annaerb

I've been here for 40 years
Never been bitten by anything
Never seen a weta
Never
never
once by a wasp
I haven't really seen any cocroaches until the other day when I was bringing in the mail, I just flicked it off and it soon went away. The most common spiders are Dandy long legs, they are harmless things and have never worried me or my kids but If I do see one I just get the vaccum out.
When I lived in Indonesia the cocroaches were everywhere and I mean everywhere, they got into your oven,fridge,cupboards, bed etc and they were huge things we also had these beetles called Rhinosaurus(sp) beetles and they were huge also. You really don't have anything to worry about in NZ. If it did bother you then like someone else suggested get your house sprayed which would normally last a year.

Carol

jueinnz

[* How long have you lived in NZ?
* How many times have you been bitten, and what by?
* How many times have you seen a Wita?
* How many times has a spider or roach touched you?
* How many times has an Argentine ant bit you?
* How many times has a wasp bitten you?

This would be good to get things in perspective pleeeeeeeease!!! [/QUOTE]

I think that we've really worried you....
...been hear 4 years
...been bitten hundreds of times...mainly garden bugs and mozzies
...don't want to think about the touching one
not ants that i know off or wasps....



hey has anyone mentioned the Avondale spiders yet?????
or the White Tails....
....Shall we tell them guys?????? .....

PRinAuckland

Wwwwwhhhaaaaat?"!!!

jueinnz

Not too common I have to admit...but I was at my whits end when it was up my trouser leg...

I jumped up shook my trousers realised what it was, stood on the coffee table and demanded that I was going home and that my husband was to buy me a plane ticket now!!!!!!!! We than chased it around the house with bug spray to which it seemed immune and ended up using hair spray on it.!!
:scared:
Nar they not that common!!!!!

good to have a thread which is light hearted!!!

Gill and Rob

Have to say we live with trees on all sides and back on to woodland.

Gill

shepslady

Guess this is a bit unfair of me to be answering this poll seeing as Im a Kiwi but here goes anyhow.
Lived in NZ 42years
mozzies too many times to count but discovered that eating lots of marmite or vegemite before going into areas known for mozzies definately helps, thinks it must give your skin a sour taste the little blighters dont seem to like.
Stung by a bee once remember seeing wetas only on two occassions that I remember
small spiders many times but soon brushed them off so nothing to worry about. Honestly never remember seeing cockroaches in NZ but know they are there.
Never been bitten by ants....didnt even know such a thing as an argentine ant existed in NZ!
Stung by a wasp once when it flew up the sleeve of my top & I closed my arm on it......

Tech21

YOU KNOW YOU SHOULDN'T READ IT....'CAUSE ONCE YOU HAVE READ IT YOU CAN'T UN-READ IT!!

BE WARNED!!

DON'T DO IT!!


NZ Spider info got from the Web (no pun intended)

The Avondale Spider.
The Avondale Spider is a large, brown huntsman spider originally found in the Avondale area of New Zealand, and its range now extends into the Waitakere area.
The spiders will co-exist socially, and are often found under loose bark and in woodpiles in colonies up to 300. They hunt their food rather than spin webs for it. Though non-poisonous, they scare the daylights out of even the mildest arachnophobes, and it is just as well that they seldom venture indoors.
They are an Australian species, accidentally introduced to New Zealand in 1924 in shipments of hardwood logs. They achieved fame in the 1990 movie Arachnophobia which used 374 of these impressive spiders. The body of the spider may be up to 30mm long, is light brown and covered in dense, fine hairs. The legs are also hairy, and can span up to 200mm (8"). Large specimens are not unusual.

The White-Tailed Spider
Whitetailed spider can be identified by its narrow white tipped abdomen, and red striped legs.The The Whitetailed Spider (Lampona spps.) is an Australian import and has been in New Zealand for around 100 years. It is a fine-featured spider that has a light grey/brown body, brown-stripped legs and a distinctive cream/white tip on its tail. Sometimes there are also additional creamy white marks on the abdomen. White-tails do not produce webs for catching prey. They produce a tangled web as a nest and actively hunt other spiders.

The bite of a White-tail is venomous and is painful but not usually dangerous directly, however the bite can become infected by bacteria (Mycobacterium ulcerans) which are sometimes carried by the spider. The infection can cause ulcerations and sometimes serious illness. There is dispute among scientists about the incidence of Whitetailed spider bites and whether the bites are dangerous, but necrotic ulcers are frequently treated in hospitals and the patients frequently claim to have been bitten by Whitetailed spiders. The identification of Mycobacterium ulcerans as the cause of ulceration is extremely difficult to identify and the tests are rarely carried out.


Other Spiders
New Zealand Katipo (Australian Red Back is almost identical)New Zealand is home to about 2,500 kinds of spiders, most of them harmless to people. Only some spiders are capable of biting humans. There are three species of spiders in New Zealand that should be avoided - the Katipo, the Redback and the Whitetailed Spider. The Katipo (Latrodectus katipo) a Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) belong the same genus as the American Black Widow spider. These two are the only dangerous venomous spiders found in New Zealand. In both species it is the adult females that are capable of biting humans. Bites from both species are rare and there is safe and effective anti venom for both Redback and Katipo bites. The Katipo is a native of New Zealand and is found in close proximity to beaches in the North Island and the north of the South Island. The Redback is an import from Australia and is rarely found outside Wanaka in the South Island and New Plymouth in the North Island.

