I had a visitor!

[lchris21]

currently on holiday down under, visiting various places. came across this cheeky lady up in Port Douglas in NQLD.....i used the missus hand for scale, 18 inches away was the closest she'd get ......it was about the size of my hand
Saw the web first.....shimmering gold threads caught my eye, you can see it in the picture....It might give you a bit of nip but not deadly apparently.....
It was a female golden orb-weaver I later found out.

 

[pedrobedro]

We get some small bodied long legged things that are an absolute pain as they can spin webs like Spiderman. I walk up to the bathroom then coming back down get a face full of web. I don't mind the solid ones but these things get short shrift.

 

[Craig-S]

Hate the creepy sodding things. They scare the bejesus out of me and I’m unashamed to say, make me squeal like a little girl

most are but some arent, these little chaps are adorable and very intelligent. meet chester

 

[Morris]

We get some small bodied long legged things that are an absolute pain as they can spin webs like Spiderman. I walk up to the bathroom then coming back down get a face full of web. I don't mind the solid ones but these things get short shrift.

Sounds like Cellar Spiders. They can become a problem by sheer numbers. They like centrally heated homes and will eat house spiders. They lay their eggs on the web as they spin it, a vacuum cleaner is your friend for controlling them.

 

[MattF]

...I later found out.

So you put your missus close to it, before you knew what it was. Nice.

 

[MattF]

They like centrally heated homes

They love anywhere where they can thrive. The old ****house here is one example. They own that place.

 

[lchris21]

So you put your missus close to it, before you knew what it was. Nice.

A friendly local guide gave us the heads up before I sacrificed her........two females would have something in common I thought, plus they can eat males if they feel a little peckish

 

[Dapph2]

My workshop is full of spiders, many just as big and I generally leave them alone.

This one was in the cupboard where the radio and hifi live and he had build a huge web that covered the top of the cupboard.

View attachment 531117

Looks like he has been there a while by at least 2 discarded exoskeletons.

I had one in there before just as big and it filled the cupboard with webs. I kept removing them and it kept building them. He would always hide but eventually I introduced him to Henry and I have been web free until now.

I managed to capture this one and moved it to a different shed.

Don't understand what it lived on as there would not be many bugs or flies in that cupboard.

IIRC They eat fungi such as will be found in the muck on the white cable feeding the wall socket , smaller spiders from a different nest , blackfly eggs and silverfish eggs to mention but a few delicacies .

 

[Turbo]

6 of the biggest spiders in the UK: look for them in canals, gardens, ditches... and under your bed - Discover Wildlife

Don't be fooled in thinking large spiders live on exotic shores as the UK is home to a few giants..

www.discoverwildlife.com

Looks like my guest is a house spider.

 

[brightspark]

Your dog likes hands better

yea the little git should have batted it one id have clipped it if i had noticed

 

[indykid]

We get some small bodied long legged things that are an absolute pain as they can spin webs like Spiderman. I walk up to the bathroom then coming back down get a face full of web. I don't mind the solid ones but these things get short shrift.

Cellar spiders are the only ones I'll abide.

As above, they hunt house spiders and do a remarkable job. I can tolerate some wispy webs if I can't hear things running across the carpet.

 

[julianthegypsy]

Biggest one I ever saw was a bird eating spider, in East Timor. It was huge, but nowhere near us, so discretion being the better part of valour, and cowardice being the better part of discretion, we left it well alone in the middle of its huge Web between two trees.

 

[Morris]

Cellar spiders are the only ones I'll abide.

As above, they hunt house spiders and do a remarkable job. I can tolerate some wispy webs if I can't hear things running across the carpet.

That's ok until they start to get too comfy.
We had issues with them last summer, the population seemed to explode, they were in every nook and cranny and we had walls covered in wispy almost invisible webs. It took some time to get them under control.

 

[pedrobedro]

That's ok until they start to get too comfy.
We had issues with them last summer, the population seemed to explode, they were in every nook and cranny and we had walls covered in wispy almost invisible webs. It took some time to get them under control.

That's the problem we had. Every corner looked like something off the Adams Family and the cupboards were hanging.

 

[Morris]

That's the problem we had. Every corner looked like something off the Adams Family and the cupboards were hanging.

Yup, horrible.
A vacuum cleaner is your friend in this case. Unlike other spiders they lay their eggs on the silk as they produce it. Miss a web and the next generation is away. I find a small led torch very helpful.

 

[brightspark]

a quick run round with a powerful hair drier drops them or if its outside shed a blowtorch

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I'm surprised we haven't had an Australian member pipe up saying "You call that large !"

 

[Other Daniel]

I'm surprised we haven't had an Australian member pipe up saying "You call that large !"

I did mention the Huntsman, earlier.

 

[Kayos]

So you put your missus close to it, before you knew what it was. Nice.

The most effective control measure for any hazard is to remove the risk

Achieved in this case by using someone else's hand....

 

[MysterG]

Hate the creepy sodding things. They scare the bejesus out of me and I’m unashamed to say, make me squeal like a little girl

Me too. Luckily MrsG is happy to deal with them. Plastic cup and card or even bare hands at times

In return I have to move worms and slugs as she hates them