Mr Mojo’s "pet" tunnelweb
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33419
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Topic: Mr Mojo’s "pet" tunnelweb
Posted By: MrsMojo
Subject: Mr Mojo’s "pet" tunnelweb
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 8:50pm
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There is a rockwall in our backyard which is the perfect habitat for tunnel webs. Recently we counted about 7 webs although I haven't seen an actual tunnel web spider for several weeks. When we moved here a couple of years ago there was a huge tunnel web spider living in one of the webs and DH, who is fascinated by spiders like me, adopted it. He would check up on it daily and tried coralling bugs towards the web so we could watch it hunt and feed.
TBH we were 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 - how cool is that! To give you an idea of just how big this spider was here's a couple of comparison pics of our spider next to leaves.
This spider was DH's "pet" for a few months but he got a bit iffy on it when 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 our then 2yo daughter frequently uses. Daddy instincts then took over and he decided it was time to get rid of the spider. 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. He poured it on top of the spider, washing it down the steps, and then 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 and the spider went into attack mode) 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 tunnel webs 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. -------------  
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Replies:
Posted By: Bobsta
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 8:54pm
I LOVE the pictures. I am a fellow spider fan and think they're fascinating. I also encounted a tunnel web spider once many years ago. It was sunny itself on the carpet in the middle of our lounge!  ------------- Me 34 Him 35 DD almost 2 years old and... Baby #2 on it's way! http://www.babygaga.com/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Shezzey
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 8:58pm
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Wow Mrs Mojo.... iI enjoyed this and the other spider story.... you have fantastic storytelling skills... i reckon you should do some kind short story book or blog |
Posted By: Henna79
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 9:29pm
| what an awesome story! thanks for sharing |
Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 9:31pm
| I agree, you are a very good story teller. I loved the DLL vs WT story. |
Posted By: LouD
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 9:35pm
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I had one in my bathroom in Lower hutt. I was in the bath and i went to tidy my sons toys out of the bath and almost grabbed it thinking it was a toy spider cos of how large it was.........we captured it and rang MAF to make sure it wasnt anything dangerous cos back in those days internet wasnt around (yes Im THAT old)
EWWWW about the wasp story Great story 
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Posted By: Chickaboo
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 9:39pm
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yikes - those photos and reading your story made my whole body shiver and a funny feeling round my neck - NOPE sorry don't share you love of spider lol ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: Flutterby
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 9:45pm
I"m with Chickaboo on the not loving spiders though it was a good story, am just hoping that we don't have any round here. Better not have an nightmares tonight .
The bigest spider I have found here was an Avondale spider in Cody's room. I think it must have hitched a ride in mums bags when she came down to vist a couple of weeks earlier. Needless to say I gave it a good spray with the fly spray and left the can on top of it all night for DP to deal with in the morning. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: pikelets
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 9:46pm
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Same Chickaboo - I got the shivers too!
Is fascinating but EEEEWWWW! Hope I never meet one of those! (Still got the shivers!)  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
 3 Angels - Dec10 / Mar11 / Dec11
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Posted By: MrsH
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 9:47pm
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I confess that I feel sick just thinking about spiders..... DH 'flicked' one on to me one night and I cried like a little girl. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Kellyfer
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 9:53pm
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Ewww, we have one of these living out somewhere near our clothesline. DH unearthed it one day and refused to kill it, and I have been terrified of seeing it ever since. It was MASSIVE!!! We have a lot of smaller ones in our garage and basement too (still pretty big), but I haven't seen any inside the actual house, thank god!
But yea, great story.... and those pics were fantastic - from a distance!!!! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: pepsi
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 10:13pm
Totally awesome! You are the best spider storyteller ever! 
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Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 10:45pm
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Did have a giggle at the age old battle man vs beast. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 10:49pm
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yuck yuck yuck yuck, but I couldnt stop myself from reading that lol.
Glad its dead now!! ------------- |
Posted By: kiwi2
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 11:41pm
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Definately in the category of "world would be a better place without them"
Any chance of your DH befriending a nice phoo - phoo creature like a butterfly or kitten for a story. lol. |
Posted By: ?Lolly?
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 11:42pm
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Hang on a minute ... Where WAS that spider??? NZ????? EEK! I sprayed a whole bunch of fly spray on a white tail the other day and it didn't slow it down much ... it took AGES to die and I felt so bad. ------------- Captain Chaos (5) & the Trouble Monsters (2!) 
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Posted By: WestiesGirl
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 11:48pm
Me too!!! ------------- Our Angel July 08 Gone but not forgotten
And to complete our family, our princess has arrived 
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Sheza wrote:Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 16 May 2010 at 9:02am
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I LOVE spiders!
I lived in new lynn near avondale for a while in my ex's garage and we got small avondale spiders in there. When I say small, I mean bread and butter plate sized. I remember one night I was laying in bed, turned on the light for a drink, looked up and without a word of a lie, there was a dinner plate size one on the ceiling! I wish I'd caught it cuz you can get money for them at the auckland museum - they're quite rare at that size! Very facinating creatures! ------------- Alex, Thomas and Lily http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: MamaT
Date Posted: 16 May 2010 at 9:18am
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Ewwww. I knew I shouldn't have looked in this thread, but I was fascinated as to what a tunnelweb was and well, MrsMojo, your stories are great!! But still ewwww -------------  
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Posted By: ?Lolly?
Date Posted: 16 May 2010 at 9:34am
That would have freaked me out! ------------- Captain Chaos (5) & the Trouble Monsters (2!)
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Posted By: fallen
Date Posted: 16 May 2010 at 12:08pm
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Aren't tunnel webs poisonous? ------------- |
Posted By: Nutella
Date Posted: 16 May 2010 at 1:01pm
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Nah their aussie cousins the funnel webs are...
i never knew nz had giant spiders..learn something new each day! ------------- 
Oct 11
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Posted By: lil_lease
Date Posted: 16 May 2010 at 1:25pm
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Those pics made me shudder. I dont like spiders at the best of times but that spider really makes me squirm.
Whats worse is I think I may have a tunnel web spider living on my fence ------------- Antony, gone but never forgotten 2-4-2010 
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Posted By: MrsMojo
Date Posted: 16 May 2010 at 6:19pm
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Wow MissAngel I didn't realize avondale spiders got that big. That's so cool! Did you know they used Avondale spiders in the movie arachnaphobia? -------------
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Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 16 May 2010 at 8:25pm
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I dont mind spiders, having grown up in rural australia I have seen a few in my time (and shared living spaces... even my bed!).
But I have live in UK and NZ now for 8 years and have not seen more than money spiders or daddy long legs and I am shocked to say I am now petrified to go into my garden! Bread and Butter plate sized spiders on the ceiling... that is scarey than the tunnel web! -------------   
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Posted By: Daizy
Date Posted: 16 May 2010 at 9:21pm
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OMG DH found one in our back yard last year and screamed. I had to come see 'the scariest thing ever!!!"... I think he was surprised when I didnt find it scary at all... I thought it was fascinating, I had never seen one so big before.
I did however put it in jar for closer observation. I was then too scared to let it free, I was quite happy knowing exactly where it was at all time! Unfortunately our story was far less humane than your story Jo... we could have just put it out of its misery straight away but no.. we forgot about it, it sat in a tiny jar for weeks before we found it barely alive. I didn't survive much longer that that. ------------- 
 
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