Spider anyone?

[Kipper]

A few years ago, I decided it was time to paint the garden fence, as we were having a spell of dry weather. Fully protected in t-shirt and shorts (!), I set to. Part of the fence was behind the shrubby area of the garden, where loads of spiders had made webs. Having finished the fence, I went indoors and, sitting down, noticed my legs were blotchy. Within half an hour, I was in agony, could not walk and ended up with a week off work and various ointments from the doctor - and these were English spiders! The doc reckoned it was the number of bites that caused  the problem.
And don't get me started on snakes. MY granny was bitten on the hand, by an adder, as she was weeding the garden. She had the presence of mind to kill the snake with a rock, and that took the shock out of her. Unfortunately the venom did its work, and weakened her immune system. A couple of years later she trod on another one, which bit her ankle. Although it did not kill her directly, she was bedridden for 4 years after, until she died.

[Agrippa]

Snakes (the non venomous types) , I don't mind, but spiders give me the
creeps. UK ones are bad enough but the tropical ones are horrible.

A few years ago I was hiking on Rannoch Moor, a hot sunny day,
most unusual there and stretched out on a dry grassy patch and took my
shirt off for a siesta. A few minutes later I felt a sharp stab of pain in
my left nipple, looking down I saw a small spider walking away. The
thing was like a tiny money spider. If that's a small spider bite I
wouldn't want a bite from a big colonial  type.

[Komata]

Agrippa

FWIW,(and again because of the 'neighbours'), New Zealand is now home to a rather nasty arachnid  known colloquially as a 'White Tail Spider'.  (Lampona cylindrata and Lampona murina).

In New Zealand they are have been reported as biting humans, with the results in most cases being variously local pain, a red mark, local swelling and itchiness.  However, more seriously, their bite is also 'reputed' to cause nausea, vomiting, malaise or headache, while at the most extreme ulcers and necrosis  (the body consuming itself) have been attributed to the bites.  I say 'reputed' as to date there is no solid scientific basis for these claims.

Nonetheless the 'folk law' has been established and the 'White tail' is viewed with great suspicion as a result.  Because of this, the mantra is that the 'Only 'good' White tail' is a dead one'.   The species BTW is also a very aggressive hunter with a preference for spiders of other types....

I'm not sure how the Australians get along with them, but local experience has not been exactly positive.

[Agrippa]

All this spider stuff puts me off my tea. Without wishing to be unfriendly to
our friends in Australia and New Zealand , I hope you're all selfish and keep
these beasties to yourselves!   

[NTrain]

I am put in mind of a story my father told me when I was young.

Where he worked they imported sheets of rubber. One day, they unwrapped the compressed rubber sheets and a fruit spider jumped out and ran off, never to be seen again...................

[Komata]

A spider as an 'illegal immigrant'. Mmmm. Interesting.  Hopefully he /she/it has now 'settled down' and become a 'valued member of society'...

Just saying, while looking for a coat, and a door, (but not for an arachnid...)

[railsquid]

The fauna here in Japan are quite benign. Though there was an outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever in Tokyo a couple of months back. Otherwise the nastiest thing is cockroaches, though luckily I haven't seen any for a while. In depopulating rural areas some of the cheekier wildlife - mainly monkeys and wild boar - have caught on to the fact that humans are convenient sources of food (not the humans themselves I hasten to add, but the shopping bags they carry round with them). You do see small snakes from time to time, usually in parks, but they're quite timid and hurry away like they've just remembered an urgent appointment; I've never heard of anyone being bitten by one. I've seen some rather large spiders but they seem to prefer building webs high off the ground, never encountered any directly, although when hiking in wooded areas it's advisable to hold a stick in front of you to avoid getting webbed.

We do, or did, have an albino lizard living around the front door, which was kind of cute, and get preying mantises in the garden, which are weird, alien-looking creatures which will stare at you.

[Tdm]

I find I need the help of a spider every week - but only when I can't easily pot the ball I want to when playing snooker. 

[Komata]

Tdm

Spiders are also very useful in as light-holders underground, and are quite nice to drink as well...

Just saying....

[trainsdownunder]

Evicted this one (Huntsman) last night from the laundry it seemed completely un-fazed by the washing shaking on the spin cycle

[smg id=19764 type=preview align=center caption="Huntsman"]

[Agrippa]

Arrrgggghhhh.........

[Bealman]

It's weird, they seem to like laundries. When our machine got out of sync and rattling like heck, that's what brought three of em out!

[Tdm]

It's weird, they seem to like laundries. When our machine got out of sync and rattling like heck, that's what brought three of em out!

Only have tiny spiders here in Tenerife - but their bite can cause a nasty swelling.
Don't know about laundries but "cucarachas" love living at the back of fridges where it is warm, so that is one place where you always put some anti-cucarachas gel in your home.

[Bealman]

Anti-spider GEL?

[Tdm]

Anti-spider GEL?

Don't know if there is such a thing for spiders - but the anti-cucarachas gel works a treat - in fact the cucarachas think it is a "treat" and eat it, then it kills them.