I hate SPIDERS ! And anything like them..........

Ausseknifeknut said:
You should see some of the spiders we get in aus :)
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Even though I hate spiders. I still study them and am aware of you Redback cousin of the widow. The desert climate is harsh. And so are the creepy crawlers that live there. To quote.

The Redback spider is one of the most iconic of Australia’s venomous spiders. Instantly recognisable by the strip of red on the upperside of its abdomen this is not a spider to be messed with. Redbacks are part of the family along with the equally infamous Black Widows and



Latrodectus

their are many similarities. Perhaps the most important of these is the strength of the venom – it is the strongest of any Australian spider. The effects of this powerful toxin range from localised pain to a systemic condition known as latrodectism. Symptoms include pain and swelling spreading from the affected area, abdominal cramps, nausea and sweating to name a few. This condition occurs in around half of bites and can be fatal in the very old and young.



Unlike with many of the other spiders on this list, being bitten by a Redback is not unusual. It is estimated that between 2,000 to 10,000 people are bitten by these spiders every year. Even more alarming is the high incidence of bites to the gentialia, although happily this seems to be a dying trend as outhouses are replaced by indoor toilets.

Fortunately there is an effective antivenom to the Redback bite. Developed in the 1950s there has not been a fatal bite since then. Still, one to avoid though!
 
samclaymore said:
I go into the bathroom to answer natures call. Little did I know how close nature was.


But my BK2 swiftly dealt with the issue.

The damn construction next door is drawing them out. That's the second one I have seen this year. And never before in 33 years of living here.
( Bonus pics of my bk2 with a patina. That I ultimately couldn't live with. )

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Was that patina applied using spider juice? It looks great!
 
samclaymore said:
Even though I hate spiders. I still study them and am aware of you Redback cousin of the widow. The desert climate is harsh. And so are the creepy crawlers that live there. To quote.

The Redback spider is one of the most iconic of Australia’s venomous spiders. Instantly recognisable by the strip of red on the upperside of its abdomen this is not a spider to be messed with. Redbacks are part of the family along with the equally infamous Black Widows and



Latrodectus

their are many similarities. Perhaps the most important of these is the strength of the venom – it is the strongest of any Australian spider. The effects of this powerful toxin range from localised pain to a systemic condition known as latrodectism. Symptoms include pain and swelling spreading from the affected area, abdominal cramps, nausea and sweating to name a few. This condition occurs in around half of bites and can be fatal in the very old and young.



Unlike with many of the other spiders on this list, being bitten by a Redback is not unusual. It is estimated that between 2,000 to 10,000 people are bitten by these spiders every year. Even more alarming is the high incidence of bites to the gentialia, although happily this seems to be a dying trend as outhouses are replaced by indoor toilets.

Fortunately there is an effective antivenom to the Redback bite. Developed in the 1950s there has not been a fatal bite since then. Still, one to avoid though!
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AND we have funnel webs. Btw , I've seen several huge red backs in the warehouse I work in over the years , and they tend to hide in dark places , right where you would put your hands to pick something up
 
MuleHead said:
Was that patina applied using spider juice? It looks great!
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It would be compleatly awesome. If I could say it was scorpion or spider blood. But it was just fresh tomato and pickle juice. The juice from a freshly cut tomato left the dark areas. Just from sitting on the blade 15 to 30 min. But days after I sliced some pickles up. letting the juice sit again. While periodically rubbing a slice of pickle on the blade. And I wound up with a funky-tiedye blade. The pickle produced a touch light brown rust too. The best color reactions happened on the reflective main bevel.
 
Speak of the devil, and he appears. Woke up to my girls screaming bloody murder this morning.



Harmless little guy, but probably not something little girls would want to gargle.
 
I feel your pain there Queth. Ever since my wife was bitten by a brown recluse I have to dispatch all Arachnida in our house. She says it was in the wedding vows and I missed it.
 
