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 Replies: 18 / Views: 3,297 |
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
I like his smiley face and big red mouth!..  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
808 Posts |
A relative of the infamous black widow?! Yikes! That there is some formidable native protection...if you stack your PMs in Hawaii!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Not sure what species of beastie that is but it looks nasty! Nothing like an attack spider to defend the hoard. Just don't forget that she is in the pile!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1195 Posts |
GAH! That picture gave me a start!
creeeepy.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
I came across a few black widow spiders when I was in San Diego a couple of years ago.
There were quite a few black widow spiders outside our motel room. I just pressed my thumb on them, to squash them. Yes, I know they ARE dangerous, that is why I flattened them. I like most spiders; they help to get rid of mozzies, which are by far the most dangerous animal to humans in the World.
There is a very close relative of the black widow spider in Australia, known as the Red Back spider, and they have been responsible for killing people as well. Where I live, red backs are very common. They have very small fangs, but if you land your thumb squarely over the top of them, they are safely killed.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
What the heck is a "mozzie"?  As to killing black widows and other dangerous bugs, that's why they invented fly swatters and gloves. We have some black widows around here but not that many. They do like to nest in wood piles, though, so wearing gloves and paying attention while gathering up fire wood is a good idea. Most dangerous critter we have here is also a spider... the Brown Recluse. It is a timid critter and not prone to biting people unless squeezed against the skin. Caution: do not leave your work clothes in the shop, barn, or garage. The adults are average in size (about 1/2" across the body) and their hemo-toxic venom is fairly strong. |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
"Mozzies"?
mosquitoes.
They have been responsible as a disease vector, for killing a far greater number of humans than any other animal. (BTW, an insect IS an animal.) I hate them with a passion.
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Rest in Peace
 United States
9104 Posts |
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Valued Member
Canada
178 Posts |
I hate spiders. Thanks for that :P. If I lived in South America I would never go outside without a flamethrower.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
I am an arachnophile, you can blame mozzies for that.
And I have had a few different species of spiders around me:
Funnel Webs, White Tails Redbacks and Black Widows (in S.D).
I have even been bitten on the face by a Tarantula.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Quote:
If I lived in South America I would never go outside without a flamethrower. LOL! I can see the ads now, "Get your brand new Mk 12 EZ-light flame throwers here! Don't leave home without it and don't forget to buy some EZ-fill extra tanks!".  Quote:
"Mozzies"?
mosquitoes. Ah, gotcha now. Nasty critters for sure... especially those malaria-carrying buggers. Word is that more than 40 million people have died from malaria since DDT was banned. This is mostly kids in the tropics but many other people have had a very bad time of it too. Quote:
I have even been bitten on the face by a Tarantula. Really? From what I have read, these seem to be fairly timid and non-aggressive. Did you initiate the contact? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
810 Posts |
I dont care much for spiders or mosquitos either. We had a guy in town was diagnosed with the West Nile virus from a Mozzie bite. As far as spiders goes I would say I hate ticks. We have ticks so bad here its a joke. I dont like ticks because how small they are and the fact they can live a year without food. And of course the Lymes Disease crap.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Interesting story: I was a kid, about 12 years old, lying flat on my back, sick in bed with the 'flu. There was a large furry brown tarantula on the ceiling. There were a few mozzies on the ceiling also. The tarantula loved those mozzies, they were his breakfast. As I said before, I am an arachnophile, but I suffer from mozziephobia with a studied passion. Lying on my back, I decided to kill a few mozzies. I had an small bore air rifle. Idea!  I loaded the air rifle with a few pellets of soft soap, took careful aim, and nailed each of those little blighters, one by one, with great satisfaction.  The tarantula must have taken umbrage at me, in watching his dinner slowly disappearing. He flappled his way across the ceiling and stopped directly above my head. He suddenly detached himself from the ceiling, and landed on my forehead, and bit me. Needless to say, I bolted from that bed in an explosion of bedsheets everywhere! I felt some stinging from the bite for an hour or so, but no harm done. Score: Tarantula: No breakfast - 7 mozzies Mozzies: - 7 Me: + 7 mozzies, - 9 pellets soap, bed in a shambles. Edited by sel_69l
04/24/2012 07:45 am
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2830 Posts |
I had Ross River fever ["epidemic polyarthritis"] some years ago, and living in the Tropical North of Australia, there is an ever-present fear that malaria will re-establish itself here. Also, I holiday in Indonesia, where malaria is still a reality. So, I am aware of the dangers of mozzies. Except for a few species, which are easily recognized, the spiders around here are harmless. So, I don't hit, squash, slap, or spray spiders. My house is full of them, and my boys delight in finding one actively in the process of wrapping up &/or eating a fly or mozzie. I know that the Daddy-Longlegs above my shower are messy eaters: every morning, I find discarded wings and other (apparently inedible) parts of flies & mozzies. Allegedly, we have Redbacks in Darwin, but I've never seen one in more than 30 years here. They were common around Melbourne, where I grew up, even in the inner suburbs. We also have geckos, and they are wonderful destroyers of unwelcome insects. I teach my boys to learn to live with native species. Mind you, they are terrors with cane-toads [bufo marinus], and were filmed with Mike ROWE of "Dirty Jobs" a few weeks ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_River_feverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bufo_marinushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redback_spider... "Redbacks are considered one of the most dangerous species of spider in Australia. The redback spider has a neurotoxic venom that is toxic to humans with bites causing severe pain, often for over 24 hours. An antivenom is commercially available, and since its introduction in 1956 there have been no deaths due to Redback bites." |
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
sel-
Did you dance, get medical attention, or what?
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Replies: 18 / Views: 3,297 |
Posted 04/21/2012 11:00 am
