White Tail Spider

[Schism]

Anyone been bitten by one of these ****ers before?

I copped it on the forearm while i was asleep during the week. Dramas the next few days, 2 hospital visits later and now i have 5 cm by 2 cm opening in my arm (depth is through all layers of skin) where they had to slice it open to drain it. The doctor had to go in with the local anaesthetic about 8 or 9 times at different angles in and around the abscess to deaden it effectively. That was fun.It has to stay wide open to drain and heal over time, so no sutures. I'm on some real kung pow antibiotics and tramel for the pain. The first 2 days after the bite, there was what felt like a 3cm diamater steel tube running the length of my forearm just under the skin, which i am told is the lymphatic system trying to drain the poison. Also headaches and slightly dazed and confused at work.

Real nasty little bastards. Moral of the story:Check your bed before going to sleep! I found the spider in my bed 24 hours after i'd been bitten!

 

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Jeez, gotta feel for ya. I have a spider issue in my house but they're just your average house spiders.

 

[BigBadCam]

They are horrible little bastards. They don't hurt too much at the time, but later on they give you a world of grief. I've been bitten by just about every spider because I use to have an unhealthy obsession with them. Now I avoid them at all costs. The most painful spider bite I've ever had was from one of those big black house spider things. The ones that look like funnel webs but aren't. The huntsman have massive fangs, so they can pack a punch too. Don't believe anyone who tells you they can't bite. If you piss them off enough, they'll bite you.

 

[adelaide_40]

I am glad to say that Luckily I have nver been bitten by one of those ****ers. Although a few close calls.

Slightly off topic but I once got told that a daddy long legs would be the most dangerous spider in Australia if there fangs werent so weak is that true?.

 

[Schism]

They are horrible little bastards. They don't hurt too much at the time, but later on they give you a world of grief. I've been bitten by just about every spider because I use to have an unhealthy obsession with them. Now I avoid them at all costs. The most painful spider bite I've ever had was from one of those big black house spider things. The ones that look like funnel webs but aren't. The huntsman have massive fangs, so they can pack a punch too. Don't believe anyone who tells you they can't bite. If you piss them off enough, they'll bite you.

That is pretty much how it happened. Started out me waking up with a slight rash and soreness, thinking i'd bumped my arm during the night. Ended up in the RAH getting some nice scalpel work. Shoulda seen the crap that came out!not to mention what seemed like a pint of blood,although it probably wasn't too much. The doc kept saying ooh! and aah! as she squeezed more and more stuff out. A real quality saturday night it was.

 

[BigBadCam]

I am glad to say that Luckily I have nver been bitten by one of those ****ers. Although a few close calls.

Slightly off topic but I once got told that a daddy long legs would be the most dangerous spider in Australia if there fangs werent so weak is that true?.

Nah, I've seen them bust that myth on myth busters.

 

[BigBadCam]

That is pretty much how it happened. Started out me waking up with a slight rash and soreness, thinking i'd bumped my arm during the night. Ended up in the RAH getting some nice scalpel work. Shoulda seen the crap that came out!not to mention what seemed like a pint of blood,although it probably wasn't too much. The doc kept saying ooh! and aah! as she squeezed more and more stuff out. A real quality saturday night it was.

I hope you got lots of photos to show all your friends.

 

[Rabbit of Caerbannog]

Slightly off topic but I once got told that a daddy long legs would be the most dangerous spider in Australia if there fangs werent so weak is that true?.

That was busted on Mythbusters a few years back. The fangs can penetrate human skin, but the venom isn't strong enough to cause any real damage. Pretty sure they can't really affect other insects either.

 

[Schism]

I hope you got lots of photos to show all your friends.

The wound has to be redressed by my GP tomorrow. Might try to get some pics and put them on facebook. It is definitely not for the faint hearted.

 

[J_Moore]

Ah, Australia. The country where not even suburban beds are safe.

We've got redbacks in our place, apparently. I'm just waiting for the day I reach behind a cupboard to find a shoe or a book or something, and get a nasty bite instead.

My mate lives in a place that backs onto a bush corridor. He's found funnel-webs in his room/hall on a number of occasions. I don't know how he sleeps at night. Apparently, he once unleashed half a can of Mortein on one, and watched it slowly walk away, not bothered at all. It was bone white from the spray.

BBC: What big black house spiders aren't funnel-webs? How do you tell 'em apart? And why would you touch one ?