I love spiders, they're my passion right behind knives. I do whatever I can to preserve the life of one of my 8-legged buddies. Here's a factoid:

Black Widows aren't "dangerously lethal". Their venom induces a blood pressure spike that will cause nausea, cramping, and headaches. To the elderly, children, and people prone to high blood pressure, it can be deadly due to sudden onset of hypertension. I've been bitten by two black widows, both were due to me mishandling the animal, and obviously I didn't die either time. If you're unsure of how the bite will affect you, I recommend seeking medical attention as a "better safe than sorry" approach.

Brown Recluses aren't incredibly lethal either. What their venom does is causes a small patch of necrosis around the bite area. What this does is opens you up to additional infection, typically staph. This staph infection worsens the bite and can induce a condition called "necrotizing fasciitis", which causes further necrosis to the bitten extremity. The necrosis will continue rotting the flesh and will spread rapidly at this point, and can lead to amputation or sepsis, or an infection in the blood caused by the backwash of rotting cells in the bloodstream. The onset of sepsis can be fatal very quickly. This can be prevented by proper cleaning of the bite. Keeping the bite covered and treating it with an antibiotic ointment will nearly eliminate any chance of the bite becoming infected, however in the event of a bite where you know for sure the perp was a Recluse, it's much safer and more likely to deter mortal injury to simply check into the hospital. I don't condone self-treating a spider bite of this level of severity unless you're 100% certain of the risks involved or if you happen to be medically trained and equipped to deal with open wounds of this nature.
 
Aussieknifenut, those funnel web spiders sound freakin nasty! They have fangs that pierce straight down and can go through gardening gloves and the like. Holy Crap! Are they the size of a tarantula or are they smaller?
I sure hope they don't ever hitch a ride and get loose in the US gulf coast area. We already are having python problems in Florida.
 
They get pretty big. We also have most of the venomous snakes . I hate snakes , but most will hear you coming and run off
 
samclaymore said:
I went easy on it. I swears I did. lol

A touch of research suggest that she may have been poisonous.
So yes Sosa I might look into it. You know what they say. Third ones a charm.
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Not poisonous, venomous. Poisons you eat and die. Stuff with venom eats you :D

OP:

Your scorpion is definitely venomous, look at the claws. The rule of thumb is that the more delicate, and less muscular the claws, the more potent the venom. So while THIS IS SCARY:

scorpion03.jpg


THIS is the deadliest scorpion in the US:

bark-scorpion.jpg


Grandpa used to take us scorpion hunting in UT. Cool critters, wouldn't want them in my house either though.
 
Like every other predator, I admire spiders. They're really good at what they do.

Also, snakes and poisonous bugs and wolves and bears and so forth. I consider myself a conservationist... they were here first, they have an important role to play, and I respect that.

However, they are not allowed in my house or anywhere near me. I'm the top of the food-chain around here, and anyone who doesn't like it is welcome to taste boot-leather and fire and sharp steel and bullets.

Except for bats. I really like bats and birds of prey. Because they don't mess with me, they just kill the other critters that mess with me.

:D
 
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Incidentally, y'all rascals had me all freaked out about copperheads when we were gearing up for the Gathering at Ethan's last spring.

I didn't see a single snake. *whew*

But then a week later The Kid posted a pic of a lil scorpion he saw on the grounds very close to where I slept and I... well... *forget* them scorpions. :grumpy: *STOMP*
 
This one I found on a hike a couple of miles from where I live now. Big scorpion for around here. Around 2 inches, most I've seen in this area are less than an inch.

sEda7bw.jpeg
 
I like jumping spiders!
and generally leave the basement spiders alone - figure they're eating SOMETHING, or they wouldn't be there.
But the scary ones... happy to say I've never seen one (and known it).
 
A Texans biggest fear: a black widow in the outhouse:



That's almost as scary as a Yankee in a moving van:-)
 
daizee said:
I like jumping spiders!
and generally leave the basement spiders alone - figure they're eating SOMETHING, or they wouldn't be there.
But the scary ones... happy to say I've never seen one (and known it).
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When I was 20 something. I saw jumping spider who had a metallic lime green back. And jumpers are smart & harmless. So I resisted my urge to flick or crush him. Went into my dads house and grabbed a mason jar to capture him. I saved him for a day before releasing by the granny smith tree I found him by.
 
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