herrchook

Chaps, here's the deal - I HATE spiders. I have a severe phobia which is getting worse the older I get. Even here, I can be reduced to tears by the teeniest of those fellows.

When I was in my early 20s I backpacked in Oz for a year and coped OK with them (even when a huntsman decided to move into our shower and was discovered eyeing up my flatmate who was found running around the house screaming, butt naked with shampoo still on his head - one of my funniest memories). Anyway, the way I am now so bad that I know it would spoil life in Oz for me and I'm just not prepared for that to happen.

Have any of you dealt with your spider phobias? How was it? How did you do it?

If I can do this - I can do anything.

moneypenny20

Afraid you will have to deal with it just like 50% of other people on here. Don't do a search cos some very nasty pictures will come up. Someone (can't remember who had therapy at London Zoo)

Paul2004

Tempted! ...

CORKER

Go on someone post the picture of the Huntsman on the bog roll..!!!

Paul2004

SonicBird

Get yourself a pet tarantula... it worked for me.. i used to hate spiders and would run away and hide from them.. or get The Hubster to move them outside... we adopted a tarantula (and called him Buddy, like Buddy Holly and the crickets, coz that's what we feed him) from a friend of a friend, and he's great fun to watch coz he's in a tank, and now i'm not really that fussed about spiders in the house. There was a massive brown house spider in my bathroom the other day, and i just left him where he was by the sink!

Hope that helps
Sonic x

DollyDaydream

Hi Moneypen,

T'was me, Possoms & GinaUK....

D D

Juliecabs

Spiders I can cope with. It's the snakes that I have a phobia about. Can't believe that I want to live in a country that has sooo many deadly ones. Although I do know that most people can go ages without seeing one. In 24 years in Oz, my aunt has only ever seen one and that was while out bushwalking.

Peter

I'm surprised the huntsman in the shower didn't run for its life. They are among the most craven spiders out there.

Grayling

Look here:

http://www.babcp.org.uk/

G

The Quinns

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was talking about the spiders last night after reading some of the threads and ended up dreaming about them half the night. :scared:

I have decided I am being hypnotised before I travel to OZ, it worked for smoking last year, so what the hell defo giving it a bash after seeing that fella!!!!!!!!!! :scared: :scared: :scared:

herrchook

Thanks for all the responses, and to the b*****d who posted the photo, cheers, now I can't even touch the screen on the laptop :scared:

The zoo is a good idea, we're close to Edinburgh Zoo so I think I might contact them, and Grayling, thanks for the link. I will definately look at that, had hypnosis a couple of years ago which was successful so I think that's the way to go.

I know the shower incident was the only time I "met" a huntsman during my year in Australia, and I once saw a redback up close. Saw lots of others I didn't recognise and never saw any snakes. I know I coped fine with them at that point and that's the only reason I'm not toally freakin out right now. But my phobia is much worse now and not only do I need to combat it for my own sake but I'm determined not to pass it on to my girls.

Thanks guys, will let you know how it goes.

Timber Floor Au

Dependant on where you move to in Oz, but lets say Brisbane.

The most common spiders you will see are:

1. small jumping spider, totally harmless, moves at the speed of light. Size about happeny size. They like screens.

2. daddy long legs, large but extremely spindly spider, reputed by aussies to be the deadliest s[pider in the world. Totally harmless to humans, and quite funny. Great fly catchers. They like corners of walls, eaves etc. THEY will not bother you, and tremble whn you move nr them.

3. huntsman , can be huge, you dont see them that often, they build HUGE webs, and can get HUGE , but wont hurt ya. They love the pull up clothes lines.

4. redback, well... these vary from pin size to about an inch or so. Bright red stripe down back.

They are poisonous, and like cool shady areas, always check under the rim of anything in the shed or pool enclosure, as they nest there.

I was clearin out my shed on the weekend, we spotted a red back nest, and to be honest i think one of em bit me. Have a largish sore patch on my palm, could be a splinter though LMAO

Trick with redbacks KILL EM !!

dont be a namby pamby and run round screamin, just KILL em with an insecticde.

The most common problem you will find, is not the spiders, but the spiders webs, which you inadvertantly walk into. Some of the webs are like YACHT RIGGING !!!!


Spiders tend not to be a problem, ants however do.

Green ants BITE so do black ANTS .. and they HURT !!!!! like a bad wasp sting.

Funniest insects to me are the

XMAS BEETLE !!!!!!! OMG you have to see these !!!!!!!!!!
MARSH FLY !!!!!! They drill holes in you, but are lethargic plonkers, they look like a dog does when its goin for a crap, circlin to find best place to DRILL you, then you just go SPLAT and they die lol. Miss em and they friggin HURT !!

Sorry but its True


Steve

herrchook

cheers Steve, I guess half the battle is knowing where the're likely to be :scared:

On a similar vein, do you ever get used to the mozzie bites. An aussie chap I used to work with said that after I while you get used to them and the bites don't bother you. Is this true? I was there a year and my ankles were permanently covered in bites.

Timber Floor Au

Gday

Yer ya do get used to Mozzie bites, and to be fair you adapt your lifestyle accordingly.

Example: eating vitamin B or C apparently reduces bites. Only female mozziesbite ya, so look for ones with pink tu tus on LOL

Most aussies come alive at about 4pm, suns just descendin and its gerrin cooler. PPL start to work on house bout this time. Use a mozzy repellant, on backs of arms, and legs. At this time....

Durin the day, you seldom get bitten by mozzies, unless you are workin in a shady area nr fern leaves etc etc etc.

DONT stand under shady mangroves at dusk. You will get bitten to shit !!!

Mozzies love humid shady areas .

Get some citronella candles from Bunnings etc, this repels mozzies also.

I must be honest, I am now like a native with regard to insects, and totally admire how they all survive in such a harsh climate. The rule here is if it moves it bites lol

So KEEP moving

You become used to insects and spiders, pretty much as you do to birds back in uk.

Spiders dont hunt you down and bite you, but be careful ... use your grey matter, and it soon becomes instinctive.

TRICK AND TIP TIME !

Keep your grass cut short !! Albeit QLD has some of the most venomous snakes, PERTH is the capital of snake problems. We have had brown snakes on our land, but now we keep the paddocks and lawns meticulously SHAVED !!!

Which isnt as difficult as youd think.

I use a toro ride on. Takes me 4 hrs per paddock, once in a blue moon to keep in check. The lawns round house, I use a whippasnippa and a self propelled cheapo from bunnings.

ALL aussies are fully aware of insect and to be honest, and this is spookily true, most HATE spiders and snakes !!! Understandable but paradoxical too !!

LOL

Dont worry, last person to die from a spider bite was about a million yrs ago. Its very very very very rare, and really you are only in trouble if you are are 95 with angina or 1 month old baby.

THANK GOD you dont live in AMERICA !!! The spiders there are horrendous !!


steve