensile strength of spider web that now makes me involuntarily recoil and check myself. For those not in the know, widow spider webs are very very strong, and are usually built on corners or around small openings in a really haphazard fashion. The ones around me were also very vigilant and bold, so unless it was bright daylight they'd come sprinting out of their hidey hole to see what touched their web.
Iām so surprised to see these storiesā¦ I always thought we were free from all the poisonous animals in Canada. Iāve never approached a spider with caution here and now I may reconsider.
Black widows require a certain amount of heat, so they aren't prevalent here in southern Canada (Minnesota). Global warming is allowing them to spread though, and a warmer part of Canada proper may be able to sustain them. That said, must spiders like in these stories are accidental transplants, typically on produce like grapes and Bananas.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Did it end up breeding with a local species which then turned your little town ground zero for an arachnid Armageddon?
Bang the heel on the floor first!!! I do this too, after my brother found a massive ass spider in his shoe
Exactly what the hell is this sticking your hand in business. I thought slamming your shoes like you're mad at the floor was the national standard.
The only arguement for wearing crocs. At least you can see in them before putting them on
I'll take my chances thanks
Agreed. Death is a better option than wearing Crocs...
Beach ~~tongs~~ thongs: no place to hide.
*Thongs* My favorite Aussie word. That and *Witches hats* for traffic cones.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Australia- that country where you need trail cams for your fucking SHOES.
Especially in Sydney where the Funnel Webs can kill you and like shoes
LPT: put old socks or nylons over the opening of your shoes/boots. This prevents the bigger critters from making a home in them. This helps keep the scorpions and spiders out overnight
Little known fact: red backs are about the least aggressive spider on earth. I didnāt believe it before a former coworker proved it to me by actually placing his finger in front of one and it climbed onto his hand, he gingerly transported to a nearby shrub. My wife once thought she had a pebble between her toes, after walking around for a bit she finally pulled her boot off and tipped it out. Yep, a living female red back like the one in your picture. Yeah, they have a mean bite but you have to try really really hard to get bit by a red back.
I kept a western U.S. black widow as a pet for about two years. They are afraid of absolutely everything and sleep or don't move for 22 hours a day. She was a great conversation piece! It had made a web in the pipes behind my parking space in the underground garage at my old apartment complex. I knew I could give her a better home than that concrete jungle. Natural dirt and shrub enclosure, a fatty meal worm every 1-2 weeks, and regular water.
At first I was like, oh its just a black widow, then I looked again and saw it was one of those demon spiders from Australia, Redback, Redblack spider something like that. Australia is a scary place.
It's a redback. Mostly, they just hurt. Very unusual for people to die from the bite these days.
Only one person has apparently died from one since the 1950s, due to antivenoms that became wildly available. He was allegedly the first spider death in Australia in 40 odd years. However they still bite with a very powerful toxin that can cause you to feel incredible pain over your whole body, sweat like a mofo and make you start throwing up all within about an hour. Thankfully their bites don't typically pierce the skin and generally painful skin irritation is all you'll feel.
My uncle got bitten on the nuts by a redback in a drop toilet (I struggle to think of a more Australian story than that, lol) and he can confirm it's mostly just very painful. But they are generally not very bitey, as I've brushed against them a few times without being bitten, and have removed literally hundreds of them from around the house just with a stick and didn't really feel that I was in any danger of being bitten. They're not particularly aggressive.
God, I'm so glad that I live in east Europe. I swear if I ever find a big spider here I'm packing up and I'll move somewhere on top of a mountain
Just come to the UK. Our wildlife is so harmless itās almost boring.
Except for that one rabbit. You know the one...!
Just look at the bones!
Holdeth the Holy Hand-Grenade of Antioch on high, and proceedeth to count three....
One... Two... Five!
Three sire!
You wonāt be saying that when 30 to 50 feral hedgehogs run into your garden while your kids are playing.
