Because at this point they're a recent invasive, they haven't set up the spread of colonies that make eradication near impossible. We're acting now, because we've seen the cost to the US in failing to act quickly. Even with all that estimates of the cost of eradication keeps climbing.
Because at this point they're a recent invasive, they haven't set up the spread of colonies that make eradication near impossible. We're acting now, because we've seen the cost to the US in failing to act quickly. Even with all that estimates of the cost of eradication keeps climbing.
Yeah, I mean you guys should definitely over fund that. The money you save from not having ants will completely eclipse the money you spend to get rid of them. They are not an animal but a force of nature and should never be underestimated.
Because at this point they're a recent invasive, they haven't set up the spread of colonies that make eradication near impossible. We're acting now, because we've seen the cost to the US in failing to act quickly. Even with all that estimates of the cost of eradication keeps climbing.
You have a Doe's chance in hell. Your weak protected domestic industry er animals are no match for a super predator international corporation er species. Any species that drinks tequila out of the skulls of their victims like they do is unstoppable. Kiss your spiders good bye.!
There really is a benefit to living here in Michigan, where things like Fire Ants and Killer Bees can't migrate here because the winters would kill them all.
Unfortunately we still do have Brown Recluses, but at least we have barely any snakes, and only one of those breeds is poisonous, and they are even rare.
You do now. Where do you think Texas came from, Gringo?
Frazz, you do know who Pancho Villa was, right? I'm not talking about Santa Anna and as far as i know, neither of us is speaking Spanish atm.
Consider in he killed a relative of mine, yeah I kind of do.
Mexican bandit/revolutionary. Texas was created by Mexican bandits/revolutionaries. Viva tequila!
ProwlerPC wrote: The bowl in the back of the cupboard comment gave me a sudden stress spike and cold sweat. I actually don't mind spiders but a huge fething spider darting out of the bowl and down my arm like greased lighting when picked up would result in Flanders style scream followed a shattered jagged bowl piece stabbing everywhere. Not sure why, all these picks look cool and I once spent a full day on a wiki trip about Australia's critters, but the thought of such an unexpected ambush like that....whole town needs to be burned just in case there is another. Can't be complacent about these matters.
I think everyone's like that, its a primordial fear/reaction that has stayed with mammals since the early years of life on earth. But I've had large and small critters accidentally land on me quite a few times already. Its like rollercoasters and skydiving, you fear it simply for the sake of fearing it. Once you learn to relax a bit, you'll find that most of these critters are quite harmless, and you can even calm them down. I played around with spiders and roaches before...although I sterilized and washed my hands afterwards.
We had to put up a sticky trap for a rat that was chewing through some boxes of cereal, grain, and coffee beans a few months back. Luckily, I was awake when it got trapped, I put on some work gloves, a mask, and goggles and tried to soothe the critter, obviously it was far from calm, and i didn't expect it to be, but after it got over its flight or fight instinct, i applied oil and slowly eased it out of the glue, put it in an old cage i had for a hamster, and warmed it up a bit, gave it a sunflower seed, and kicked it out of the house. I placed a few more traps around the house for the next several days, but the rat learned its lesson. It wasn't scared of me any longer, and probably became someone else's problem. Of course, I had to sterilize everything afterwards. Why go through all that hassle you ask? I don't know why, but I find it immensely satisfying to play with small critters, and if I can't, like in the case of the rat then just observe it for a bit, before releasing it. I find it hard to just casually swat a spider and end its existence now that I've met a few of them. I'm not an insectologist, but from what I've observed about spiders, roaches, and other bugs, while I doubt they have complex brain functions relative to dogs, cats, and horses, I think they do have consciousness. It seems evident in their behaviors and reactions when I interact with them.
ProwlerPC wrote: The bowl in the back of the cupboard comment gave me a sudden stress spike and cold sweat. I actually don't mind spiders but a huge fething spider darting out of the bowl and down my arm like greased lighting when picked up would result in Flanders style scream followed a shattered jagged bowl piece stabbing everywhere. Not sure why, all these picks look cool and I once spent a full day on a wiki trip about Australia's critters, but the thought of such an unexpected ambush like that....whole town needs to be burned just in case there is another. Can't be complacent about these matters.
