col

I have a habit of not killing anything (specially spiders) Think I'm gonna have to get out of that one Sharpish!!!!!!!!


Col

mxqth

For a more realistic approach of the issue.
Where can one find statistics about the number of the victims/year (dead, wounded, treated successfully) of spiders, snakes, toxic-sea-snails, ornitorrinco, stinging trees, scorpions, myriapods, crocs, sharks and all other beasts that gambol around Australia.
One needs numbers and a scientifical approach of the problem to draw o conclusion.

sophia

Hi guys

I think I'm definitely more scared of the spiders than anything else...going to buy mountains of the bug spray!!!

I think the stats you want can be found on the site I mentioned earlier in this thread.

love sophia x

Chartres

    > I've been in Adelaide for about 18 months now. I've seen a couple of Huntsmen
    > (eeergh), no redbacks, no snakes (even though we've been
Huntsmens could be quite scarry, especially when one appears on your windshield when
you are driving. But they are harmless. At least you know you are not going to be
bitten by one. In Victoria (especially in the western part) we do not have much of
stuff which is venomous. There are only two "beasties" that are dangerous and they
are somewhere in the east - redback (spider) and blue-bottles in the sea. Living in
Melbourne, I never heard someone saw either of them... And I go surfing quite often
on summer. So, it's not that bad, uh?

shamer

Do you ever wish you hadn't asked a question?

I haven't even heard of half these beasties. I agree with Col, I dont like killing spiders because I can bring myself to get anywhere near them. If I throw a shoe at a beastie it moves and thats when the real terror begins, also probably gets angry, dosen't bear thinking about.

mxqth said toxic-sea-snails, ornitorrinco, stinging trees, scorpions, myriapods, crocs, sharks

What the hell are these things?
I thought I had done my research, mmmmm!

I think perhaps it is a ploy by the Auzzies to scare the pants off of would be immigrants, by making up the scariest things they could amagine (only a joke, not a political point).

Stingy Trees what the hell is that about?

Thanks all for your contributions (kinda)

Shamer

col

Shamer

Kinda like spiders and don't beleive in killing anything unless forced to.(like the beasties don't bite unless provoked!!)
I would say it's the same for everything really except sharks and crocs. But if you enter their enviroment you've got to except that you become part of the food chain!!!

I would say just be aware of you're environment and learn quickly!!!


Col

Davem

Are dogs coming into contact with spiders in the garden also a problem ? If a dog
was stung by a redback would it be fatal or is there a limited amount of time to
apply a vaccine ?

iancurtis

Good question. I was wondering the same about our cats. How well do animals adapt to their 'interesting' new environment with it's new and exotic dangers ?

Jacqui

You might not want to hear this reply dog and cat lovers, but I'm afraid my sister came home from work a couple of years ago (she lives in Bunbury, WA) and found her dog dead. She took it to the vet, and he found two puncture marks on its leg, indicating that it had been bitten, probably by a snake. Some days later, my sister drove onto her driveway and saw a snake blocking her path to the front door, so she backed the car up and drove it over the snake, and just for good measure, drove over it again! A neighbour identified it as a protected species - oops! Let's face it though - when faced with a potentially fatal spider or snake, who is going to look it up in a book first before killing it? Not me that's for sure!

I can't help wondering - if redbacks live in your mailbox, how many posties get bitten each year? If spiders live in trees and have a habit of dropping out, I want a garden with no trees, thanks!

I'm sure that even if we looked up the statistics on spider and snakes bites/fatalities, croc and shark attacks, etc. there is a much greater risk being killed on the roads.

jopaulss

SHARKS - We pulled up into a car park north of perth , and parked the car , got out to get all the stuff out of the car , but the kids would not budge , looked upto a sign that read " SHARKS FREQUENT THESE WATER , BEWARE" do you think the kids would get out no . But kids being kids we moved 5 miles along to another beach , no signs , kids jump out and play in the sea , they are educated well my two you know , im sure they know sharks swim!!!!!!!! I think the rip tides are more dangerous than the sharks , at least they have the good old spotter planes going up and down the coast alday, we couldnt go over to rottnest island as a shark had been spotted , so all boats were cancelled . But we saw two guys caught up in a rip and be rescued , they werent even in deep water , makes you use your head a little!!!
Joanne

Grotbags

Hi Shamer

We came across the "stinging trees" a couple of years ago in the Daintree Rainforest. They are more like huge plants with big leaves, and the leaves have thousands of little needles on them. If you happen to brush past one (although they grow quite high normally) the tiny needles bury under your skin and you can't get rid of them for years. Every time you touch the part of the skin where the needles are it is agonising.
Our guide through the rainforest was telling us that some guy had recently fallen into the plant and had had so many stings to the chest area that it killed him!!

So don't worry about the Huntsman etc, it's the innocent looking plants that are the killers!!

