A Long Standing Australian Tradition... The Dunny Spider!

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: A Long Standing Australian Tradition... The Dunny Spider!

I killed off a few Brown Recluse spiders a few weeks ago. Other, little, non-poisonous ones are not hunted down, but they are escorted outside.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: A Long Standing Australian Tradition... The Dunny Spider!

As I suspected, Tovarish the raft spider has indeed been subletting. Last night I discovered his large brother, now named Stalin. Unlike Tovarish, Stalin has the full quota of 8 legs (I think Tovarish lost one when our clock fell off the wall into his corner last month). Stalin simply has to go outside. I cannot co-exist with him, he is very quiet but, well, menacing.

[Rae'ya]

Re: A Long Standing Australian Tradition... The Dunny Spider!

As I suspected, Tovarish the raft spider has indeed been subletting. Last night I discovered his large brother, now named Stalin. Unlike Tovarish, Stalin has the full quota of 8 legs (I think Tovarish lost one when our clock fell off the wall into his corner last month). Stalin simply has to go outside. I cannot co-exist with him, he is very quiet but, well, menacing.

Obviously spiders like toilets! I'm glad we aren't the only ones with named bugs in our house.

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1.5-2 inches!? You call that little!? I agree with Doc. You Australians are badass. I would freak out. I am horrified of spiders.

Huntsmans can get quite big... like 6-8 inches including legs... so ours is only little. They are also really docile and almost never bite people, so they are considered harmless. They usually sit around on the walls but sometimes will get under piles of clothing or stuff left on the floor. They are generally pretty innocuous and mind their own business.

When I was a kid my parents almost never evicted Huntsmans from the house. One year we obviously had a female, who managed to hide her eggsac from us. My parents had baby spiders all over their bedroom roof for a few days!
L

[Arella]

Re: A Long Standing Australian Tradition... The Dunny Spider!

I killed off a few Brown Recluse spiders a few weeks ago. Other, little, non-poisonous ones are not hunted down, but they are escorted outside.

Brown Recluse spiders were the ones getting into bed with me. Very scary. I moved bedrooms (thankfully there was a spare bedroom for me to move to).

Huntsmans can get quite big... like 6-8 inches including legs...

Yeah, this is the reason I'm never traveling to Australia (well, that and the fact that you couldn't pay me to get on a plane).

[Heka]

Spiders (and most solitary, non flying bugs) don't bother unless
1) they surprise me
2) are taking up residence somewhere inconvenient
3) they investigate something I plan to eat

bees, hornets, wasps, anything with wings and a stinger however is not my friend.

Thats about me. As long as I'm not startled by them, we're good.

Same deal with snakes.

[loststarshine]

Re: A Long Standing Australian Tradition... The Dunny Spider!

Brown recluse spider tried to cuddly with me in bed. My uncle raised our foundation so crickets moved in the the spider infestation. I wanted to claim the living as my new room after the spiders moved in.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: A Long Standing Australian Tradition... The Dunny Spider!

The largest spider we ever had in our house - another of the same species as Tovarish and Stalin - was before we moved here. He was on the ceiling of our front room and all other spiders are measured against him and found wanting in size. We named him 'The Great Alfredo.'