Yeeeargh! Look what I just saw in my garage...

Red Back Spider. It had decided to spin some of its web between the wall and my car, and it was hanging suspended about two feet off the ground - I almost walked into it.

The strange looking photo is a result of both the night vision and light function of my phone.
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Is that a black widow?

 

Certainly looks like one from this angle!!!!!

 

Yes, they are a member of the Widow (Latrodectus) family.

"The Red-Back Spider (Lactrodectus hasselti) can inflict a painful bite which can be fatal, especially to the young and elderly. An effective anti-venom was developed in 1956. About 250 people receive the anti-venom each year.

Only a small amount of venom can cause serious illness, as the poison attacks the nervous system. Systemic envenomisation usually results in headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, pyrexia, hypertension and in severe cases, paralysis.

The pain around the bite area can be excruciating. First aid and medical attention (ambulance) should be sought as soon as possible, if bitten."

 

Did you kill it?????

 

We've seen widows before in our garage. Just spray 'em or smash 'em.

RMX

 

I love Australia, but couldnt live there i would be a nervous wreck.

 

KILL, KILL, KILL !!!

(god bless we do not have such monsters in germany)

 

Nope.

 

WHY not??????
Its even big enough for the BBQ

 

Really? Any reason why? I'd have gone Homer Simpson and burned down the house trying to kill the spider (not that I should be bragging)...just not a big fan of any spiders, particularly ones that are nasty. Guy I know down here got a brown recluse to the cheek, thought it was a tooth abscess and let it go for over a week...ended up having to spend a couple weeks in the hospital, had loss of vision, not pretty at all.

 

It's bad luck to kill a spider. Didn't any of you guys read "Huckleberry Finn?"

I've got a cute little guy who has taken up residence in my bathroom, been there for the best part of a week:
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You have a chrome spider?

 

Well done You are my hero! I Love Homer Simpson, always great advices

 

Wow, looks like he felt in love with his spider and PIMPED him to chrome - way cool

 

if it wasnt for bad luck I'd have no luck-------SMASH THE CRAP OUT OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

That was my second favorite episode...favorite episode was "The Cartridge Family" where Homer buys a gun from "Bloodbath and Beyond"

If you didn't kill the spider did you just let it lay in wait for your cat to walk by?

 

LOL, yes another all time classic "Bloodbath and Beyond"

 

He's not chrome, black and white stripes...here he is hanging out with some chrome; see the difference?
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I generally leave spiders alone, unless they happen to take up residence in an area that could possibly leave me walking directly into their web. Seeing as how it's usually going to get messy (or if it's impossible to get to them) I've taken up the habit of spraying them and the web with adhesive.. they can't immediately scurry away and it's super easy to clean up the web (once it dries).

Or you can just leave it as some sort of weird modern art piece..

 

Or do what I did when I was a kid, pick them up and drop them in the neighbor's yard.

 

I hate spiders! I would have killed that thing so fast! When I first moved into the house that I'm in now, there were so many spiders... I had one on my bed one night next to my head one night... lol This house was a POS when we started renting it... It had a Bee Hive in the wall too... haha

I'm just glad there arent many poisonous Spiders around here

 

I would leave in alone and purchase a large "BEWARE OF SPIDER" sign for your garage or fence to scare off intruders. At least you didn't find a taipan, brown or any of the other fun snakes you have over there in your garage.

 

Dude, don't buy a boat....all we do in the springtime is kill spiders.

 

I swear to ****ing god i would pass out if i saw something like that in my house.