What spiders are these?

Indigogirl said:
Not so - my boys are both younger than 10 - they are being taught to respect all insects too - and to be careful. Humans are so much more dangerous than spiders.
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I tried teaching that to my 1 yr old... he wouldn't listen. So now I doom every spider I see.
 
From The Spider Club Of South Africa

Unfortunately through myths, legends and nowadays media, spiders have gained a reputation for being dangerous and harmful, and in some people instil a psychological fear known as Arachnophobia. In reality very few are dangerous to man and media reports exaggerating the dangers of spider bites are far out of proportion to the actual threat they pose.

NO recorded deaths in the last 5 decades in South Africa from spider bites.
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Rubberpigg said:
From The Spider Club Of South Africa
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Thank you!

In those 5 decades - humans have killed many billions of spiders.

Some people, fearing what they do not understand, immediately react by killing (worse still by squirting pesticides) rather than by seeking to understand the creatures. It is a desperate tragedy.

We have no need for pesticides in our home and garden - spiders, ladybeetles, mantids and wasps, etc. keep all the pesky critters under control. If spiders freak you out - then learn about them, find out about how they live and what role they play in a balanced ecology. Killing them is a pathetic and "girls' blouse" (courtesy of HapticSimian) response to something that you are too lazy to try to understand.
 
Indigogirl said:
Thank you!

In those 5 decades - humans have killed many billions of spiders.

Some people, fearing what they do not understand, immediately react by killing (worse still by squirting pesticides) rather than by seeking to understand the creatures. It is a desperate tragedy.

We have no need for pesticides in our home and garden - spiders, ladybeetles, mantids and wasps, etc. keep all the pesky critters under control. If spiders freak you out - then learn about them, find out about how they live and what role they play in a balanced ecology. Killing them is a pathetic and "girls' blouse" (courtesy of HapticSimian) response to something that you are too lazy to try to understand.
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I think I love you...

More seriously though, if there is one sound that cuts through worse than rave music it is the sound of a spray can. Almost always that DOOM rubbish. I hate it and refuse to have any kind of pesticide around the house.
 
GreGorGy said:
I think I love you...

More seriously though, if there is one sound that cuts through worse than rave music it is the sound of a spray can. Almost always that DOOM rubbish. I hate it and refuse to have any kind of pesticide around the house.
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I will chuck my Doom in the dustbin if you promise to remove all the "briekmerke" off my underwear. :D
 
GreGorGy said:
I think I love you...

More seriously though, if there is one sound that cuts through worse than rave music it is the sound of a spray can. Almost always that DOOM rubbish. I hate it and refuse to have any kind of pesticide around the house.
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Hooray! Yet another mybroadbander who "gets" it!

Pesticides are ghastly and have - because of abuse and misuse and overuse - created far more problems than they have solved. Yes, there are indeed specific applications for specific pesticides (I am actually trained to use pesticides - although I have let my licence lapse) but the broad use of general pesticides has been horrific for this planet - humans and all other animals.
 
You guys really shouldn't kill spiders. They may be scary-looking, but they get rid of the real pests.
 
Is this what I think it is? A small Violin?
 

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Yeah hard to take a decent pic due to the size of the thing... Maybe this will look slightly better
 

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Yeah, that's a sac spider. Bites from those are quite common here. Not painful at first.
C.furculatum%20f%20%2835%29.jpg
 
Hmm anything to be concerned about? The thing fell on my head as I opened the curtains and my scalp is currently itching and burning slightly. Proceeded to klap it off my head then since it was already half gone (notice the missing legs) I decided to spray it to keep it mostly intact for pictures to make sure what it actually is
 
I'd keep an eye on that. If it's sore tomorrow or there's sign of a bite, go see your doc.

The sac spiders are widely distributed in southern Africa and comprise nine species, of which C. furculatum, C. vansoni and C. africanum are more commonly found. They are small to medium (4 - 16 mm), straw coloured, sometimes with a greenish tint, with a large, shiny, black eye region and mouth parts. The sac spiders are nocturnal in habit and fast moving. They frequently invade the house and are often found in the folds of curtains, clothing and cupboards where they make sac-like retreats of thin silk in which they hide during the day. They are aggressive and will bite at the slightest provocation. Most victims are bitten while asleep.
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Necrotic arachnidism is the clinical syndrome caused by the bite of cytotoxic spiders. In >90% of cases, diagnosis is based solely on clinical findings. The diagnosis of necrotic arachnidism is usually presumptive and made through epidemiological information and evolution of the clinical picture, as few patients bring the spider with them for identification.

The symptoms and signs of sac and violin spider bites are basically similar and the effects of the one can usually not be distinguished from the other.

The bite may be painless, frequently occurring at night when the patient moves in bed, disturbing the spider. The patient is often not aware of being bitten, but fang marks and bleeding may be present. Redness or a red mark appears to be a consistent finding in most patients. Local swelling is not significant soon after the bite. Itchiness may be prominent. Within 12 - 24 hours the bite site becomes erythematous, oedematous, painful, and may develop mottled haemorrhagic areas or blisters. After a couple of days the lesion may resemble a furuncle or carbuncle. In most cases the process is self-limiting. In the minority of cases the local lesion may be complicated by an aggressive, spreading cellulitis and a subcutaneous suppuration. The patient may present with a nonspecific systemic illness such as fever and malaise 3 - 5 days after the bite. Necrosis at the bite site may take 3 - 7 days to develop, often with an overlying necrotic eschar. The necrotic tissue detaches after about 2 - 3 weeks, leaving an ulcer. The resultant ulcer is slow to heal, with cycles of partial healing followed by breakdown, sometimes extending over months.
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That sounds pretty much exactly right.. Pitch black from eyes to the fangs, straw colored otherwise with a greenish rear. Great, last year was a violin bite to the elbow, now a sac bite on the noggin.

Many thanks, I'll be making an appointment early in the morning. Talk about ****ty luck
 
Ooi, sorry to hear that! That's bad luck for sure. Let us know how it goes. I hate to sound like an opportunist, but if it is a bite and you do get a chance to post any pics, the arachnid society appreciates any research material.
 
Decided to head to hospital now out of caution, rather safe than sorry and all that jazz. Would be hard to get a pic unless it swells up badly or my head gets shaven but will see if I can do anything. Think I'll finish the year with a Brazilian wandering spider to the nuts at this rate :p
 
LOL @ Brazilian wandering spider
Good plan - chances are you're going to lose a bit of hair around the bite site depending on how it goes. Hopefully it's mild. Keep us posted.
Here along the coast we now have tropical house geckos (global warming?) and hardly any spiders around the house anymore.
 
No report of death in the last 50 years from Godzilla either. Doesnt mean I will let it chill out on my curtains now...
 
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