ARACHNOPHOBIA TRIGGER WARNING
It's summer in Australia, and that means spiders — some deadly — are invading people's homesAustralian summer is in full bloom and people, restless from the winter COVID-19 lockdowns, have eagerly ventured out onto the pavements, beaches and parks to enjoy the sunshine.
© Provided by National Post
A Sydney resident posted a photo of baby huntsman spiders crowding the corner of a wall in her friend's house.
But arachnid experts have warned Sydney residents to watch where they step after warm weather and rainfall brought out deadly male funnel web spiders in homes across the city.
These spiders, which are especially active in the evening, are dangerous, experts told The Daily Mail . A spider bite, without an antivenom, can kill a person in a matter of minutes to three days . They can be found near or inside the house, within laundry baskets, inside clothes, shoes or even underwater, where they can survive for 48 hours.
“If you are bitten by a male funnel web and you don’t get antivenom you will die. There’s a 100 per cent fatality rate for an untreated envenomation,” Jake Meney, a spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park, which runs the nations’s antivenom program told The Daily Mail.
Meney added that before they were able to obtain the antivenom, two people who had been bitted by a male funnel web spider had died — one was an adult who died in 75 minutes and the second, a toddler, died in 15 minutes.
But arachnid experts have warned Sydney residents to watch where they step after warm weather and rainfall brought out deadly male funnel web spiders in homes across the city.
These spiders, which are especially active in the evening, are dangerous, experts told The Daily Mail . A spider bite, without an antivenom, can kill a person in a matter of minutes to three days . They can be found near or inside the house, within laundry baskets, inside clothes, shoes or even underwater, where they can survive for 48 hours.
“If you are bitten by a male funnel web and you don’t get antivenom you will die. There’s a 100 per cent fatality rate for an untreated envenomation,” Jake Meney, a spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park, which runs the nations’s antivenom program told The Daily Mail.
Meney added that before they were able to obtain the antivenom, two people who had been bitted by a male funnel web spider had died — one was an adult who died in 75 minutes and the second, a toddler, died in 15 minutes.
© Getty Images A male funnel web spider is pictured on a wall. These spiders are deadly, experts say, and without, and a bite without antivenom can kill a person in hours.
“Funnel web spiders are not something to muck around with,” he said.
But if you’re courageous enough, do try to catch the spiders and donate them to the program, he said . Their spider park has only a few funnel web spiders, which means they rely on spiders donated by the public so they can milk them for their antivenom.
“If you are an adult and feel safe to do so, please catch the funnel webs using a big glass jar and keeping your hands away from the spider, coax the spider into the jar and bring it to us or one of our drop-off points,” Meney said, adding that the organization had posted videos on their social media channels and website tutoring the brave on how to safely catch the spiders and where to drop them.
“You will literally be helping us save lives.”
The antivenom program, the only one of its kind in Australia, will need around 200 male funnel web spiders, Meney said. The male Sydney funnel web spider is the second-most poisonous spider in the world after the Brazilian wandering spider, which is found in North America.
So, for everyone saying it's Photoshopped, here is her actual video. pic.twitter.com/2Zcro0nra7— 💧 Petie R 🇦🇺🌟🦄🌱🌈🌏 (@PrinPeta) January 28, 2021
Last week, Sydney residents discovered hordes of baby huntsman spiders in their homes, as part of the summer spider boom. Pictures posted on social media showed hundreds of the dark, hairy spiders lining the walls of a room and hiding behind clothes hanging in a closet.
Huntsman spiders, unlike their funnel web counterparts, are harmless, experts said. They also have poor eyesight and aren’t aggressive towards humans. They’re cannibalistic, one expert told The Daily Mail , and often disperse quickly after they’ve hatched, to avoid being eaten by their siblings.
“There’s probably only enough food for one huntsman in each house,” Dr. Lizzie Lowe told The Daily Mail.
“Funnel web spiders are not something to muck around with,” he said.
But if you’re courageous enough, do try to catch the spiders and donate them to the program, he said . Their spider park has only a few funnel web spiders, which means they rely on spiders donated by the public so they can milk them for their antivenom.
“If you are an adult and feel safe to do so, please catch the funnel webs using a big glass jar and keeping your hands away from the spider, coax the spider into the jar and bring it to us or one of our drop-off points,” Meney said, adding that the organization had posted videos on their social media channels and website tutoring the brave on how to safely catch the spiders and where to drop them.
“You will literally be helping us save lives.”
The antivenom program, the only one of its kind in Australia, will need around 200 male funnel web spiders, Meney said. The male Sydney funnel web spider is the second-most poisonous spider in the world after the Brazilian wandering spider, which is found in North America.
So, for everyone saying it's Photoshopped, here is her actual video. pic.twitter.com/2Zcro0nra7— 💧 Petie R 🇦🇺🌟🦄🌱🌈🌏 (@PrinPeta) January 28, 2021
Last week, Sydney residents discovered hordes of baby huntsman spiders in their homes, as part of the summer spider boom. Pictures posted on social media showed hundreds of the dark, hairy spiders lining the walls of a room and hiding behind clothes hanging in a closet.
Huntsman spiders, unlike their funnel web counterparts, are harmless, experts said. They also have poor eyesight and aren’t aggressive towards humans. They’re cannibalistic, one expert told The Daily Mail , and often disperse quickly after they’ve hatched, to avoid being eaten by their siblings.
“There’s probably only enough food for one huntsman in each house,” Dr. Lizzie Lowe told The Daily Mail.
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