Spider Bites [Archive] - Kiwi Biker forums

Colapop

1st February 2006, 17:48

I just got bit by a spider. Lucky it didn't manage to get it's fangs through the thick skin (I've built up round here no doubt) of my finger. But the not so little f*cker held on for awhile. Yeah the kids thought it was funny - Dad jumping round the living room swearing, waving his arms - Oh hardy har f*cking har. It wasn't small so I thought I'll just pick it up and chuck it outside. That's gratitude for ya! Ok so here's the thought or query I got in my head after I searched around and still can't find it;
Has anyone had problems with insects in their gear ie. spiders. I understand that White Tail spiders can give you a nasty bite as can Katipo spiders but thankfully the second ones are rare. Now I grew playing with spiders and bugs an shit. I'd imagine that riding there's the potential to get a bug or bugs down yer front and create enough of a distraction to maybe have an off. Your thoughts? What about you guys in other parts of the globe - issues?

MidnightMike

1st February 2006, 17:51

Them white tails aint cool, we get a lot of 'em round here.
Ive seen someone on tv literally rot from a white tail bite:puke:

Nicksta

1st February 2006, 17:55

yeah, try to avoid those white tail spiders.... a guy down the road got bitten on his thumb... ended up having to get it amputated.. not to scaremonger (spelling?) but can never be too careful.... I prefer to kill before being killed.. even if i must seem like a giant to the tiny little things, its them or me... they scare me... ;)

tl_tub

1st February 2006, 18:14

I had two bites in the same place on my arm from a white tail, 100mm or so diamater area swelled up, but as i was on antibiotics at the time i suspect this helped. Give it a go I say!

far queue

1st February 2006, 18:14

Smorg

1st February 2006, 18:17

boo hoo you guys dont know how lucky you got it..............
I grew up in Aussie where spiders hunt human's, the tree my mates and i used to play in was infested with funnel webs, everytime i left a toy in the sandpit overnight it would be filled with redbacks next time i went to play with it.
I used to sleep in the same room as huntsman spiders as big as your hand and then some, i still to this day have never been bitten. Whitetails......pfffftt you dont know the half of it:hitcher: :hitcher: :hitcher:

flash

1st February 2006, 18:20

I remember wearing an open face helmet a number of years ago and hitting a bee. The damn thing shot down the side of the helmet and into my ear :eek5: Quite impressive how quick I managed stop and whip that helmet off. I didn't get stung or anything, but it's one those moments I still remember quite clearly.
ive had the same thing happen to me while having my visior up. not cool!, this one went right in the back. amazzing how quick you can throw that helmet off....

Colapop

1st February 2006, 18:20

Bet you learned to check every single time tho' didn't ya?

Bonez

1st February 2006, 18:21

I remember wearing an open face helmet a number of years ago and hitting a bee. The damn thing shot down the side of the helmet and into my ear :eek5: Quite impressive how quick I managed stop and whip that helmet off. I didn't get stung or anything, but it's one those moments I still remember quite clearly.Did exactly the same thing about 26 years ago commuting between Taupo and Napier on my CJ250T. Bike had a wee rest on it's side while I got myself settled down.

flash

1st February 2006, 18:23

Hitcher

1st February 2006, 18:23

MidnightMike

1st February 2006, 18:25

:gob: :gob: :gob: thankgod im in nz :love:
Jesus I second that :crazy:

Colapop

1st February 2006, 18:28

And we don't get many snakes here

flash

1st February 2006, 18:31

more like guilty till proven inocent...

Blackbird

1st February 2006, 18:37

I got stung by a bee in the thin bit of skin just above the nose while I was riding in Taupo one evening. I'm not normally sensitive to bee stings but my eyes had virtually closed completely up by the time I got back to Tokoroa and ended up going to hospital for an injection.

With Smorgen mentioning Huntsman spiders, did anyone see the Xmas Two Wheels where one of the testers discovered one inside his helmet whilst on the move? He rode off the road but fortunately stayed on the bike! Doesn't bear thinking about:eek5:

Hitcher

1st February 2006, 18:43

And we don't get many snakes here
Don't read tomorrow's paper...

Jackrat

1st February 2006, 18:45

Whitetailed spiders need a better PR man. In almost all circumstances where spider bites are alleged, the recipient of the bite has not seen what bit them and merely surmised that it was a spider. Innocent until proven guilty, eh?

They have been proven responsible.
One self interested researcher on NZ TV doesn't invalidate all the research already done in Australia.