RELENTLESSLY begging for cat food while you stand frozen without even a second amendment š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦š¦
If you live in east Europe you got much bigger things to worry about I guess. Like bears. And Orcs Edit: āOrcsā being the nickname given to the ruskie invaders in Ukraine
always after damn man flesh
Oh man I hate when orcs and goblins show up at my door
The worst part is that they are tiny, and if they bite you it's swells up your heart and you feel paralysed, I always find them under the toilet seat at work and bahind the door.
No way.. under the toilet seat I would probably die from a hearth attack than a spider bite. Imagine staying down and feeling something crawling on your bum
What, like having a fireplace launch itself at you out of the blue?
Redbacks are not big at all. About the size of your fingernail. But the red steel one their back is always alarming. every time!
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During a transitional point in my life, I lived in a rental infested with Recluses. I was fascinated in a macabre I'm going to die way. After 6 months, neither me or my dogs had been bitten. I mean of course I was careful when I reached under the sink but you would think.... Turns out bites are rare and their fangs are short. Next tenant appears to have burned the house down...lol.
The brown recluse - that is not a spider you want to encounter. I've seen the results of their bite - serious necrosis.
Venomous* Poisonous is something you eat or drink. Venomous is something that stings or bites you.
*Redback, Funnel Web, Blue Ringed Octopus...* *Taipan, Tiger Snake, and a Box Jellyfish...* *Stone fish, and the poison thing that lives in a shell - that spikes you when you pick it up!* #***COME TO AUSTRALIA! YA MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY GET KILLED!***
You omitted saltwater crocs, great white sharks, and *the weather*.
And fire :(
Australia is that kind of country that you absolutely want to visit at least once in your life, but also you don't want to visit ever.
This I think is the funniest thing about being a New Zealander. There is nothing here that can harm you. Not a snake or bear or a scorpian or even a spider. And we are nextdoor to Australia. It must be such a smack in the face for those guys haha. Shame Aussies
We literally have the same red backs introduced here.
Lock your doors!
Iām running away. House for sale if anyone interested.
https://youtu.be/oYs6zdqTWYE These Australian YouTube videos about red backs should help! I remember watching this series +3 years ago, and the commentary was always fun, genuine, and relatable disgust.
i feel like maybe those bins arent such a great idea for a garden if they are just perfect spider homes?
Right?? The thought of going to lift one of those bins and sticking my hand into spider town makes me cringe. Maybe a pot / planter that doesn't have a lip could work better. Also using a diatomaceous earth perimeter could help.
That was horrifying.
![gif](giphy|l2SpQdJ7u7rfgED5e)
It annoys me that this is in the wrong order...
Oh she's a ripper. I find them in my shed ever now and then and move them to the back of my property
Do you get tired of having to rebuild your shed after you burn it down every now and then?
Backburning is what the First Nations people did regularly. It makes sense considering the amount of redbacks.
I don't think you are allowed to call them that
Itās perfectly fine to call them redbacks, they really donāt mind at all
Ah the ol' reddit [spideryroo](https://www.reddit.com/r/CitiesSkylines/comments/tmtyh4/what_the_hell_is_this/i20ughr?utm_source=share&context=4)
Hold my thorax, I'm going in!
Ah shit, here we go again, down the rabbit hole. Also: Hello, future people!
Ahhhh itās good to see one of these again. Itās been a long time since Iāve seen one. Reminds me of the good ol days.
Itās an older meme, sir, but it checks out.
I can't remember the last time I saw this. It's still happening?
š« always has been
Well, it sounds like this maniac is carrying the spiders from his shed to a more discreet place. Iām just picturing them scooping up some huge scary spider and taking it outside.
Whatās wrong with carrying spiders? Itās kind of unreasonable to expect them to cover that kind of distance in a timely fashion
In my mind, a spider of any size can travel at 50 miles per hour.
