Spiders...how big an issue is this really?

[kittyohara]

Hi fellow poms,

My bloke is terrified of spiders and this is one of the things he frequently throws up in our oz discussions. Whilst I've showed him tons of statistics that show the amount of people actually bitten and the much smaller statistic of fatalities, he's still not convinced. So I wondered if any of you lot actually living in QLD could tell me how frequently you encounter the little critters. His concern is more of finding one in the house rather than actually being attacked by one. If you have come across a huntsman (his least favourite arachnid) or any other of Australia's delightfully leggy creatures could you tell me where it was and if you're living in a house in the suburbs, a flat in the city, a floating houseboat, etc?

Thanks guys!
Kitty

[fish.01]

So I guess you have shown him the stats that say no-one has died from a bite for more than 30 years.

I checked with my wife and she reckons she has seen 2 huntsman in this house...we have been in this house 18 months. It is a wood and tin roofed queenslander house in the inner city. Our last house was similar and the one before that was a brick and tile in the suburbs and it had a similar amount of sightings as well. Sometimes you go for a year without seeing one and then sometimes you see 2 in a week. An annual professional house insect treatment is not that expensive if finding minimum insects is important to him.

My wife has been in Australia 10 years now and she hardly cares about huntsman anymore. When they do nothing to you for so long you tend to realise the worry was all overblown. You don't even need to remove them and they are actually helpful as they prey on other insects.

I'm an Aussie and I haven't touched, dealt with or done anything with a huntsman in decades. No situation has arisen for me in that time where I have needed to be involved with them at all. Worst would be moving something in the garage and one scoots off somewhere. That's it for me.

[kittyohara]

Thanks, hopefully that should reassure him a bit. I told him I would sweep the house on a daily basis if that's what it takes!

Now I just need to work on his jellyfish fear....*sigh*

[srp]

I have been here for nearly 3 years, I have seen one huntsman and that was not in my home. I think I have seen fewer spiders here than I did in the UK, you can barrier spray your home if you get worried and you should be relatively spider free.

[kittyohara]

Oh that's good to hear, thanks. He's still not convinced but I'm hoping against hope that when we do our reccy next year we won't see a single one. I think he's got this idea that Australia is like the end scene in Arachnaphobia!!

Thanks guys

[OpenHouseRealtyGroup]

I've been in Queensland for almost five years now and seen only one huntsman, in the garden shed. I left it there as it keeps the deadly snakes at bay (just kidding!).
Spiders aren't really a problem indoors and they are rather useful as they rid you of flies and mozzies. But if you definitely can't stand their presence, for about $200 per year you can have a pest control service that will come to "sanitise" the whole house and garden, and most of them will come back on demand (with a delay of 6 weeks between visits) for no extra fee at all.

Hope this helps!

Philippe, for
Open House Realty Group