This morning I decided to install my konis in the rear of my B IIBomber. I had them for a while, new in a box, saving them for after the body work, but today my crave for a better ride said, waiting no more!
It had been dropped 2 inches by decambering, and the KYB gas shocks in place (rear) kept it up higher than intended, the konis allowed it to sit lower one more inch, cool, no it means business!!!
As I was starting work I noticed a sticky web, strong, unussually strong, and heavy, and I though, this is crazy, no spider would live under a daily driver car, so I started getting rid of this web, I was about to stick my hands in , but something told me (instinct, we humans do not like spiders) use a tree stick, stem anything but your fingers, and so I did, and to my amazement, and first time I saw one in person(only in books) a black , big black widow spider, with its trademark red spot on the belly , came out, stuck to the stem , man, I could had been killed!, it could had jumped on my face,this was an appointment with death, but I guess it was not my time just yet!!!!!!!!
Watch out guys, after this one, I will.
Jaime.

Quote:The Female Black Widow is considered the most poisonous spider in North America, but the risk of fatality is uncommon, especially if you seek medical attention immediately. The venom is a neurotoxin, and death, when it occurs, is caused by respiratory paralysis. Young children, the elderly, and those allergic to the venom are most at risk.

What a mean looking mother! Definitely a near death experience.

A few years ago, I was navigating in a Datto 1600 in a twilight trial. We were about 500 metres from a control and going pretty quick, when a 14 foot hairy legged huntsman (well it LOOKED at least that big) crawled from behind the sun visor and dropped onto the map I was using. I bloody near died, and only the laundry people knew how scared I was.
You can get out of a full harness pretty quick when you are that windy.

male black widows are usually harmless. female black widows on the other hand are usually very harmful and their bite can be fatal.

Just be glad we don't have to deal with these SE Australia spiders too:

Red Back




White Tail




Funnel Web (Yikes!)







Hey Mikali, I find your Avatar oddly hypnotic ...

I lived in a house in the outer suburbs of Sydney and in one week I had to deal with 7 Red Back Spiders...a close cousin of the Black Widow and just as poisonous.
One under the kids swings, one in the spokes of the bicycle and 5 in the compost bin.
I hate them...they wont kill you but if your kids get a bite, especially a baby ...they dont know and then just collapse.
The white-tails are i reckon the most dangerous, as they are everywhere in Sydney, and you cant feel it when they bite. Then you notice your skin ulcerating around the bite mark which usually spreads to other areas where your skin just peels off and leaves you scarred for life. It takes about 6 months for the ulcerations to subside.
I found one of these in my bed....
They dont kill like a Funnel Web but they are agressive, and everywhere and leave and painful reminder of their visiit.

You know the funniest thing....put one of those big, fake spiders on the passengers sun visor and watch as people put the sun visor down and the biggest ugliest spider they have ever seen falls on to their lap.....hahahaha

Stew....a few people that have been in my car know how scared you were....

yeh it gets a bit trippy when u look at it for too long lol. still, its soothing when u need to go for a #### and somebody is in the can.

I grew up with redbacks everywhere..Never been bitten. At my brothers wedding one of his brother-in-laws got bitten on the ass at about 8pm, spent the night in hospital.
I pulled a cardboard fruit box from under the house of a neighbours once, it was jam-packed full of redbacks and their web. I didn't know it until I dragged it 20 feet or so from the dark out into daylight. I reckon about 500 red backs..an absolute nest of them. I was only 10 or 11, scared the living daylights out of me. Of course the cardboard box was for some wickets for a game of backyard cricket one summer.

The whitetail is bad, a pisshead mate was sleeping on his front porch after a big night. He woke up with an itch on his ankle, he didn't know what it was. After a couple of days he went to the doctor and got some cream stuff, and it took about 3 months to heal over a couple of layers of skin, but it doesn't ever really heal up.

Chris

all I can say is im glad i live in a country where theres no poisonous spiders or snakes. well there are some that will hurt you but not kill unless your allergic to them. Its all good here in NZ.
PS we killed you in the rugby (Aussies)
(sorry i just had to mention it)