I cleaned the BBQ on Friday. Menial task usually, but down under, not something to do without caution as I learned. I quite smartly wore gloves and shoes, and just as well. While cleaning around the base, out popped this lovely redback spider from beneath the wheel. For further details, check out this link or Vincent Prices excellent description opening Alice Cooper's song 'The Black Widow'.Beautiful specimen actually, but sorry to say we did squash her shortly after Patrick fired this shot. Not that I dislike spiders especially, but as you may or may not know, the redback is a black widow whos neurotoxin can be deadly to humans. And given that we are humans, I decided not to play around.
2 comments:
Oh Audrey! I think you're going to make Robin run away screaming from your blog if you keep posting things like this!!! Hahaha!
I remember before you left, you guys were talking about all of the dangerous species that live in WA. I didn't know you'd be living in such close proximity to some of them! Is it a common occurence for people to be bitten by these spiders?
From reading on the web, about 250 bites per year in Australia are treated with anti venom. Many more probably go untreated.
They have small jaws, so many bites are fairly ineffective. To get bit you pretty much have to place your hand into their web - which is easy to do if you are not careful. They nest close to the ground under things. So you need to take care when picking up plant pots, lawn furniture etc. Good idea to wear gloves when working outdoors, and to check before you grab! Since they created the antivenom, no one has died of a redback bite.
All part of the adventure!
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