Creepy Crawlies
Adelaide and Victoria are in the midst of a heatwave. All this week we're sitting in temperatures of 39 (102F) and its not even summer yet.
When the air-conditioners go on and people scramble to keep cool, one of the side effects is that others want to keep cool with you. Inside. With the Air-conditioner and these are some of the visitors in my house this week.
Carissa had said 'Mum. I saw a spider in your room" moments before I slipped into my bed. I looked high and low and finally flicked the quilt back and wham, there he was. Sitting right in the middle of my bed. I flicked him off my bed with a paper and belted the crap out of him with a shoe. Dead and flushed white tail spider. (Casualty Number 1)
Last night, I was sitting on the sofa watching Packed to The Rafters. I saw my old faithful cardy on the back of the sofa and pulled it over my exposed arm. A few minutes later, I flicked the cardy off my arm and saw this little beauty crawling up my arm. A black house spider (Casaulty 2)
Finally, this morning, I was bringing in some washing that I did last night. I know to shake everything before folding it and bringing it inside. The blowflies that are hanging around the door (to get any cooled air escaping) and they're everywhere. You literally need one of those corked-hats the tourism market used to promote. The spiders in the fence line all leave their hidden nests in the summer because the metal of the fence gets too hot. They hang listlessly in their web and that's normally when I spray them with Mortein to a painful morbid death. I can see we've already got two or three red back eggs growing as I'm shaking the towels to remove any hangers-on.
I grab the outdoor chair to put the washing on and spot the biggest red-back I've seen in a long time. I show Carissa. "OMG. Check out how big this spider is." as part of my education to her on these creepy crawlies. Kids here have got to know what to look for.
When I move the chair, the spider runs back into its nest, hiding behind the fence. I spray inside the nest furiously and moments later, it falls out, upside-side dying on the hot terracotta pavers. It's egg sits there motherless. Check out this redback video on You Tube.
So that's today's killing. Between studying. Suprisingly we haven't seen any huntsmen yet but I'm pretty sure there is one living behind my dryer. I saw a dark little spot crawl back in there the other day...must check that.
Gails partner Brian has offered to spray my back yard and front yard fence lines. I must follow it up.
Keep cool Aussies...
Cath
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Panel of Experts
11 smacks:
White tail: poisonous, but not fatal
BHS: poisonous, but not fatal, interestingly they have the same venom as the female (non deadly) funnel web
Red back: Poisonous, but not fatal
Huntsman: essentially harmless - just move him on outside if your worried.
Are the drop bears a problem in the heat?
I meant to add - red backs are not fatal _with antidote_ , but they are incredibly painful.
Yes, yet another reason to HATE summer.
Magnaboy had a resident huntsman 'on' his car the other day.
Evertime we drove off, the fucker would scamper across the bonnet.
He went out sunday morning, and was driving along, when he saw these legs dangling from under the sun visor.
He had to stop and chase the bastard for ten minutes around the inside of the car before he caught it. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
Bugs, oh no! Insects die in my house because I fear them. I will hunt them down...pull the dryer out and spray. They give me the creeps.
I'm adding spider and drop bear repellent to my packing list!
Australia clearly doesn't suit you.
Come to England. Elope with me.
a) white tails are not deadly no, but leave you horibly disfigured, and are as common as, well, westies.
Thanks Cath - if you've got a heat wave in Adelaide its only 2-3 days off sydney. I'll put the Mortein on my shopping list....
Oh god I hate redbacks more then anything, and they hide there in your house all sneaky like ready to pounce. I could spray a whole can of mortein on those fuckers and still freak out. They go from redback to weird looking white foam spider. *shivers*
All I've had here is the plethora of flies that hang around my front door in the morning when it's still in shade. When I exit I have to wave my arms like a mad woman and hope none of them get inside!!
One thing I DON'T miss about Australia...
We only had Huntsmans inside the house, and my GF wouldn't let me kill them. Once there was a diamond shaped one by the front door that she told me to kill immediately though...
First off; I totally love this blog skin!
Secondly, I don't live in Australia but if I did, I would seriously have to consider emigration if any of the above mentioned spiders made it into my house.
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