I think everyone's like that, its a primordial fear/reaction that has stayed with mammals since the early years of life on earth. But I've had large and small critters accidentally land on me quite a few times already. Its like rollercoasters and skydiving, you fear it simply for the sake of fearing it. Once you learn to relax a bit, you'll find that most of these critters are quite harmless, and you can even calm them down. I played around with spiders and roaches before...although I sterilized and washed my hands afterwards.
We had to put up a sticky trap for a rat that was chewing through some boxes of cereal, grain, and coffee beans a few months back. Luckily, I was awake when it got trapped, I put on some work gloves, a mask, and goggles and tried to soothe the critter, obviously it was far from calm, and i didn't expect it to be, but after it got over its flight or fight instinct, i applied oil and slowly eased it out of the glue, put it in an old cage i had for a hamster, and warmed it up a bit, gave it a sunflower seed, and kicked it out of the house. I placed a few more traps around the house for the next several days, but the rat learned its lesson. It wasn't scared of me any longer, and probably became someone else's problem. Of course, I had to sterilize everything afterwards. Why go through all that hassle you ask? I don't know why, but I find it immensely satisfying to play with small critters, and if I can't, like in the case of the rat then just observe it for a bit, before releasing it. I find it hard to just casually swat a spider and end its existence now that I've met a few of them. I'm not an insectologist, but from what I've observed about spiders, roaches, and other bugs, while I doubt they have complex brain functions relative to dogs, cats, and horses, I think they do have consciousness. It seems evident in their behaviors and reactions when I interact with them.
That's cool.
Scorpion s and mosquitoes can all die in a fire though.
AegisGrimm wrote: There really is a benefit to living here in Michigan, where things like Fire Ants and Killer Bees can't migrate here because the winters would kill them all.
Unfortunately we still do have Brown Recluses, but at least we have barely any snakes, and only one of those breeds is poisonous, and they are even rare.
The brutal winters are one of many reasons I like this state.
I like Michigan for the Atwater brewery. Hey, please tell me they didn’t discontinue the double chocolate ale out of there. My local said it was discontinued according to distributor. Asking a native Michigan-er might get me a better answer.
I honestly havnt seen that but then again I havnt looked for it. You might be in luck though because I have a memory of seeing some chocolate ales around. If I think of it Ill look around this weekend for some
It really does sound like something from a horror movie: a giant spider larger than a man’s hand, which makes loud hissing sounds and has powerful long venomous fangs.
While many people would run the other way when face-to-face with such an enormous arachnid, a group of North Queensland locals did the opposite and saved the terrifying creature when it was found dangling for dear life on a branch overhanging flooded water.
The spider is believed to be a whistling spider (Australian tarantula) — the name relates to the sound they make when feeling threatened. They are also known as bird-eating spiders.
Found in the warmer and more arid regions of Australia, the largest species can grow a body length of 2 inches and a leg span of 4 inches, with powerful fangs 0.4 inches long.
“They are large to very large grey or brown spiders that are very hairy with two finger-like spinnerets at the end of the body. Thick hair pads on their legs and ‘feet’ allow these spiders to easily climb glass or smooth plastic walls,” explained Queensland Museum.
The habitat of the whistling spider ranges from sandy deserts to rainforests, with the creature constructing long, silk-lined burrows surrounded by loose strands of web to give advanced warnings of approaching prey or danger.
Despite being dubbed the “bird-eating spider”, the tarantula rarely eats birds — the bulk of the diet comprises insects, lizards, frogs, and other spiders.
Tarantulas can be quite aggressive if mishandled and even though their fangs are long and robust, they are not deadly to humans.
“Their bite is quickly fatal to dogs and cats, but only one report of serious illness from a bite to a human has occurred,” explained Queensland Museum.
The female bird-eating spider spends most of her life in her burrow, although will exit during early spring and summer when the males approaches to mate.
Females lay around fifty eggs into a 1-inch diameter sack, which is stored in the burrow and protected by a tough cover of silk. Although, the female will often secure the sack between her palps and fang tips to take it with her when she leaves to hunt.
Sadly male tarantulas usually die after mating at around five years of age, while females can live up to 30 years.
The spider captured on camera over the weekend was found perched precariously on a flimsy twig in a desperate attempt to stay away from the Herbert river in Halifax, near Ingham, engorged following a week of torrential rain in that section of Australia.