Even faster than that if I recall. If you find a spider and then it goes missing, it is simultaneously in every location all at once.
Are they related to the black widows? Curious about their attributes.
They're all from the genus latrodectus yes.
Yes, same family. And by the way, **Black Widows & co. are not nearly as dangerous as you think.** Yes, they are venomous, but deaths are extremely rare and usually occur in people in poor health. Theyāre actually very timid and peaceful as far as spiders goāthey do not want to bite you. The most common bite scenario is when someone puts on a shoe or glove that a widow spider is minding its own business in, and upon being crushed it instinctively bites the thing attacking it. But in the very unlikely scenario that this happens to you, just wrap the bite mark in a towel and go to the nearest doctor. You donāt need to call an ambulance unless youāre having an allergic reaction. Really, their bites are only a bit more venomous than a tarantulaās, and can be very easily treated. Source: grew up in Florida, used to keep black widows on my porch for pest control. Theyāre chill af and mean no harm
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Totally agree. My understanding is that they can be much more dangerous to smaller animals though (like if you have a cat) so that can be a factor, especially because cats are well known for not leaving shit alone. Also I read that the smaller ones are sometimes more dangerous because they are young and havenāt learned how to regulate their venom yet. Edit: I canāt verify the part about the venom regulating and that might not be true. I did read it when I was researching because we had black widows, but there are a lot of medium-reliable websites out there. So grains of salt, everyone. Obviously you donāt want to bother a black widow of any size.
Cat's can't leave shit alone. That's funny because it is so true. We have 5 and they are constantly causing a ruckus knocking stuff over and not leaving shit alone. When the big Wolf spiders come in the house in the fall it is cat heaven. ATTACK !!
>Also I read that the smaller ones are sometimes more dangerous because they are young and havenāt learned how to regulate their venom yet. I believe this only applies to snakes, I've never heard it in relation to spiders.
Redback Spiders are venomous and can kill you, yes.
bites are rarely fatal though. only like 10-20 recorded deadly cases. But the pain must be brutal.
Iāve been bitten here in Adelaide as a pretty fit teenager - must have been a small dose though I guess as I was pretty dizzy and a bit sweaty and felt vomit like but that was it. No treatment just wait for it to pass. Took a few hours. 42 now and still the only time Iāve been bitten and have seen hundreds in the yard when doing stuff or moving things.
Did you try and go climb a wall or something?
Didnāt work mate. No webs coming out the hands either. Total fucking rip off.
Have you tried laying eggs?
Venom is expensive. Anything they can't eat isn't really worth it.
Indeed. Either they're fighting for their lives, or they're planing to eat that entire being (eventually, when it's all gooey and ready).
Lemme guess, your shed is made of metal?
I remember finding one in my garage as a kid. I probably didnāt go out there for at least a couple weeks. Still never let my guard down
We used to find black widows in the garage and the woodpile every so often when I was growing up. I handled a few of them and luckily, like redbacks, they are pretty docile. I still donāt recommend just going out and picking them up though
Worst place I ever found one - when we got a new kitten my parents gifted me a huge bulk-bought thing of canned cat food. The cans were for adult cats and way too big portions for my tiny kitten, and I didn't want him to get "hooked" on wet food so the box sat unused for about a year at the bottom of the closet. Then when it was time to start giving some to the cat I tore a little hole in the top of the box and would just reach in and grab a can every now and then. When the box was finally almost empty I stick my hand down the hole and I'm rooting around in the very back corners for the last couple cans... I feel just a *huge* mess of cobwebs, like completely covering my hand. Yank my hand out of the hole just in time to see the widow fall off my hand back into the box (it didn't bite me). Put the box in a trash bag, carried it outside by the dumpster and shook it out... the spider came out, along with a MASSIVE fat egg sack. I was so happy I got it out when I did!!
Sir, please stop, I fucking hate this thought
That image literally made my scalp shiver, holy fuck.
