HOLY SH*T

Haha they won't be coming to where I am!!!

Wigglesfan - you're a mean big sister

Here's some pics of DH's "pet" tunnel web.

In its nest (in the rockwall outside)

Ready to attack our camera

Comparison between size of spider vs leaves

This spider was DH's "pet" for a few months until he found out that they tend to come inside and make homes in warm damp rooms (like bathrooms) during winter months (he didn't like the idea of greeting it in the shower in the morning).  DH had also been under the impression that, being a tunnel web, it would stay in it's tunnel but he found it one day sunning itself on the path that Michaela frequently uses - that was the final straw.

Not wanting to get too close he decided the best method would be to poison it.  Firstly he mixed up a bucket of boiling water, bleach, dish liquid and handy andy to wash the spider away and got rid of its web.  A day later the spider had come back and the web was rebuilt.  Next he sprayed it with half a can of insect spray, here's the pic.

The insect spray didn't work either, it didn't even slow it down (infact it made it angry) so finally DH grabbed a rock and in the age old battle of man vs beast DH won (although he did drop the camera with fright, breaking it, when the dead spiders body started convulsing).  I made him leave the dead carcass on the path for a couple of days to ensure the spider didn't resurrect again.

Mrmojo is still a bit disappointed that we don't have wasps because apparently the wasps are the natural enemy of the tunnel web.  They poison the spider then lay their eggs inside their abdomens and the baby wasps (once hatched) eat their way out .....while the spider is still alive

There are just somethings I wish he wouldn't tell me.

Hehehe ..... the pics on the 1st page with mummy in the corner and babies venturing out .......... the black hairy ones........ that happened to me while living in Sydney.  Was in an older house up in Turramurra on a really cute section with a small creek going thru the back yard and lots of ferns and greenery around.........

The area was full of huntsman spiders like the 1st pict and that size also.  The house was two storey & I was living in the top, they have the air vents round the tops of the walls for 'breathing purposes' I'm sure now they are for 'breading purposes!!' Woke one morning go out to the kitchen to get breaky and get ready for work.......upon looking up saw that the celing wasn't white anymore but black  absolutly covered in tiny wee spiders, I panic, living by myself, had to get into the kitchen to get the fly spray, thank goodness didn't start spraying till back out to the doorway with the two cans I had.  As I start spraying they start dropping attached by their silk threads that they usually use when leaving the nest.  After emptying the two cans left the house with no breaky, terrified to go home that night so called on a friend to come home with me to help with the clean up. 

Also had a close incounter with a redback when I 1st got over to aussie, was working in a plant nursery, totally nieve about what 'could' be there, doing my job picking up the small plants and cutting off the excess roots that grow thru the black bags etc and one of the other workers came over and quietly said just put that one down for a min and come over here, I said I'll just finish this one .... no he said put it down and come here,  I put it down and confused say why???  He said you were mm away  from a redback spider, I proceed to go white and find something else to do!!

Yuck Jo - that is gross what Ian did

mummy_becks wrote: Yuck Jo - that is gross what Ian did

I have a worse story to do with him and a spider (a redback) but it's not really forum appropriate - remember to ask me next time we chat on MSN

OK I will do!!! I hate spiders and ants as well for some strange reason.

WigglesFan wrote: kezplanet wrote: Hehehe ..... the pics on the 1st page with mummy in the corner and babies venturing out .......... the black hairy ones........ that happened to me while living in Sydney.  Okay. Now I am freaking.    I was sure that picture was photoshopped.

Sorry, lots of gross stories about spiders and cockroaches and other creepy crawlies from living over there for 15 years  but they were two that I remember really well ..... wonder why????

Have painted many a spider with spray like your DH did Jo but then they ran behind some big piece of furniture and took a day or so to die  .   

Lol just remembered cleaning agents like spray and wipe etc dont work anywhere as well as bug spray when confronted with a big spider that jumps!!!!   I was just moving into a new place and didn't have any spray at the time

http://members.iinet.net.au/~pterren/Spider_Dads_hand.JPG">

Ooooh just remembered another wee one ...... I got a bit of a fright while driving one day home in peak hour traffic (I had and old commodore, normally parked outside)  I see this spider climbing up my window screen - one time wasn't too bad he was on the outside.  Another time was a bit more scary when I realised that he was on the inside and on my side running up to my sunvisor, nearly caused a big accident but managed to get off the main road and jump out of the car and spent the next 15mins or so trying to get it out of my car so I could get home.

Can laugh about it now but wasn't so funny at the time

The insect spray didn't work either, it didn't even slow it down (infact it made it angry) [/QUOTE]

And you wonder why we don't visit more?

J was very upset with E the otherday, They were playing in his room and she killed a daddy longlegs, J cried "you can't kill Fred! You'll mess up the biodiversity in my bedroom! Who will kill all the flys now?" E said (with all the sympathy of a big sister how killed her borther pet) "the dog can do it"!

LOL, I don't think he'll make a hunter, she on the other hand might!

LOL Janine

....and LOL at J, EnJsmum... even though J's not actually related to Mr Mojo, except through marriage, you can see the influence (nurture over nature) pleased to see that E is still taking after me tho, that's my girl

Spiders make me cry.
The worst encounter was one mornign i was getting ready for school i had noticed a big black thing on the ceiling of our kitchen i continued on making breakfast and my lunch.
15 mins later.........We then noticed that the spider was no longer on the ceiling. In great haste my sisters (and brother) all jumped on a chair each and i stood there looking around at the ground only to dicover it wasnt anywhere to be seen, at that moment i felt a tingle on my neck kinda goosebumpy, and there it was the blighter must have come down on its webby thing and landed on my shoulder and down a bit of crawling. I stood there stiff as a board yet crying and screaming for someone to get the effing thing off me.

I think ever since that day and after seeing the first part of eight legged freaks every time i see a spider i get the biggest shivers and jump on a chair.