Click photo to see him in all his fine glory!I think it is very unlikely that I will be posting today, unless something along the lines of you-know-what comes up with you-know-who. I have a few emails to attend to, some information to follow up - and the slight chance of being able to resurrect a few things that went out the window when I started posting on them-over-there.
Do you like the photo? It is a Huntsman Spider, or as I prefer to call them, "Australian Unionist Spider" because they tend to stand around for hours without moving or doing anything.
Harry the Huntsman was my uninvited guest for morning coffee. I sat down, lit a cigarette, looked towards the window and there he was. "Oh bugger" I muttered to myself. Don't get me wrong, I have no objection to spiders but Harry was sitting right above a precariously perched curtain rod that yesterday morning, took me a couple of hours to put up. I had no desire to see the whole kit and caboodle come tumbling down again.
There is no point in using insecticide spray on spiders such as this, they just run around looking as though someone has tipped talcum powder all over them. In any case, I do not like killing or hurting creatures that do me no harm - and usually it's the two legged critters you have to look out for!
I sat sipping my coffee and puffing away while looking at him. I am sure we somehow bonded during that time. "Harry" I said to him (not out loud of course) "you have a right to exist - but in your own environment not mine. What I am going to do is not only for my benefit, but for yours as well". I had to act quickly as I knew it would not be long before my mother appeared on the scene - and bang goes any chance of a quiet morning coffee!
I formed a strategy.
I armed myself with a feather duster, a bit like an updated version of Ken Dodd's "tickling stick". I reasoned that the spider would have a hard job coping with the synthetic material and would then be easy to usher out the window.
Huntsman spiders are tricky little buggers because they can move sideways, so you have to take that into consideration as well. He put up a bit of a fight but I think he was merely going through the motions - putting up a show to maintain his street cred. Before long, Harry was outside on the balcony. I then went outside armed with a dustpan and brush, scooped him into the pan, and tipped him over the balcony back into his own environment among the woodchips and dead bark.
Huntsman are very common around this time of year and have habit of hiding in the glove compartments of cars - you can imagine what effect that has on an unsuspecting driver!
Many people don't bother getting rid of these spiders as they are great, "housekeepers" eating small insects and other tiny creepy crawlies.
They do bite and last year three Sydneysiders were hospitalised after being bitten. Normally however, Huntsman spider bites usually result only in transient local pain and swelling.
They also have interesting mating habits. Huntsman spiders have a lengthy courtship, which involves mutual caresses, with the male drumming his palps on the trunk of a tree.
Mummy spiders are quite protective. They stand guard over their eggs, without eating, for about three weeks. During this period mum can be quite aggressive and will rear up in a defensive display if provoked.
Do you like the photo? It is a Huntsman Spider, or as I prefer to call them, "Australian Unionist Spider" because they tend to stand around for hours without moving or doing anything.
Harry the Huntsman was my uninvited guest for morning coffee. I sat down, lit a cigarette, looked towards the window and there he was. "Oh bugger" I muttered to myself. Don't get me wrong, I have no objection to spiders but Harry was sitting right above a precariously perched curtain rod that yesterday morning, took me a couple of hours to put up. I had no desire to see the whole kit and caboodle come tumbling down again.
There is no point in using insecticide spray on spiders such as this, they just run around looking as though someone has tipped talcum powder all over them. In any case, I do not like killing or hurting creatures that do me no harm - and usually it's the two legged critters you have to look out for!
I sat sipping my coffee and puffing away while looking at him. I am sure we somehow bonded during that time. "Harry" I said to him (not out loud of course) "you have a right to exist - but in your own environment not mine. What I am going to do is not only for my benefit, but for yours as well". I had to act quickly as I knew it would not be long before my mother appeared on the scene - and bang goes any chance of a quiet morning coffee!
I formed a strategy.
I armed myself with a feather duster, a bit like an updated version of Ken Dodd's "tickling stick". I reasoned that the spider would have a hard job coping with the synthetic material and would then be easy to usher out the window.
Huntsman spiders are tricky little buggers because they can move sideways, so you have to take that into consideration as well. He put up a bit of a fight but I think he was merely going through the motions - putting up a show to maintain his street cred. Before long, Harry was outside on the balcony. I then went outside armed with a dustpan and brush, scooped him into the pan, and tipped him over the balcony back into his own environment among the woodchips and dead bark.
Huntsman are very common around this time of year and have habit of hiding in the glove compartments of cars - you can imagine what effect that has on an unsuspecting driver!
Many people don't bother getting rid of these spiders as they are great, "housekeepers" eating small insects and other tiny creepy crawlies.
They do bite and last year three Sydneysiders were hospitalised after being bitten. Normally however, Huntsman spider bites usually result only in transient local pain and swelling.
They also have interesting mating habits. Huntsman spiders have a lengthy courtship, which involves mutual caresses, with the male drumming his palps on the trunk of a tree.
Mummy spiders are quite protective. They stand guard over their eggs, without eating, for about three weeks. During this period mum can be quite aggressive and will rear up in a defensive display if provoked.