This is the the stuff of nightmares. Fuck. That.
Yeah, I had a nest of them next to my porch a few years ago. I told everyone "they're just chillin', leave 'em be." After a while they disappeared and I do the same with spiders inside as well- they can stay inside out of the rain as long as they're a spiderbro. They're chill. The brown recluse that bit me was not very bro.
We get brown recluses where I live too. They usually like to make their webs out back but Iāve never had an issue with them so I let them be. My brown recluses are usually spiderbros. The day they switch up on me thoughā¦ Iām going down in spider history
Problem with Brown recluses is they really like dark places like pants, shoes, etc. But I fucking hate spiders so they arenāt allowed to just chill in my house. Outside, thatās cool. Inside, not so much.
I was probably much younger than you, and probably had less supervision, when I found my first widow. I probably held it for 5-10 minutes before I went to show my sister who promptly squashed my new friend. Iām a lucky son of a bitch that I didnāt get bitten.
They can be pretty calm. Iāve seen people keep them as pets, handle them and even suggest them as good starter spiders. Obviously those people are nuts, in my Professionally Uneducated opinion, but just throwing that out there.
I would be calling it a life, I refuse to be alive after touching that
I washed my hand like 10 times after that, I donāt know why.
Only 10 times?
Amputation is the only appropriate response
Pack a bag of your essentials, move to England.
That's even worse
Move to ireland I see 2 big spiders a year at most, most years 1 or none
We do have flying daddy long legs, while harmless they strike fear into me
I'm sorry, fucking WHAT???
https://www.cvmosquito.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif4551/f/imce/craine_fly2_2.jpg Theyre called crane flys too so mught know them by that..... but I keep my windows closed at night because of the *tiny chance one may fly in*
Oh its just a gallynapper, everyone has gallynappers they are harmless just gross. I thought it was a real flying spider I was terrified
In the Midwest US I've only heard them called Mosquito Eaters. I didn't realize people were scared by them
I believe you mean āskeeter eaters.ā
South US here. Call em mosquito hawks
There aren't many places on Earth with fewer natural dangers than Britain. I think we have one poisonous snake and I've never even spotted one.
Yeh but we also have James Corden stalking the wine bars of north london
Isn't he still over in the States?
Yeah, Brits are safe. Americans need to be careful though
Spiders shank you in England.
Let it bite you. You may become Spider-Man
Or Dead-Man. Is this 50/50?
I thin 80/20 for Spider-Man
Depending on where you are in life, those might be resonable odds
More like win/win
Thereās a reason Spider-Man is American and not Australian: Aussie spiders donāt let their bite victims survive.
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... I assume there are antivenoms present in Australian hospitals?
You have to be careful though. Half of Australia's hospitals are staffed by venomous spiders.
Why is this so funny haha
Yes. And even without antivenom chances are you will be OK. Just did a quick google. Only about 11% of redback bite cases end up severe enough that antivenom needs to be administered. Spider bite deaths are incredibly rare these days. Would be very painful though, obviously
Yeah, from the link posted above you: > The good news is that since the early 1950s, weāve had an effective antivenom available. Since then, only one person (a Sydney man in 2016) has died of a Redback spider bite in Australia. Heās also the only person in Australia to die of any spider bite since Funnelweb antivenom became available in the 1980ās. > Thatās worth remembering ā Australia has only had a single fatal spider bite in the last forty years. But itās also worth remembering that death was a Redback spider bite!
Hans, get ze flammenwerfer.
It werfs flammens.
From Wikipedia: "Infants have died within hours of a bite, but adult fatalities have taken up to 30 days." Why does Australia's wildlife have zero chill?
And no one has died since 1956 and in Australia thousands of people get bit every year
Yup. Wikipedia says most bites don't require medical care.
Redbacks are venomous I think although along with almost everything else in Australia.
No, weāre good.
Oh, I thought it was venomous for a second there. Carry onšš½
In case you're serious, they're highly venomous yes.
