Spiders in the garden

[maddie]

I have a Spiny Backed Orbweaver that has made a web on my aloe vera plant. Their bites are harmless to humans ,so he can stay there until we move house.
He looks like this stock photo.

He looks very interesting almost like an alien space craft. Wow! I wish I had some spiders like that out here.. I would photograph him all day!

 

[dconklin]

He looks very interesting almost like an alien space craft. Wow! I wish I had some spiders like that out here.. I would photograph him all day!

I am not usually afraid of spiders (tho I don't exactly want to touch them either) but I am not sure I would want this one here. He looks a bit scary

 

[ChanellG]

I've been bitten twice, once by some kind of brown spider and once by something I thought was a large ant, but the skin reaction was more like a spider bite. The brown one just made me itch - but the bite occurred while I was driving! I was crossing the river at the time and felt a little prick. When I reached to scratch what I thought was just an itch, the spider scurried out!

I was on my way to swim and somehow it had made it's way under the edge of my suit near the shoulder strap. Fortunately, nothing really happened other than the skin itching, but it continued to itch for weeks afterward. The second bite, on my ankle (I was in a small park the size of a city block), caused necrosis and took ages to heal. It was a few years ago, but I still have a scar.

 

[dconklin]

I've been bitten twice, once by some kind of brown spider and once by something I thought was a large ant, but the skin reaction was more like a spider bite. The brown one just made me itch - but the bite occurred while I was driving! I was crossing the river at the time and felt a little prick. When I reached to scratch what I thought was just an itch, the spider scurried out!

I was on my way to swim and somehow it had made it's way under the edge of my suit near the shoulder strap. Fortunately, nothing really happened other than the skin itching, but it continued to itch for weeks afterward. The second bite, on my ankle (I was in a small park the size of a city block), caused necrosis and took ages to heal. It was a few years ago, but I still have a scar.

Some spider bites can definitely be worse then others! They have a tendency to bruise more too. My cousin broke her windshield one time because she saw a spider when she was driving. But she did get the spider before she got bitten Of course at the expense of a windshield!

Tho many spiders are not poisonous and we do not run a big risk of being bitten, when a spider does bite we need to keep an eye on the bite. Usually it won't cause a bad reaction, but it can.

I got bitten by one that must of crawled into my favorite bathrobe so when I put it on after a shower, I got bit on the leg. Fortunately that one didn't cause any kind of reaction. Just a pinch during the bite and then a little itchy after.

 

[passingcat]

I have a Spiny Backed Orbweaver that has made a web on my aloe vera plant. Their bites are harmless to humans ,so he can stay there until we move house.
He looks like this stock photo.

Wow! You are very brave for allowing this scary spider to reside in your garden! I'm from the United Kingdom so we rarely get any terrifying spiders, unless they sneak through international shipping, inside a bunch of bananas. Some of our house spiders are quite big, but they can't bite. He is a very smart looking spider. Hopefully he will eat any insects that may try to attack and eat your plant!

 

[Jed]

There's a spider in Australia which has been unjustly killed as it's believed that they cause infection and in some cases, limbs having to be removed.
The spider is locally called the white tail and is an active hunter not making a web but searches around for its prey. Any signs of infection from bites of any kind should be checked by a doctor.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/06/1091732056941.html

 

[TheBrit]

Agree with you dconklin. It does seem though that many people are allergic to many types of what we would term "ordinary" insect bites. My old next-door neighbour was very allergic to all bites including the basic mosquito. If bitten on the ankle her leg invariably swelled up to the knee and she would have to use crutches until the ant-histimin tablets kicked in. Luckily for me a bite is just a bite, small irritating spot that lasts for a few days.

 

[claudine]

I'm pretty sure that I developed an allergy to mosquito bites. In the past, the bitten area on my skin was just a little itchy and it lasted for no more than a few hours. Now, it lasts for weeks and it looks really terrible.
Maybe I have an allergy, maybe mosquitoes have become more nasty, who knows
Fortunately, I've never been bitten by a spider.