White tail spiders.

[Familyofmonkeys]

Hence why we only have light coloured bedding - easier to spot them!

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong - but I had heard that the bites in Oz are worse because of the diets of the white-tails there - i.e more poisonous prey?

Aparently the species in Australia are different to the ones in NZ.

http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/re...white_tail.asp

This Australian spider was first recorded in NZ in 1886, at Waiwera, Auckland. It is believed that it came into the country with early colonists and is now well established throughout the North Island. Another species Lampona cylindrata (Koch.L) is also known from Nelson and has recently been found in Christchurch.

For many years the White-tailed spider was thought to be just the one species Lampona cylindrata but a recent revision of Australasian Lamponidae found that there were 61 species in Australia and just the two mentioned here occur in New Zealand.

[kanatakiwi]

Hate to be the one with the bad news story.... but my kiwi husband (who thinks all us emigres with our spider concerns are big wusses) got bitten by one when gardening. He ignored it, just a welt on his hand, but it got bigger and then there was the red vein up the arm and swollen arm. He went to the doc, got antibiotics and told to keep the arm in a sling with the hand up (presumably this keeps the venom from travelling up the arm?) anyway being a man, he continued gardening cleanup , which meant his hand was not in the sling, and 2 days later he was back getting intravenous antibiotics (2 courses) and they had a very hard time getting it under control. At one point they were talking about hospitalizing him to put him on a continuous drip of antibiotics. So my message is, maybe you won't have a reaction but be very vigilent and if you get bitten seek treatment soon if needed and treat it seriously. the whole thing was very scary, especially when the doctor said "If we don't get this under control you could lose your arm"

[Leccy-Lee]

OMG.. (books flight home to UK)
i aint even afriad of spiders, but after reading this thread i think i am now, espiecally the bedding malarky! ARGGHH gunna buy a hammock now!

I never ever seen a spider at home since i been here, is this good or bad? /gulp

[SNK05]

OMG.....I HATE spiders and freak at the sight of the big hairy house spider here in the UK...OH has to get 'em! Ok, so I'm not quite that bad, I don't actually 'freak'...but I have to say, I'm with Anneliese and Moorf!!

[Myrkk]

I didn't realise there were any dangerous animals in NZ and I love spiders, terrible for picking them up and chucking them outdoors. Perhaps I'll invest in one of those spider picking up thingies before we move over

[thezorbster]

Had our first yesterday! It is now an ex white tail spider. Now totally paranoid and inspect every room as I walk in. Ugghhhhhh!

[granger]

I've yet to see one!

[Jo Jo]

My mother-in-law was bitten by one last week. She has a very large, red mark on her tummy - about 7 cm in diameter - and has been given antibiotics by the doctor.

[nippa&pippa]

My OH burst out laughing at me wear socks over bottom of my track suit bottom today. I pointed out I don't want white tail spider jump and climb up inside while doing gardening...
MIL overheard this and she didn't know about this but she wore a short few days ago. She now wear trouser for gardening

[Leccy-Lee]

I had a a spider in my bedroom today that was about 1in long, two large front legs/tentacles etc, and a yellow/gold stripe down its back. Looked menancing to me! So i dispatched in a glass.

Any ideas (i did take a photo, put it up later)