What do you Aussies think about white tails?

And thanks for the gift btw ;-)

I've had a few white tail spiders in the house in the past few months, which is strange as I'd never seen one before that, ever.

Pretty much everyone I've talked to locally says to kill them, but from what I've read from medical and agricultural experts, they're not that big a deal - the bite hurts, but is rarely anything other than that. I've been taking the spiders to the country and letting them go.

I'm wondering if kiwis are overreacting because this is the only scarey animal we have (we do have a reclusive katipo spider, which also bites and is more serious I think and which I've also never seen).

What do Aussies thing about white tails?

 

I don't like them... and they don't like me )

 

pebble, I'm from here, and I just wanted to say I've got no qualms whatsoever about squishing them.
I'd never dream of killing a spider generally, but the idea of not being able to rummage around in the woodpile really annoys me.
I just had a bit of a poke around online to see if there's anything about whitetails displacing any native species. Couldn't see anything, but that's something to consider...

 

I didn't realise you got them in Welly. Do you have many? Why can't you rummage around in the woodpile? Is being bit by a whitetail any worse than a wasp or bee sting?

 

https://australianmuseum.net.au/White-tailed-Spider
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/invertebrates/spiders/white_tail.asp
I have never seen one.
Don't they like hot weather?
Maybe Global Warming has them emigrating to NZ

 

It's the redback ones that you need to worry about. Do you want us to send some of those as well?

 

I thought they liked hot and dry, which is why I was surprised they live in Wellington. But they've probably adapted. I like them, they're quite cool to look at, bigger than a normal hunting spider (well, normal for NZ).

 

Nah, eco, we got our own redback - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katipo Beautiful, eh?

 

She's rather attractive. Pity she's endangered.

 

white tails are no problem ......really easy to catch in a glass and transfer outside.
A friend of mine got bittern by a white tail and the bite was pretty inflamed for a while but no long term ulcerative issues.
I'm fairly arachnophobic but can't kill them just because I don't like them!

 

Thery're here in Welly, lots of em.
They hide out under things and in things, whereas unless I'm being blind I can see bumbles, and wasps stay out of the way. No bees round here.
To be honest, I've seen (and squished) plenty of whitetails and never been bit. I think the controversial 'necrotising' thing has turned me against them.
I'll do some more research; if whitetails are eating the local spiders, that's a good enough reason to kill them.

 

Pippimac, I love your style. I find it fascinating that living in NZ with so few spiders, you can consider rummaging in a wood pile without gloves on. I would NEVER rummage in a wood pile without my gloves on. I would never garden without my gloves on. Too many wolf spiders in the garden, huntsman in the woodpile and funnel webs just about anywhere.

My neighbour has a friend who swears he was bitten by a white tail spider. His arm ulcerated and it took him over a year to get rid of it. I hear lots of stories like this about white tail, and while I'm happy to believe they are probably urban legend, I'm not about finding out for myself. I wouldn't kill one, but I would always take precautions with gloves.

 

Pip, I'd love to hear what you find out about the local spiders and white tails.

Paula, one of the reports I read (can't remember if it was medical or MAF) said of the 100 bites that were confirmed as being by a white tail, no-one had any serious infection. For what that's worth.

 

I'm always suprised how scared people are of spiders and snakes.
I live on 5 acres, almost never wear shoes around the place even in long grass, and couldn't be bothered using gloves moving wood piles etc.. They are more scared of us than you of them. I find the people who are scared of these things are from europe or nz or somthing. edit: or northern sydney

 

I find this quite interesting. I notice people who react (overreact IMO) to bees and wasps - they start flailing around in an attempt to drive the wasp away. But how many people have ever been stung by a wasp or bee when they've been sitting quietly?

I'm not sure it's entirely the same with spiders because I suspect we have some genetic something that makes us wary of them.

 

You need some ghekkos to sort out your spiders in the house.

PS
My brother got bitten by a redback in Perth it was sore for a while, then fine no treatment.

 

You mean like this? https://www.nhc.net.nz/index/lizards-new-zealand/jewelled-gecko/jewelled-gecko.htm :-D

 

I rang MAF and proved myself to be a total weirdo: "you don't care about them biting you, you're worried about them biting other spiders?"
As far as they were concerned, because whitetails prefer houses, piles of bricks and stacks of wood, they're mainly eating common house/garden spiders rather than anything rare and endangered. But spiders are what they eat and they eat lots.
The "one bit me and my arm rotted and fell off" thing is apparently untrue, except in incredibly rare cases.
I'll continue squishing them. I could say it's because they're munching other spiders, but really I don't like the way they show up in the empty bath, all long, pointy and foreign-looking.

 

Lol, good for you!

What are the white tails doing at home (in Oz)? They must fit in a niche there. What eats them (there and here)?

 

As far as I'm aware no Aust species of Lampoma (White tailed spiders) are venomous....I heard that from an Arachnologist.

My brother has been bitten a few times by them at different times, ususally they've been in
clothing that he's picked up off the floor (yeah he really does that :clap
or when he's put his shirt on and been bitten.
nothing much happened as a result.

I was bitten last week by some weird looking spider with sort of long 'grabby' fangs.
dunno what sort it was but I treated it by going straight into the house and had another couple of beers and made a full recovery.

I got bitten by a redback once and that didnt do much either.
I've got hundreds of them here and I'm waiting for the willie wagtails to turn up and give them what for.
Willie wagtails love to eat spiders.... and then make their nests out of the webs.