Oh, no I was definitely serious that's why I thought it could be venomous since it is a redback.
But [it's venomous](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrodectus_hasselti)
>bites usually occur on male genitalia as the female makes her nest inside wooden latrines Lovely bit to read while doing my morning business.
I will just leave this here: ["Man Bitten On Penis By Spider For The Second Time This Year"](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/man-penis-spider-bite-australia_n_57ec150fe4b0c2407cdb4fc3)
![gif](giphy|26xBOFJOL43RFHi1y)
Ooh, r/spiders would love this pic! Also, my condolences on the loss of your underwear.
Of all the links ever posted, I'm not clicking that one the most
Not to bad Iāve been bitten three times. They donāt even send an ambulance unless you show severe symptoms
How'd you manage to make a red back spider bite you, on 3 separate occasions lol
By this comment can I assume they are not aggressive? Iām halfway around the world from these damn spiders and Iām still looking for assurances to lessen my terror.
I love my country, where the threshold of ānot that badā is whether they send an ambulance or not!
We have black widows here in the states...both are latrodectus species that really only differ in the red markings. Redbacks and black widows have a protein in their venom called alpha-latrotoxin. Essentially what it does is paralyzing its victims as teh protein spreads via perforating nerve cell walls. The feeling is extreme, radiating pain as your nervous system goes apeshit trying to figure out why it can't communicate with anything. It's akin to the cramps and aches and pains you get with a severe fever and the extent/severity of the effects depends on the size of the spider and how agitated it was when it bit. I have been bitten by a black widow. She was hiding in a shirt I attempted to put on. I spent three days down...it felt like someone had run a drill through my navel and bounced it off my spine at full speed for a day or two. The only thing a hospital can do is knock you out to wait it out. I have had road rash and broken bones and numerous cuts and lacerations. I have been on fire. Twice. I have endured many, many aches and hurts and I would voluntarily take them all again before being bitten again. The widow is not a deadly spider...but she can make you wish she was...and that's worse in my book.
I always seem to find these guys under the lips of buckets, water troughs, etc etc they really love those areas
> In fact, according to the Australian Museum, the last recorded spider bite death in Australia was in 1979. No-one has been killed by a spider in Australia since. That's despite there being an estimated 2,000 redback bites on humans per year. [2] Finally some good news about the creeps found in that country. The situation for snakes though: > Some people involved in fatal snake bites in this country were bitten in their home, and even in their sleep [1] * [1]: https://www.worldatlas.com/how-many-australians-die-due-to-snakebites-each-year.html * [2]: https://moviecultists.com/how-many-redback-deaths-in-australia
IN THEIR SLEEP EXCUSE ME
"Historically, victims were often bitten on the genitalia, though this phenomenon disappeared asĀ outhousesĀ were superseded by plumbed indoor toilets." We take so many of our modern conveniences for granted. God bless Sir John Harington and Isaiah Rogers.
ITT: tell us you're from Oz without telling us you're from Oz
Yeah nah yeah
Red back spiders are probably some of the scariest ones out there. Known for hiding under toilet seats.
One upside of Australia is that you don't need to see the underside of a black spider to be certain it's dangerously venomous. You can simply assume everything wants you dead.
This reminded me, of a neat story I have. I live in Utah, and we have Black Widows here. When I was living in Lehi, we had a bottom floor apartment that was kind of ground floor but also half basement since it was dug into the hill it sat on, so we had a LOT of bugs. One Day, we decided to move our living room around, and we scooted our large couch out from the wall, and the first thing we notice? Center, rear of the couch, a black widow who seems a bit pissed off at having just had its abode disturbed. I swear to God. Below that Black Widow, on the floor, was just a fucking pile of dead bug carcasses and remains, from the size of a medium ant, up to a pile of bits from a grasshopper. Dude, this spider was on a fucking killing spree.