Big Dave

1st February 2006, 18:47

Whitetailed spiders need a better PR man. In almost all circumstances where spider bites are alleged, the recipient of the bite has not seen what bit them and merely surmised that it was a spider. Innocent until proven guilty, eh?

NO.

They need eradicating from the fucking planet.

My son was on the way to having his hand amputated as a result of a white tail bite.

There is believed to be a micro-organism that lives on the fangs of the white tail. This can cause much the same result as gangrene in some people - type of an allergic reaction.

Matthew had a wound that was necrosing at about a 20c piece worth per day.

He was in Hobart at the time (visiting grandma - we were here) - what saved his arm was a 2 week course in the hyperbaric chamber at the Aust Antarctic division.
They stuck him in the decompression camber and flooded his blood with oxygen. it kills the organism causing the flesh to rot.

Cunts of things - kill them without compuction and on sight.

Colapop

1st February 2006, 18:48

Don't read tomorrow's paper...
AYE??? I'm not going to Auckland then. That's the only place it'd be warm enough for them.

Hitcher

1st February 2006, 18:49

AYE??? I'm not going to Auckland then. That's the only place it'd be warm enough for them.
If you think that then you'd definitely better not read tomorrow's paper...

Colapop

1st February 2006, 18:53

Well if it's as bad as all that!! I work part-time down at the waterfront, stevedoring. We also unload car ships and the state of some of those cars gives me the shits sometimes.

Hitcher

1st February 2006, 18:54

Do you live in Lower Hutt?

Colapop

1st February 2006, 18:57

Nope. I'm not really a feared o' snakes - haven't had experience with 'em so I can't say. But if the buggers can survive here then there's all sorts other bad shit that can.

Hitcher

1st February 2006, 19:03

Nope. I'm not really a feared o' snakes - haven't had experience with 'em so I can't say. But if the buggers can survive here then there's all sorts other bad shit that can.
They don't/can't live here. We get them occasionally as hitchhikers, which puts the shits up your average kiwi something chronic.

Colapop

1st February 2006, 19:07

Well that's what I thought, but with global warming an' all??? Do you believe the hype?

Hitcher

1st February 2006, 19:38

Which hype in particular?

Colapop

1st February 2006, 19:40

Oh none in particular just hype.... The enviromental warming hype stuff... This is all too much. I've training in the morning I'm going to bed.... Probably to have nightmares.

Wasp

1st February 2006, 22:21

A mate of mines father died a few years back after getting bit by a white tail.

You just made me think that i should leave my gear on the ground, ive seen a few white tails in the house (they dont outnumber the normal ones yet). but year they eat the common brown spider so kill those, but the daddy long legs eat the white tails so DONT kill those cos theyre harmless to us.

Been stung on the top of my ear once, wasnt nice first time stung and all too.

T.W.R

1st February 2006, 23:36

Different people react in different ways to whitetails, it depends on the person metabolism how they react to a bite, a cousin had to have grafts after been bitten & another just went like a welt mark. plus they have seasons down here its usually around Nov -Jan they're about more, you know when they're in the house, all the other house spiders start disappearing (whitetails are transient hunters)

As for huntsmen spiders they're here in NZ there been reported cases in Halswell & Hei Hei in ChCh and they're only big relis' of the avondale spider anyhow.

some reckon whitetails venom is increased in potentency from when they chow down on daddylonglegs and they're actually the most venomous spider in the world believe it or not

sAsLEX

2nd February 2006, 08:19

If you think that then you'd definitely better not read tomorrow's paper...

ok its tomorrow, whats in the paper??

dawnrazor

2nd February 2006, 08:27

I remember wearing an open face helmet a number of years ago and hitting a bee.

NO NO NO, THE BEE HIT YOU - EITHER THAT OR YOU HAVE THE WORST CASE OF OBJECT FIXATION IN THE WORLD.
EITHERWAY IF YOU ADMIT LIABILITY THE BEE'S FAMILY WILL HAVE YA FOR ALL YOUR WORTH!

judgeshock

2nd February 2006, 08:33

I see they found huntsman spiders in chch just after christmas. Two males I think and a pregnant female.Haven't heard anymore recently.
Bloody things were 7cms across.

Hitcher

2nd February 2006, 08:51

Huntsman spiders are routinely detected in New Zealand. So far there has been no evidence of an established population, so these can be presumed as hitchhiker pests. A door-to-door survey in Christchurch is underway given three discoveries of Huntsmen in close proximity. At this stage a population has not been found. It is entirely possible that all three hitchhiked together or were part of an undetected egg mass that hatched in Christchurch.