In the past four days, the sheer amount of rainfall has seen the region between Townsville and Cairns declared a disaster zone by the state government. Queensland’s north west is suffering through the worst flooding since 2009.
The area close to Halifax has seen more than 500mm of rain since March 1.
Andrew Gilberto uploaded the video of the spider, which was spotted close to Halifax’s Spar supermarket.
Channel 9 reported that the locals, clearly with a soft spot for the creature, plucked the branch from above the river with the spider attached.
It was then placed on an avocado tree in the town center away from the flooded waters; but significantly closer to humans.
It’s not the only critter spotted in the floodwaters. Video has also been uploaded of snakes in the river while a crocodile lunged at a car.
It comes as a group of Year 6 students who had been isolated by floodwaters were today being flown out in an evacuation timed to beat more wet weather expected, reported the Courier Mail.
More than 70 students and staff had been trapped at the Echo Creek adventure park near Tully since last Monday.
The first group of the staged rescue was flown out before noon.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the weekend’s heavy rain is now easing, however there are signs a cyclone may be forming off the state’s far north coast. This could have devastating effects on already damage-stricken regions.
Doctors in Australia have called for urgent research into why a flesh-eating ulcer has become a "worsening epidemic" in the state of Victoria.
Local cases of Buruli ulcer, a skin disease most commonly found in Africa, have surged by 400% in the last four years, experts say.
Infections have also become more severe and spread to new areas.
Doctors do not know how to prevent the disease, which is caused by bacteria that breaks down tissue.
A record 275 new infections were recorded the state last year, marking a 51% increase on 2016.
Infectious diseases expert Dr Daniel O'Brien said cases of the Buruli ulcer, or Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, had become "frighteningly more common and also more severe" in the region.
It was unclear why the ulcer, typically found in tropical areas, had emerged in the temperate climate of Victoria, he said.
What is the Buruli ulcer?
A skin disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans.
The bacteria emits toxins that destroy skin cells, small blood vessels and the fat under the skin, leading to ulcers forming and skin loss.
The ulcer gets bigger with time and can lead to permanent disfigurement or disability.
Usually affects limbs but can also be found on the face and body.
Doctors do not know how the disease is transmitted to humans but it's believed to arise from the environment and soil.
There are also theories that mosquitoes can carry the bacteria.
Writing in the Medical Journal of Australia, doctors have called for government funding to research the disease and its causes.
"No one understands what's happening and what's driving this epidemic," Dr O'Brien, a co-author, told the BBC.
"We can offer clues but not definitive advice. It's a mystery."
He said some theories involved factors such as rainfall, soil type and wildlife. Last year, authorities found traces of the bacteria in local possum faeces.
"The problem is, we don't have the time to sit around and pontificate about it - the epidemic has reached frightening proportions," he said.
The ulcers are difficult to treat and patients often experience a recovery period of between six and 12 months. Many people also have to undergo reconstructive surgery, Dr O'Brien added.
Schoolgirl recounts gruelling ulcer recovery
Victorian health authorities say they have spent more than A$1m (£550,000; $780,000) on researching the disease, and have started education campaigns to raise awareness about it.
Until a few years ago, infections were more commonly reported from tropical regions in Queensland with occasional cases in other states.
The disease is more commonly found in rural West Africa, Central Africa, New Guinea, Latin America and tropical regions of Asia.
In the developing world, the disease is associated with wetlands and stagnant water, however in Australia cases have largely been reported from coastal regions.
Srsly?
The USA couldn't hide one of their presidents getting a gobbie from an intern, and another one doing the naked fandango with a porn star.
Why do they think anyone could manage to keep Australia nothing more than a fairy tale?
A 51-year-old woman has been charged after allegedly riding a horse to a Logan bottle shop while more than four times the legal alcohol limit last night.
Officers from Springwood attended a tavern on Wembley Road at Logan Central around 11:30pm in relation to a woman refusing to leave the licensed premises.
Upon arriving at the business, the woman allegedly rode the horse through the drive through section of the tavern and appeared heavily intoxicated.
The woman was arrested and transported to Logan Central Police Station, where she allegedly provided a positive BAC of 0.226 per cent.
Officers walked the horse back to Logan Central Police Station whilst the female was processed before council workers assisted in walking the horse back to a Marsden address.