 

[Schism]

Ah, Australia. The country where not even suburban beds are safe.

We've got redbacks in our place, apparently. I'm just waiting for the day I reach behind a cupboard to find a shoe or a book or something, and get a nasty bite instead.

My mate lives in a place that backs onto a bush corridor. He's found funnel-webs in his room/hall on a number of occasions. I don't know how he sleeps at night. Apparently, he once unleashed half a can of Mortein on one, and watched it slowly walk away, not bothered at all. It was bone white from the spray.

BBC: What big black house spiders aren't funnel-webs? How do you tell 'em apart? And why would you touch one ?

I don't know about NSW but the biggest spiders in SA that i've seen are Wolf Spiders which can be ridiculously big. I had one in my room many years ago that was the size of my hand. They have bodies like a small mouse and thick legs, so they are genuinely big, not fake-big like huntsmans which just have long thin legs that makes them appear bigger than they are. The wolfy also took half a can of spray and basically laughed it off. The stuff simply doesn't work on big spiders in my experience,it just makes them angry.

 

[Emerald]

I had a similar experience but I can't be sure what kind of spider it was. I was sitting at my computer one night, just talking to my family and I felt this like, stinging in my leg. I was wearing jeans, so I just rubbed at the spot a bit and it went away.

Next day there's this bump where the sting was. I thought it was a zit and so just ignored it. The day after that it was bigger, so I thought, right, I'll try to pop it. It hurt a little and the pus just kept pouring out of it. I was starting to feel a little peaky as well, but hadn't yet connected the dots.

The next thing I know an area about 6cm in diameter is swollen and excruciating to touch. And I'm feeling like I got hit by a bus. I try to squeeze it again, thinking there was some sort of infection and if I just got the pus out, I'd be fine. But no. So my Mum starts to get worried and takes me down to the doctor.

Two local anaesthics and a needle the size of a small tree trunk later, the doctor's telling me it had to be a spider bite, and that he'd never seen skin around an abscess being eaten away by the poison like what he'd seen on my leg. I didn't feel better physically until like a week later. Plus the thing that pissed me off most was that I didn't even see what did it, didn't even know I'd been bit.

 

[Schism]

I had a similar experience but I can't be sure what kind of spider it was. I was sitting at my computer one night, just talking to my family and I felt this like, stinging in my leg. I was wearing jeans, so I just rubbed at the spot a bit and it went away.

Next day there's this bump where the sting was. I thought it was a zit and so just ignored it. The day after that it was bigger, so I thought, right, I'll try to pop it. It hurt a little and the pus just kept pouring out of it. I was starting to feel a little peaky as well, but hadn't yet connected the dots.

The next thing I know an area about 6cm in diameter is swollen and excruciating to touch. And I'm feeling like I got hit by a bus. I try to squeeze it again, thinking there was some sort of infection and if I just got the pus out, I'd be fine. But no. So my Mum starts to get worried and takes me down to the doctor.

Two local anaesthics and a needle the size of a small tree trunk later, the doctor's telling me it had to be a spider bite, and that he'd never seen skin around an abscess being eaten away by the poison like what he'd seen on my leg. I didn't feel better physically until like a week later. Plus the thing that pissed me off most was that I didn't even see what did it, didn't even know I'd been bit.

Apparently white tails have been known to punch through jeans before, so it could have been one of the little buggers. Although they're not that small...mine was the size of a small huntsman.

 

[LIONS then DAYLIGHT]

When a spider catchs its prety or whatnot its venom works by liquidifying the creature caught (fly, insect whatever) and the spider basically 'drinks' its prey.

During the early 90's the White Tail Spider earnt a fearsome reputation due to the skin destruction that can be caused by these bites.

There is a range of literature available on the web dealing with this spider and Australian studies regarding its bite.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Pretty unlucky to be bitten by one when you didn't aggrevate it.

We get our fair share of white tails, huntsmens and red backs. We used to have heaps of red backs years ago when we had a spa in the backyard. Never cleaned the lid and they basically lived under it, I remember one day I missed stepping on one by about 10cm. Probs coulda killed me, I was about 6 at the time.

I've barely had a spider on me, much less bitten by one though. Spose it's only a matter of time eh lol.

I don't think they can grow to the size of huntsmans, but the females look bloody scary. I hate the way they stand/sit. You can tell just by their pose what kinda spider they are. The same way Huntsmen are always like 4 legs on each side, tucked it. Hate that pose as well lol.