Similarly Golden Orb spiders are seasonal discoveries in upper west coastal regions. These are all females and the presumption is that juveniles "balloon" across the Tasman (in favourable climatic conditions) on a thread of silk.

Table grape imports from California are fumigated with methyl bromide to kill any Black Widow spiders that may be present. So if you find one in your grapes, it will be dead.

Krayy

2nd February 2006, 08:53

I see they found huntsman spiders in chch just after christmas. Two males I think and a pregnant female.Haven't heard anymore recently.
Bloody things were 7cms across.
When I was living in Sydney, every now and then I'd wake up with one of these bastards on the ceiling above the bed. Scared the shit out of me and sent me bolting from my room in the buff. Bummer the flatmate had her mother over for morning tea at the time :Oops:

P.S. We also found a dead funnelweb behind the sofa once. Gave me the willies to think it had potentially crawled around under there while I was sitting on top of it.

judgeshock

2nd February 2006, 08:53

Nice to know Hitch, do you work in this field? you seem to know your stuff on this topic.

SARGE

2nd February 2006, 09:05

I just got bit by a spider./snip/ What about you guys in other parts of the globe - issues?

we had Black Widows and Funnelwebs and Wolf Spiders back home. scary little bastards. on the positive side , we also had to deal with Diamonbacks, Timber-rattlers, Water Moccosins, Lawyers and George Bush :doh:

I remember wearing an open face helmet a number of years ago and hitting a bee.

hit a Junebug at 75 mph with NO helmet

The_Dover

2nd February 2006, 09:11

watch it, those bastards will take your eye out.

Patrick

2nd February 2006, 09:13

And we don't get many snakes here

yeah we do...theres hundreds of em... called highway patrol, booze buses, traffic cops...etc, etc...usually spotted in those bananas in pajamas cars...

SARGE

2nd February 2006, 09:16

watch it, those bastards will take your eye out.

how do you think it happened????

Goblin

2nd February 2006, 09:19

Well I hope it wasn't one of these that bit you. Nasty little things!

sunhuntin

2nd February 2006, 09:23

yeh, thanks goblin. now im scared of the monitor and feeling sick at the same time.

cheers mate:sick:

Colapop

2nd February 2006, 09:26

It looked a bit like that, but it didn't get it's fangs into me proper. Thank F*ck for that by the look of those pics!! My view is that you won't get bit unless you piss them off, they're quite happy to run away and hide. That'll teach me for helping one out!

Patrick

2nd February 2006, 09:31

Well I hope it wasn't one of these that bit you. Nasty little things!

Hey Goblin...is that one of the huntsmen? Whose hand? JEEEEEZZZUSSSSS!!!

MidnightMike

2nd February 2006, 09:35

Could you post a pic of the golden orb coz ive seen the huntsmen ones round here and i think ive seen the golden one too. :crazy:

Goblin

2nd February 2006, 09:39

Black flag works well on the spiders we get here. I hate all spiders! You could kill me with a stick-insect.....*shudder!!* they're so....sticky and ugly!!

It's a Brown Recluse, or so the pic says. Don't know who he is....my brother sent it from UK a while back.

Pixie

2nd February 2006, 09:42

That'll teach me for helping one out!
It wasn't the spider that was crying "help me,help me".It was the fly with the human head,trapped in it's web.

Hitcher

2nd February 2006, 09:47

Hey Goblin...is that one of the huntsmen?
No, that's not a Huntsman spider.

MidnightMike

2nd February 2006, 09:53

No, that's not a Huntsman spider.
This here is though

ManDownUnder

2nd February 2006, 10:02

This here is though

I understand the Avondale Spider is actually a Huntsman (or very cloesly related). Blardy big things but quite harmless to humans.

On the White tail note, I looked up "First Aid" and "White Tail" and got "ring the hospital".

It must be a case of needing anti venom although their bites don't seem to be lethal... They just hurt a lot.

I find smacking them with a shovel does wonders

T.W.R

2nd February 2006, 10:37

theres a couple of pics of whitetails & a huntsman and a golden orb

those are female whitetails (the male is smaller & lightly built)
the huntsman is the common one, theres 93 varietys
Golden Orb is similar to one some woman had in her back yard in nelson last year, the web was 6ft+ in diameter :shit:

far queue

2nd February 2006, 10:41

You lot are really putting me off having lunch you know :wacko:

Colapop

2nd February 2006, 10:45

nO-ONE IS ASKING YA TO EAT THEM!

far queue

2nd February 2006, 10:47

nO-ONE IS ASKING YA TO EAT THEM!
Hokitika Wildfoods fest is coming up next month - might get the chance then maybe :puke:

Lou Girardin

2nd February 2006, 10:47

I've only seen one snake up close, a small Python, and it still gave me the creeps. There must be some primal response in humans to hate the bloody things.

