Slice of Life Story - A Great Summer for Spiders

It has been a hot and unusually humid summer in my home state of Victoria, Australia this year. One of the less pleasing outcomes of this humidity has been the increased population of spiders, particularly the highly dangerous Red-back spider!

The Red-back spider is native to Australia. It resembles a Black widow spider, found throughout the world. The female is easily recognizable by its black body with prominent red stripe on the back of its abdomen. Red-backs are considered one of the most dangerous spiders in Australia.

Red-back spiders are usually found in sheltered places outdoors. Underneath children’s play equipment, lawnmowers and beneath steps are places where I have found these awful arachnids in the past.


Apart from red-backs, other smaller spiders, have been creating a continuing mass of webs all around our house. I remove them one day and the next day, I have to repeat the task. Rarely do I spot the spiders responsible for these web sights, but they are sorely testing my patience. Each day our front gate is festooned with silken webs giving it the appearance of abandonment. It’s like living in the Adams family home!
I find myself willing cool autumn days to arrive.

Comments

  1. Denise6 March 2010 at 02:27

    Your post gave me the willies. Red-back spiders, ew! It didn't help that I went and googled images.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bonnie K6 March 2010 at 13:06

    I am looking everywhere now for something crawling, UGH!
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete

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