Benny

You have all expressed your fear of Spiders and Snakes which in real terms bite so
few people most REAL AUSTRALIANS don't even give them a second thought ... But Drop
Bears on the other hand are responsible for the death of about 1200 people per year
in all parts of Australia from the bush and into city area's with tall tree's ..
Please do yourself a huge favour and do some research on them before arriving
because it may save your life if you learn how to escape when being hunted by a pack
of drop bears.

"shamer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I have just been advised that we will be getting our pregrant letter any day now,
    > and the dream of Oz will now become a reality.
    >
    > Since the news everything has now become technicolour and scarier than before. We
    > have been soaking up every piece of info we could for the last 2 years about Oz,
    > and absolutly can't wait to get out there.
    >
    > Now we have to deal with the biggest problem, THE BEASTIES!!!!!! (For everyone who
    > is not Scottish that means the spiders, lizards, snakes etc).
    >
    > Can anyone advise two of the worlds worst arachnaphobics who love the outdoors how
    > they managed to overcome there terror of seeing a spider the size of a mouse on
    > there bathroom wall?
    >
    > Are there places in Oz that have less of these things?
    >
    > I know Huntsmans dont kill you, but I think dying of a Heart attack is just as bad
    > as being stung.
    >
    > Please don't say you just get used to them, because I am still not used to the wee
    > farty things you get here in Scotland.
    >
    > Any advice would be welcome (exept stay in Scotland, that aint happining)
    >
    > Many thanks in advance
    >
    > Shamer
    >
    >
    >
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Bh

I can't believe this thread is still going. Sheesh! you all seem to think Australia
is some sort haven for the world's most venomous creatures. I live in regional
Australia on the north coast of NSW, supposedly a centre for these mythical
creatures, and I haven't seen a snake for decades. There are a probably a few Daddy
Long Legs in the garage, who cares?. I've always had pet cats and have never lost one
from insect or snake bite. For heaven's sake. Stop believing everything you see on TV
or you'll be teased mercilessly the moment you arrive.

Hills

Davem wrote:

    > Are dogs coming into contact with spiders in the garden also a problem ? If a dog
    > was stung by a redback would it be fatal or is there a limited amount of time to
    > apply a vaccine ?

It's pretty difficult for a dog to be bitten by a redback. Redbacks like living
hidden away, under chairs, bikes, fences, wood piles, etc - warm, but shaded, so they
especially like metal things. They are tiny - size of a little fingernail total. And
they're timid. They don't move. Combine all the above, and really the only way to get
bitten is to stick your hand right into their web and annoy them. Given the places
they hang out, that's quite difficult to do. Examples would be children poking their
fingers into things/toys/ bikes, etc, without looking first. Dogs don't tend to poke
their paws into crevices.

Dogs are more likely to be bitten by snakes, because dogs will chase them, and harass
them. A more common problem with dogs is ticks. If you live in a tick area, you have
to check your dog daily for ticks. (an 'allocated chore' when I was a kid!). LJ

Russell Driver

"Nara" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > I've been in Adelaide for about 18 months now. I've seen a couple of Huntsmen
    > (eeergh), no redbacks, no snakes (even though we've been camping 3 times and done
    > lots of bushwalking).
    >
    > I've seen lots of lovely wildlife though, people seem to forget about
    > that....Pelicans, Rosellas, Lorikeets, Skinks, Roos, Echidnas, Gallahs, Sulphur
    > Crested Cockatoos, etc etc.
    >
    > The funny thing is I was watching a program on snakes the other day, there was one
    > evil looking snake that apparently comes from South America, well I've been
    > thinking about visiting Chile in the near future and I was having second thoughts
    > about going after hearing about these snakes......I'd completely forgotten that
    > most of the deadliest snakes are here!
    >
    > There are very, very many threads on this newsgroup and on rec.travel.australia+nz
    > about scary creatures, look them up, there's some good advice.
    >
    > Nara
    >

We are also in Adelaide (2 years) We live down south in a fairly country area and we
seem to get the lot here! Last year we must have killed 50-60 Redbacks around the
back of the house. We have had five snakes on the land this last summer,including one
in the new pool as it was filling up(it lost the argument with the shovel) Scorpions
and those 5 inch long centipedes like to visit the interior of the house. No one has
mentioned Inch ants yet ( the name suggests their size).Their bite brings tears to
your eyes. We've had a couple of White Tail spiders. When driving the other day,my
wife let out a helluva scream.I looked and saw a large hairy huntsman climbing up her
arm. We stopped and stripped the car out(do you know how many hiding places there are
in a 4wd?)Eventually we got him and all we could do was giggle from the shock of it.
But as Nara says there is a tremendous amount of wonderful and safe wildlife here.We
have an abundance on the land and we have even had a roo come to visit.

You do get somewhat used to the beasties,but they do make you jump at times. We have
become a little more "streetwise?" and don't go looking for trouble. When out on the
land I always wear tough jeans,boots and gloves.

We still love it here though

Russell

--
Luck is when the paths of opportunity and preparation cross.