Harry33

2nd February 2006, 10:48

I bet they would make a nice mess if you ran one over. Mind you they look so damn big you might bin yourself.

Ixion

2nd February 2006, 10:51

Snakes is actually quite pleasant to handle - sort of velvety. Still hate the damn things though. Snakes, wetass, and nasty spiders. Kill 'em all on site I say.

Blackbird

2nd February 2006, 11:04

Aaargh - bad rep points deserved. Wetas are great - a national icon:ar15:

Colapop

2nd February 2006, 11:08

Good thing about snakes is that you're not likely to get one in the face while you're riding along (hopefully)

Hey Hitcher have you got the article you alluded to last night? From the Dom Post? I don't have a paper or half an arse to find it!

Sniper

2nd February 2006, 11:09

boo hoo you guys dont know how lucky you got it.............. Snip

Im with Smorgen. I grew up in South Africa where almost everything was out to get you (according to the hypocondriac I work with). I enjoyed living with snakes, spiders, geckos, legavaans and all sorts or weird creatures whose sole purpouse was to eat you.

I still have never been bitten and am always amazed at the peopl who say, "Look how big this whitetail is! Its almost as big as a 50c coin!" Wow, man, I can hoik a loogie bigger that that (Not that I would) but really.

Anyway to answer the question, no Im not fussed on the little bastards in my gear. If I get bitten, I will squash them and then suck the poison out, tie a tournique above the bite and wait for my arm to rot off.

Sniper

2nd February 2006, 11:13

Aren't you glad we don't have these critters in NZ. I had one many years ago, the bites were impressive as one of my mates found out.

Go the camel spider

pritch

2nd February 2006, 11:18

While overseas I twice had snakes in my bed (kraits both times). I lived for some months within 2 feet of an eight foot king cobra but had assumed, on the basis of no evidence whatsoever, that it was a python. I guess we couldn't face the alternative (we could hear the snake but not see it).

So after years of living in places where most of the plants have spines and even the caterpillars burn you I was pleased to return to Kiwiland where the flora and fauna are generally benign.

It came as quite a shock to me when I found the first white tail in the house, it sort of burst my little security bubble.

In town here now we have both types of Katapo, whitetails and there have been redbacks at the Port end of town for years.

Charlie

2nd February 2006, 11:18

GROSS! I'm not fond of ANYTHING smaller than a cat. I always have fly spray on hand and I dont just give a quick squirt and walk away. I drown the little beggers and dont leave till I know its dead. (Hmmmm, one day I'll have a terrifying bug story and I might just regret that....)
My only horror story is a minor one. I had a bee fly down my top while cycling along. Almost crashed while thrashing about trying to get it out. Yip got stung!

Snakes ick me out too. Only encounter with one was after being in Aussie 10min. Drove out of Brisbane Airport and one scootered across the road right infront of our car. Eeeik! Was told by my mates you dont drive over them cause they flick up in your wheel arch and hang on till you stop...
Think they just know me too well and were winding me up!

Hitcher

2nd February 2006, 11:30

Hey Hitcher have you got the article you alluded to last night? From the Dom Post? I don't have a paper or half an arse to find it!
Succeeded in keeping it out of the media. Dubious snake sighting in Lower Hutt. Sniffer dogs (not Beagles) currently at work. Consultant herpetologist thinks it's probably a skink...

Oakie

2nd February 2006, 11:36

I've only seen one snake up close, a small Python, and it still gave me the creeps. There must be some primal response in humans to hate the bloody things.

It is .. it is! I remember seeing something on TV about it last year. Humans have a hardwired fear of snakes. Doesn't explain why kids go and play with them though does it. Hmmm.

Sniper

2nd February 2006, 11:38

Used to keep a variety of snakes and never worried about them. Spent a few weeks in hospital after grabbing a snake before Id'ing it. Never made me fearful of them

Oakie

2nd February 2006, 11:48

I was doing something on the computer at home a few weeks back when I heard a small noise beside me. Something like a plastic paperclip landing on the desk. Looked over and there was a big whitetail strolling across the desk. Yes to make a noise on landing (from the ceiling I guess) it had to be a reasonable size.

