hosebergine

Just out of interest, was the huge cockroach I saw in Parnell whilst on a recent recce simply enjoying life near lots of restaurants or do they try and share your bed?

Anything else that can make a grown woman stand on a chair and wail for help that I shoud be aware of?

Do creepy crawlies like Auckland and the toasty North of the North Island or are they just as happy down in Welly?

I need to find some coping mechanisms if there are any potential house mates for fear of teaching my kids to be a little bit on the "wimpish" side

julesnye

Are you sure it was a cockraoch and not a cicada?
Spiders,weetas in general and the fun loving white tails if you're unlucky.

lardyl

I find that the really big black grasshoppers give a bit of a fright even to me, a bloke.......simply as they are pretty mobile, rather stupid and are just too big - they also like to get in the house and hide under stuff, only to leap out when least expected!!
White tails are nasty as well.........

hosebergine

Blimey you two - what the heck are white tails? I'm terrified!!!!

BecksJS

My bro came over for a couple years when I was out there, he worked for pest control in Auckland, used to spray some of the cafe/bars for cockroaches, he was telling me about spraying a well known bar in Parnell (cant remember the name), said they flocked out onto the streets, yuk! Also sounds sad but I have been watching a programme over here in the UK called 'The Filth Files' have you seen the state of some of these places!! Apparently NZ has more cases of reported food poisoning than any other developed country!
S x
(other programmes I watch because I miss NZ is the one where they patrol the coast, and The Zoo, I know it is sad but every now and then I get a glimpse of somewhere I know and miss )

julesnye

Lovely biting spiders which are poisonous, but not lethal

lardyl

yes, opinion varies on their poisoness....
some (like the doctor we first met here) said that they do very little harm and are over-rated as nasties.....
others say, they eat spiders with nasty venom (like the daddy long legs that allegedly has arsenic in its bite, but don't worry it can't bite us humans!!) and sometime have strep-type infections in their bites - hence the reported (and I have been shown them by victims a couple of times) long-lasting infections, ulceration and in one friend's case nerve damage from a white tail bite......
When I see one (we've had about half a doz. in 15 months) - I just get the Raid can or my "size 10" out (if I'm wearing one - not too often!!) as soon as I it.....I also tend to Raid the local spider populations in the house as that will remove the whitetail's food supply (they live on other spiders....).

julesnye

Hence, if your house or flat has no spiders, then you could have a white tail.......

julesnye

I also forgot to mention the red backs....or I think Kapito

But these are only found in the dunes....

lardyl

who is about to starve to death............

julesnye

this might help identify the buggers...


http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/TePapa/Eng...ersAndSimilar/

lardyl

am I mixed up or are the red-backs an aussie import and the kapito a native and rare spider?
there is a thread somewhere that answers this and it is nearly 4am so I am going to bed!!

hosebergine

Do you lot have any idea how hard it is typing whilst standing on a chair?! I guess I'll just have to fumigate the house and send lovely husband on grolly checks every night

You've all been jolly helpful and witty and I blame you all for the bad dreams tonight - I shouldn't have visited the Te Papa site

julesnye

Link to description.
http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/TePapa/Eng...hat/Katipo.htm

julesnye

Sorry, hosebergine.
You can use a bomb which should kill everything or a couple of well placed robocans seem to do the trick.

Sleep tight and Dont let the bugs bite.