Helen & wow - when you have spiders like we do in Straya it's smart to be very, very afraid!!
Only two nights ago my son discovered a white tail spider on his bath towel - he was within seconds of towelling himself dry! White tails are feared for their bites - not only are they painful, but there is an as yet unknown substance (enzyme? bacteria?) in their venom which causes a creeping necrosis of the tissue around the bite. Amputations are sometimes performed - but if you are bitten on the torso then there's a problem.
Post Edit: More info at: http://www.pharmacology.unimelb.edu.au/pharmwww/avruweb/wtspage.htm And don't you just love the acronym for Necrotising Arachnidism STudY - at the bootom of the page!!!I grew up in Sydney - famed for its Funnel Web, Trapdoor and Red Back spiders. Arachnophobia is commonplace there - it's a survival mechanism!! Ain't that right Hev!!
I take your point about who's a spider person and who's not. My wife is not as afraid of them as I am and readily dispatches them. Guess she's not a spider person either.....after all, she is also from Sydney.
stales