But these guys appear to have a method of killing almost any pest that lives in NZ.
http://www.targetpest.co.nz/control.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any one actually seen any of these things in NZ or is it just media type hype?

And I do hope the answer is NO to the firtst part and YES to the second part.

Tech21

Just a thought, we are looking to bring our 6 cats over with us.
All of them are avid spider hunters so what is the possibility of any of them getting a bite from one of these horrid unwanted Australian imported spiders and getting killed or getting seriously ill?

On another point, just how safe are young children when they encounter one of these venomous spiders?

Anyone any experience with either of these things?

xpat19

When I was at the hospital after my nasty run in with a daisy ( another thread ! ) a girl came in because she had been bitten by a Weta and she bought it with her in a jar. The receptionist told her it would cost $50 to be seen and the girl said Oh, I can't afford that. The receptionist said it was her choice whether she saw a doctor or not - nice.
On the bright side, the girl looked ok after her experience but the weta didn't look too good.

PRinAuckland

We're bringing two cats and one dog... I've heard that cats actually do us a favour by ridding our home of these - am so keeping them in the same room with me at all times lol.

How effective are house sprays / bug sprays? If you get your house sprayed once a year as suggested, does this mean you will never get a single bug in your home at all?! *fingers crossed*

Can you also get your garden and car sprayed? We are thinking of getting a softtop and am worried things will be getting in there too! :scared: I'm scared witless of all things creepy crawly....perhaps hypnosis is the way forward? lol.

shepslady

I almost forgot about the Katipo...used to be found in swamp areas when I was a very young girl but havent seen one for years. Funny how these horrid creepy crawlies are mostly imports from Australia though so am left wondering if thats why there such a rivalry between NZ & OZ? Maybe thats the kiwi way to try & get back at the ockers for sending their nasty spiders over to NZ shores

Servant24kids

I have lived in NZ on and off for six years and can honestly say that, even when living in Auckland and working in a warehouse in Avondale, I have not seen a spider as bad as some of the big ones you can get in the UK. Daddy longleg spiders creep in (the ones with tiny bodies and long legs) but usually die within a couple of days or are hoovered up! OK, there are some imported nippers but very little is heard about them.

Have hardly seen any cockroaches or wetas. Crickets keep outside and hide whenever you get near them. Cicadas are also usually only heard and not seen ... the exception to this is if you have a swimming pool where they sometimes fly into, or a cat who like their 'snacks'.

Other insects occasionally seen are praying manti and stick insects - both quite cute as insects go. Wasps seem to be less aggressive here; they have bees and bumble bees too.

The biggest headaches here must be the ants - which seem more organised than UK ants - and the insect not yet mentioned ... the sandfly. Mozzies come out during the summer evenings but the sandflies are about all year round (usually afternoons onward). We are not bothered at our present home as there is no water or beach nearby, but the kids' school is near a creek and whenever we go on a bush walk or to the beach they start nipping. Insect repellent is a must. Fortunately, your body does get used to them after a while and their nips will eventually become just plain irritating.

You can buy sprays from the supermarket that keeps insects away from windows, doors, eaves etc. that last about 3 months. Or you can gets someone in to do a professional job. Our house in the UK had dozens of spider webs around it and it is just refreshing to be able to sunbathe on the deck and not worry about 'that spider' in the corner. To stop the flying bugs, insect screens for doors and windows can be bought - something else we could have used in the UK.

turkeytickler

heres some info with piccies so you can know your enemy

http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/ed...cts/katipo.asp

http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/re...s.asp?Bu_ID=61

http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/re...s.asp?Bu_ID=46

Oh man! I cant stop scratching!!! :scared:

jueinnz

yes seen the white tails...and know someone that was bitten and had to have a 2inch chunch cut out of her where she was bitten...
never seen an avondale though know peole who will tell ya scarey stories about their adventures with them!!!!!!!

shazzafromnz

I have been bitten on the toe by a weta..it hurts alot at the time but there were no long term problems..they often hide in shoes and in this case it was on the doorstep,in Auckland and there were trees and bark gardens nearby.
I screamed so loud the whole neighbourhhod heard me!! Usually you see them before you need to stand on them and they do not attack, more like bite when some clod stands on them, ie self defence..they look creepy though. They are a protected species herein NZ. We have alot of them here in Northland as we live near alot of trees!
We also see alot of White tail spiders..so far nonone has been bitten..as soon as I see one I kill it.
My experience with White tails ,(which are by the way a small slim quite unscary looking spider) is that I have only ever seen them in this home and I suspect that that is because we have alot of small black spiders around the home and if my memory is right the white tails pinch their prey as they dont have webs them selves.The white tails take ages to die too when you spray them..usually I see them at night,and if theres one seen there is usually another one within a metre or two away..they seem to come out at night in rooms where a light is left on like the bathroom and the hallway.