Caught a white tail spider

**skidMark** · 20th January 2009, 22:45

Originally Posted by Max Preload

Just be thankful we don't have the Brown Recluse...

reminds me of jrandom's hand surgery.

**jrandom** · 20th January 2009, 22:46

Originally Posted by Max Preload

Just be thankful we don't have the Brown Recluse...

Ah yes, that photo. See http://www.snopes.com/photos/bugs/brownrecluse.asp.

You'll note that the guy who had that wound in the photo was a medical lecturer of some sort, and put the effects down to an MRSA infection, which may or may not have been secondary to an actual spider bite. (The bite could have been from something else entirely.)

**Tank** · 20th January 2009, 22:54

Tough bad ass bikers find a spider..

**The Stranger:Me** · 20th January 2009, 23:00

Originally Posted by skidMark

Can carry flesh eating diseases etc,

Yeah, that's exactly the thing those articles say they don't carry.

**jrandom** · 20th January 2009, 23:08

Originally Posted by The Stranger

Yeah, that's exactly the thing those articles say they don't carry.

I'd say MRSA pretty much counts as a flesh-eating disease.

**Slyer** · 20th January 2009, 23:24

I just spent over an hour on wikipedia reading about different spiders. Thanks guys...

**MaxB** · 21st January 2009, 00:33

My white tail bite count is two. Once inside a glove and once on the upper arm. They didn't make it out alive. I also have a "bitten by unkown insect" event while in the west coast sand dunes. Also on the arm. That one hurt like hell.

Each time I ended up at the docs and got pills but I would agree that it can affect people differently.

My first bite experience turned into a bit of a joke. White tails were new to the country back then so I went to the A&E clinic with it in a jam jar. The doc had never seen one before, so to be on the safe side I got a bag full of pills and creams. It was the weekend so I paid top dollar. I got bitten and stung that weekend.

**JMemonic** · 21st January 2009, 04:41

While you are on the subject look up MRSA, its possible that the bite is not the cause of the infection, just the catalyst.

As to whitetails nasty aggressive buggers, and we will import more nasties with the dropping standards, sure MAF want us to do our part but lowering the funding with less work being done at the points where these things come in, it might well be to late in some cases as it is with Varroa, if you are interested have a look at http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests/registers/uor

**Owl** · 21st January 2009, 05:41

Originally Posted by Katman

There's a theory that their bite is so severe because they feed on Daddy Long Legs (which supposedly have venom as bad as just about anything else out there).

Urban Legend Katman!

**fatzx10r** · 21st January 2009, 05:55

Originally Posted by Katman

There's a theory that their bite is so severe because they feed on Daddy Long Legs (which supposedly have venom as bad as just about anything else out there).

na man, you've been hearing to many campfire stories

**sinfull** · 21st January 2009, 06:11

Originally Posted by Max Preload

Just be thankful we don't have the Brown Recluse...

Originally Posted by skidMark

reminds me of jrandom's hand surgery.

Sure i read a post on here re the recluse and how they have found them to be here now !

**cave weta** · 21st January 2009, 07:15

Originally Posted by sinfull

Sure i read a post on here re the recluse and how they have found them to be here now !

Yes- about a year ago I recieved a series of those photos showing the day by day deterioration of the guys hand. the email said that they are now here and to beware of them - fuckin Aussies.

Originally Posted by jrandom

I have a year-old 1cm-diameter scar from a whitetail bite on my right foot. Happened while I was sitting in the lounge watching telly.

Just last week I was doing the same, bare foot watching telly and I saw a movement on the floor- a 2.5cm whitetail rushing at my foot. so I scrambled up and stood on the couch as it ran under.

couldnt find flyspray quick enough so I nailed it with tyre silicone. it had a lovely finish!

**PrincessBandit** · 21st January 2009, 07:28

Thank goodness for Robocan!

I destest spiders (and flies). Get a lot of white tails out in the shade house out the back and often found them in our rabbit/guinea pig hutches. Never seemed to bother them.
Best spider is a dead spider.

**nallac** · 21st January 2009, 07:30

shit, white tails are more common around here than daddy long legs are..
kill a couple everyday.

I Sprayed around the front door and a side window a couple of months ago,
went back about 20 mins later and there would've at least 25 of the suckers dead....