melbournehelp

You will all find it much easier to cope with the wildlife if you get to know it.
Huntsmen are not a physical threat to you just a visual nightmare.
It's not their fault-they were born that way.
Huntsmen have a relatively short life span, enjoy trashing moths and flies and sometimes hanging around with people usually on a vertical surface-doors walls.
Have yourself a large glass jar which you can put over them, a piece of thick card and them throw them outside.
Please don't squish them .It's self defeating and very messy and not a pleasent experience for you.
If he rears up it's because he's scared shitless of what you are doing.
It helps if you humanise them- call them him or her or ' darling'.
White tails and redbacks should be squised without thought.
The whitetail is a hunter, doesn't build webs abd scrummages for food and ants and other spiders.
Don't leave clothes on the floor at night-you're asking for trouble.They seem to have a thing about clothes on the floor.Pull back the sheets before you dive into bed.It only takes a second and becomes routine.
All super markets sell surface spray.Clear every one out of the house and go around spraying window edges,carpet edges door ways etc.Open all the windows and get out for a couple of hrs.The spray kills most things on contact for up to 3 months.
Red backs in the house are rare.They prefer wood piles, damp areas etc.
If you get bitten you will know.Apply a ice pack- NOT A TOURNAQUET. and go to hospital.They have really good anti-vine .
Prevention- use thick gloves in the garden, don't stick your fingers down holes , visually examine piles of wood , especially firewood logs before handling- again always with gloves.
A few simple rules and you will be able to exist with the local wild life quite well.
The Funnel web...if you live on the east coast...well that's another story...

bmxboon

heres a tip that should maybe be on that hilarious tips thread but it seems more appropiate on this one
a friend whose mother was terrified of spiders(especially huntsmans) came home to the uk to live for a couple of years when his mother was just starting to get used to seeing them all around the house. so they bought a big plastic one with a sucker on the bottom to stick on the walls of there new house, and whenever someone passed it they would lift it off and stick it somewhere else to stop his mum getting too de-sensitised to them. worked a treat. why not try this before you move to oz

Ceri

I love it! lol
Or ,you could just name them, and then when it dies you can give it a little burial, and go in to mourning ( spiders have feeling too!) lol

This one is called my darlin' Fred (bad picture.. it was dark, and you can't really tell the size of it. I left the door frame in the picture to give you some sort of idea of size) My little mate who sits in our hall each night... my cats haven't found him yet. He's so cute is my Fred!

joh117

What did I tell you look at this beast that was on our back door step last night. It isn't deadly (well we don't think) its not a huntsman but it was a big spider. So we get good weather and all the creepy crawlies appear!!!!!

Ceri

That is definitely a huntsman Jon.. Have you named him yet ? ( there are quite a few huntsmen belonging to the huntsman family,).

count his eyes for the wolf - the only other possible thing is a wolf - and it looks nothing like a wolf spider to me - so I'm not even going to suggest that to you , wrong shape ( I'm over run with wolf spiders, so know them straight off)

That is a Huntsman. And looks very like my Huntsmen I know and love
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P.s I copied and pasted your pic and lightened it up in word for a better look - It's a huntsman. The head and the shape gives it away ( the shape usually is very crab like sometimes, they tend to flatten themelves - that's how they get in the house ..the way they put their legs out, the head bit of yours is typical of a huntsman)

They come in all sizes, and different colours/markings .. the bit smaller ones tend to be the males. I have two in my house which differ greatly in size.. the one in our kitchen is half the size of the one we have in the hall ( fred) is large and probably a female.( Fredericka.. fred for short ..lol) .. they haven't met up yet.. perhaps I should introduce them over a candlelit moth dinner.

Badge

[QUOTE=melbournehelp]
Don't leave clothes on the floor at night-you're asking for trouble.QUOTE]

My wife hates it.

BM

joh117

Ceri

Thanks for that. The one I had seen was much bigger and blacker than this one which was what made me think he was not a huntsman. He was on the back door step and an hour later had moved on. Not inside I am glad to say. I took the photo to email home and freak out my mates (which worked). They are not scary just big. I would not want to handle him though. I am more afraid of wasps as when I get stung I have bad reactions I hate them flying around me.

Jo

dottyspots

My brother had a Boris that lived in his flat bathroom for a while. He had to give dh strict instructions not to touch it (dh is terrorfied of spiders and had has been known not to enter a toilet if he can see one! I think he's in serious spider denial ATM)