When I worked at Mount Cook (the mountain, not the suburb) a few years ago I remember hearing one of the guys saying that he was cleaning his room one day when the biggest spider he'd ever seen ran across the wooden floor. He reckoned he could actually hear it's footsteps as it scuffled across. (Of course Mt Cook ... the Hermitage Hotel to be precise ... was famous for it's staff's use of mind altering substances so perhaps he only thought he heard it)

Sniper

2nd February 2006, 11:50

Was it almost as big as a 50c coin?

(pt)

sAsLEX

2nd February 2006, 12:12

, whitetails and there have been redbacks at the Port end of town for years.

Dads had snakes in the filters at work down at the power station, they were going to bash one on the head with a stick, but called doc who informed them it was rather dangerous and they were lucky it was groogy from the cold.

Oakie

2nd February 2006, 13:12

Was it almost as big as a 50c coin?

(pt)

Dunno but he admitted he was scared of spiders so I guess you can draw your own conclusion. I mean, I was horribly disapointed when I saw the spider the other day that my daughter described as 'huge'. Was probably 10 cents including the legspan.
I suppose the size of the spider is in direct proportion to your fear of them.

Macktheknife

2nd February 2006, 18:32

I had the experience of living in the great west island of NZ, (oz) and was there for just 6 years. In that time I had meetings with 7 types of snakes and found that I actually like snakes! I also got bitten 5 times by poisonous spiders, the first one was a wolf spider and I was asleep in my bed, not for long. The golden orb spider is a bird catcher and webs are regularly found over 8 feet in diameter, (it is also difficult to run through the webs)
The worst one was the last one, a funnelweb in mating season (the become very aggressive) I was bitten on the ankle and it ended up the size of my thigh in a few hours. I was taken to hospital with a fever of 105 and spent 17 hours there with double dose of anti-venom. the anti venom is actually very unpleasant all by itself, feels like a thousand needles trying to poke their way OUT of your skin.
I dont like spiders. (but apparently they like me plenty)
I even met some nice australians while I was there too.

Kornholio

2nd February 2006, 20:40

spider cat frog spider deer moose

Toast

2nd February 2006, 20:48

Nope. I'm not really a feared o' snakes - haven't had experience with 'em so I can't say. But if the buggers can survive here then there's all sorts other bad shit that can.

Wait 'til you come face to face with a real-deal rattlesnake...I saw one in New Mexico once...that whole day, whenever a twig or something touched my leg I bolted 20m...slimy, freaky, creepy little mo'fo's...

NordieBoy

2nd February 2006, 20:58

I remember wearing an open face helmet a number of years ago and hitting a bee. The damn thing shot down the side of the helmet and into my ear :eek5: Quite impressive how quick I managed stop and whip that helmet off. I didn't get stung or anything, but it's one those moments I still remember quite clearly.
Same but a wasp...

Tis amazing how quickly you can stop.

NordieBoy

2nd February 2006, 21:01

Meanie

2nd February 2006, 21:15

NordieBoy

2nd February 2006, 21:15

Im with Smorgen. I grew up in South Africa where almost everything was out to get you (according to the hypocondriac I work with). I enjoyed living with snakes, spiders, geckos, legavaans and all sorts or weird creatures whose sole purpouse was to eat you.
Just spent December over in SA and saw...
3 monkeys.
2 baboons.
1 tortise.
cows.
horses.
birds.
mosquitoes.
flys.
3 hornets.
Pod of 25 dolphins.

Oh and lots of tanned wimmin in bikini's.

BarryG

3rd February 2006, 08:41

Well, I've seen lots of little pale scorpions here, but they always seem to be going the other way, and as far as I know, they don't bite (much). But over Christmas, a group of us were down in the Keys, and my mate was handing out presents, jumped back with a squawk flailing his hand around, and jumped on a black scorpion about 2" long! It had nailed him on the hand three times before he realised what was going on. We called 911 to see what to do, they put us through to the local hospital, who said 'not much, it's a sting but not poisonous'. It hurt like hell for a few hours, his arm tingled all day, but no long term effects. I reckon all the alcohol being consumed as an antidote took care of it:mellow: But it was a worry knowing they were around. We all shook out our shoes and clothes in the morning, believe me.

As a teenager in South Africa, we'd go out and catch poisonous snakes for the snake farms. I don't remember how much they gave us for each one, but it was a way of making pocket money. I think I bought my first 50cc moped with the proceeds. I think all we had was a sack and a pair of leather work gloves. What were we thinking!

I see a few snakes around here, had one wrap itself into the spokes of my bicycle wheel once, which was a scare. Must be I'm older.

Cheers
Barry