a quick search has reveled the daddy long legs hunts and eats the red back, so do I have a daddy long legs shortage that has led to an increase in the redback population? Cant see a lot of daddy long legs around, can I import them?

It sounds like you have described my house Arancini.
A few weeks back my boy took a toy boat he plays with in the sandpit into the bath with him. He was playing away while I was washing him then I saw two red backs scurry up his back towards his head. I squashed them on his back and he just kept on playing. After realising that they must have come from the boat I looked inside the cabin and found two more! Big ones! Probably enough venom to kill my two year old! And they are all over around the outside of the house mainly on ground level. Look for a web with leaves covering it as the red backs hidie hole is in there somewhere.

Dawn Patrol said...

I HATE spiders. MORTEIN MORTEIN MORTEIN. Keep spraying them. And eventually they will decline. If you are worried about them health wise, they pose minimum threat. Maybe a sore arm. They can be more dangerous to young children or frail adults, but fatality is still unlikely.
But keep spraying, everything. Daddy long legs, redbacks, weird black ones, weird pale ones, all of them!
(and then spray some more)

hhehehehehw!talk about wifey any thing that spins a web will ruin your daygotta make sure it's deady

arancini said...

Large population of redbacks recently uncovered in back yard. Lots of em. In everything kids toys, under chairs, under table, in the garden, everywhere. Wondering why, cant remember ever seeing so many, is it because after finding a few I went looking? were they always there? Are the conditions perfect for red back reproduction?
Whats a predator of the redback? and where are mine? Where do I get them from. Seriously after purging the yard off 40 of the pests, after a week another 10 arrive. Should we move? Wer'e not that freaked out about spiders but the numbers seem unusual, our young bloke was clambering around under our bed with a torch and called out, "look Dad another one under here", and there was!
HELP please.

Maybe alter your username to Arachnacini

deltamethrin is good (cislin, insectigone) as are most of the synthetic pyrethroids. Good longterm activity inside and out but safe to pets and kids.
Of course, it isn't the greenest approach.

Dawn Patrol- HATE spiders. MORTEIN MORTEIN MORTEIN. Keep spraying them. And eventually they will decline. If you are worried about them health wise, they pose minimum threat. Maybe a sore arm. They can be more dangerous to young children or frail adults, but fatality is still unlikely.
But keep spraying, everything. Daddy long legs, redbacks, weird black ones, weird pale ones, all of them!
(and then spray some more)

Redback venom is a neurotoxin and can have mild to pretty serious symptoms - worst cases= paralysis. Dont be casual about these spiders.

My neice got bitten twice about 8 years ago (she was 20yr) and was so sick that the drs gave her 2 lots of antivenom and was in hospital for a while. They told her that the anti venom was pretty toxic too and she was Not to have any more for several years. Needless to say shes paranoid about them.

If you have a plague of these spiders and have kids Id be getting a proffessional Pest Controller in - they have the right chemicals and the public liability

We used to have stacks of them in our yard but I just spent a few weekends and a few cans of spray and went hunting. I'm sure they're still out there but in much reduced numbers. I found a surface spray that did a really good job. Sprayed it all around the house and found dead spiders days later. I'll check out the name of it tomorrow as its in the shed and there might be spiders in there

Now I just have to concentrate on the bloody snakes

mineral1 said...

monster said...

i use the lpg blow torch in the work shop

LMAO at you coment.
It reminded me of a visit I made to a mates house in one of our Northern Mining towns. The small entertainment area had these random scorch marks on the external walls. (lots )I asked his wife what caused the marks. He sheepishly replied "bloody spiders"
He had used a cig lighter and a propellant pack (non disclosed product, but its used on hard starting engines to give them a good kick) and had gone about scorching every one he could find.



Oh and yep I hate the bastards as well,(spiders) much to the great amusement of my mates at work, not to mention my wife who just cracks up when one happens to cross my path and she see's my reaction

I used to use the cig lighter and that same non-disclosed propellant to incinerate Huntsman spiders in my shed... until one of them ran behind a tin containing some paint brush restorer. I didn't notice the tin until I had ignited it. If spiders could laugh, I bet that one was.

Lucky I had a fire extunguisher in the shed also. That white powder makes a hellava mess, but not as bad as the alternative.

There is more stripy little buggers around this summer for sure and they seem better fed (larger) than usual too.

More humidity this summer? There seemed to be more flies around at the start of summer - coinkydink??

Found a huge fat momma and a sack of eggs under kiddy #2's ride on the other day. Not cool. Gonna check all their playthings this arvo.

I believe the natural enemy of redbacks is the australis safetybootis (common garden thong). Release one of these in your yard regularly and all will be right.

[quote australis safetybootis (common garden thong).

This must be a close relative of PNGis Safetybootis, found on all PNG mine and industrial sites.

geeze easty you do have a hard job if thats you looking for ore in your avata or were you looking for spiders

During sweeping of deck yesteday I gave the underside of our BBQ furniture a quick sweep with the broom. Bloody redbacks everywhere!!!
Get funky's cure seemed to be very effective, ozzie work boot worked a treat[}:)]

Havent seen the buggers around for ages, could be the bucket loads of rain Sydney has had??

graceman said...

And my whole family is dead scared of huntsmans which I pick up on my hand and chase them with, the bigger the better

You are one crazy man

The only problem with huntsmans when you are carrying them, is when they crawl or jump for the highest vantage point, your head or face.
Quick hands are the trick

I did have one get onto my ear and I had to flick her off (females are bigger) just didn't feel right

Bunch of sooks.

Redbacks are easy to spot. Look for a scratchy messy webs. they like being under wooden garden furniture at my place. A stick will kill the mothers (for that is what they are)

As for the other spiders, let them be. Daddy long legs wont hurt you, Hunstmen are great for keeping down the insect population - they make typical spiders webs

Redbacks and Funnel Webs (not too many of those in WA) are the ones to watch out for - let the rest live, they have a vital role in our ecosystem. Bit like snakes - except tigers maybe - live and let live

Spiders I like , but I hate Its the cockraoches that we get in WA. The wife can size 8 them, but I will run a mile. I wish the spiders would eat the bloody cockies.