 

[Schism]

Don't take any notice of what people say about spider size. I had the white tail in a jar for 3 days, it was the size of a small huntsman. They look smaller because they are long instead of wide.

Wolf Spiders aren't supposed to grow to the size of a small plate, but they do,i've seen them. Anyone who lives near a creek in Adelaide can tell you, at the start of summer, Wolf Spiders the size of Texas come waltzing into your home.

 

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Apparently, he once unleashed half a can of Mortein on one, and watched it slowly walk away, not bothered at all. It was bone white from the spray.

Lol how often does that happen, it's bloody scary.

I liken it to that moment on Terminator 2 when the liquid metal cop was frozen and shattered into a million pieces, then he puts himself back together again.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Or Sarah Connor blasting him about 6 times with the shotty, then running out of bullets, you just see the spider wave one leg at you haha.

 

[Emerald]

Apparently white tails have been known to punch through jeans before, so it could have been one of the little buggers. Although they're not that small...mine was the size of a small huntsman.

I hate to say it because it freaks me out and gives me shivers, but I reckon it crawled up my leg, and got stuck... panicked, and just decided to bite out of fear. Because you'd think I'd see it if it was on the outside of my jeans. It can't have been that big either.

 

[Schism]

My favourite "spider terror" moment is when you are driving, especially on a hot summer night with the windows open, and you see a huge huntsman or wolfy on the outside of the windscreen, and it crawls up onto the roof,out of sight. Desperation and chaos ensue,as you try to get the windows up before the evil ****er can get in. Why are electric windows so slow?God i hate spiders.

 

[Emerald]

Lol one night a friend of mine was driving and out of her peripheral vision she saw these legs start protruding from beneath the sun visor... This massive Huntsman starts crawling out toward her face. So she pulled over and ran out of her car screaming.

 

[Roos4eva]

Although the spider was harmless, today I had one in my hair, so it's funny that these spider related threads are making an appearance. I was in the car with my mate, and he's usually one that bullshits a lot, and he said "man, you've got a spider in your hair" and of course, I refused to believe him. He proceeded to get it out with a piece of paper, but it turned out it was just a harmless looking spider. At least I think it was harmless.

Anyway, if he wasn't usually such a bullshitter, I wouldn't have felt so calm when he told me about it, so yeah, spiders are bastards, the lot of 'em.

 

[Macca19]

This thread makes me shiver. Hate ****ing spiders.

We used to have heaps of white tails at my old place. When we first moved in we killed minimum two a day for about 3 weeks. Saw some ****ing huge ones outside. One in my old shed which was insanely big. Refused to go in there until it was removed.

Was freaking out because when we moved into our current house, we didnt see a single spider for about 4 months. Was thinking there was gonna be some Arachnophobia-like showdown where 500 spiders overtake the house. Weve seen some around now though which is as pleasant as seeing a spider will get.

Theres nothing worse than taking to a spider with half a can of spray and it acts like nothings happened...even though its covered in 2 inches of bubbling white foam.

 

[NeRFaHoLIc]

I use to have a massive spider obsession when I was in primary school (don't really know why, I was just fascinated with them).

And this story, nobody believes me, except those who were with me at the time. I had a 'pet' wolf spider in a jar, it was no bigger than a 20c coin when I was about 10. I would catch bugs and what not and feed it (sick bastard I was I know). One day, I fed it a fly, and the spider just sat there (normally it would pounce pretty quickly, or at least move). But it just sat there. So I shook the jar, thinking it was a sleep or something. Still didn't move. So I grabbed a stick, started poking it, and it would not move at all. Figured it was dead, I emptied the jar onto the dirt, and instantly, the little ****er just ran off. What a smart prick.

Coulda been the same wolf spider who came back to get me a few years ago. I didn't actually think there would be a day where a spider would be in one of my shoes. It was summer time, so wasn't wearing any socks, went to grab my shoes, I accidentally dropped one, and I see a fairly decent sized wolf spider scatter out of it. Don't know what woulda happened had I not dropped that shoe by mistake.

 

[blues4flag]

I never wear a shoe without slamming it down on the windowsill first. Have never seen a spider scurry out, but you can never be too careful.

I hate spiders. My phobia is set to kick in time, usually resulting in me opening my eyes at 2am for some reason, imagining a huge spider para-gliding onto my face, then leaping up out of bed and not daring to go back until I've scoured my room to make sure one isn't about.