The 51-year-old woman was charged with being in charge of a horse whilst under the influence of liquor.
She is due to appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on June 26.
Police want to remind the public that drink driving does not just mean a vehicle, it can include a horse.
Yeah. Can't have her steering the horse into a head on collision with a vehicle. Uhmm would a horse let itself get steered into a head on collision? Or just stomp all over a child without reaction? I'm not familiar with horses so I'm only assuming they have their own brain unlike a car.
ProwlerPC wrote: Yeah. Can't have her steering the horse into a head on collision with a vehicle. Uhmm would a horse let itself get steered into a head on collision? Or just stomp all over a child without reaction? I'm not familiar with horses so I'm only assuming they have their own brain unlike a car.
Naturally, a horse's instinct is to avoid crashing into stuff, although you can of course train them to overcome that instinct (as with war or jumping horses who need to be able to run straight at objects without swerving away). When drunk, it is definitely better to be driving a horse than driving a car. Not that riding horses while drunk is a good idea of course.
ProwlerPC wrote: Yeah. Can't have her steering the horse into a head on collision with a vehicle. Uhmm would a horse let itself get steered into a head on collision? Or just stomp all over a child without reaction? I'm not familiar with horses so I'm only assuming they have their own brain unlike a car.
Horses will generally act somewhat to avoid obvious danger to themselves, although that will depend somewhat on training on just how insistently the rider is trying to force them to go somewhere stupid. And, of course, horses don't always react in the most sensible way to sudden surprises or unexpected danger, and an inebriated rider is going to be less capable of dealing with that without someone getting hurt.
And even outside of obviously dangerous situations, there's the issue of someone drunk taking their horse somewhere that's not designed for horses and causing property damage.
Also worth pointing out that this isn't just an Australian thing... Some states in the US would have given her the same problem.
ProwlerPC wrote: Yeah. Can't have her steering the horse into a head on collision with a vehicle. Uhmm would a horse let itself get steered into a head on collision? Or just stomp all over a child without reaction? I'm not familiar with horses so I'm only assuming they have their own brain unlike a car.
Naturally, a horse's instinct is to avoid crashing into stuff, although you can of course train them to overcome that instinct (as with war or jumping horses who need to be able to run straight at objects without swerving away).
When drunk, it is definitely better to be driving a horse than driving a car. Not that riding horses while drunk is a good idea of course.
Anyone remember the young teen female that destroyed a vehicle in front of the court house over there. With a fire axe. I highly doubt I can top that with the time she completed it
Cartoon from a couple decades back.
The Powerpuff girls defended the City of Townsville from various supervillains, one of which was a super-intelligent ape, Mojo-Jojo.
chromedog wrote: Cartoons stopped being worth watching after Gargoyles.
Pretty much BEFORE gargoyles, too. :p
ABSOLUTE HERESY.
You can't discount Justice League, Batman Beyond, Undergrads, Clone High for some of the later shows. Even recent animation like Bojack Horseman, Archer, Rick and Morty and Young Justice are all good examples of great cartoons. Clearly you haven't looked hard enough . Gotta lay off the vegemite mate!
chromedog wrote: Cartoons stopped being worth watching after Gargoyles.
Pretty much BEFORE gargoyles, too. :p
ABSOLUTE HERESY.
You can't discount Justice League, Batman Beyond, Undergrads, Clone High for some of the later shows. Even recent animation like Bojack Horseman, Archer, Rick and Morty and Young Justice are all good examples of great cartoons. Clearly you haven't looked hard enough . Gotta lay off the vegemite mate!
Japanese animation reached a peak with "Fang of the sun, battle armour Dougram". Akira was the start of the long, inexorable slide into pokedragonmonballz.
I can discount legion all I want. Spandex special kids, same as the marvel ones. Superheroes are boring. Take that booyah and stuff it where the sun don't shine.
As for the vegemite. Pry it from my cold dead hands.
c.f. My sig.
Ref: my age and my attitude. IDGAF what you younger punks think.
chromedog wrote: Having never seen a single dragonzball (and considering myself all the better for that) I'll have to take your word for it.
Not alzheimers. Wilful ignorance. One is a conscious decision, the other is a bonus at easter (you can hide your own eggs).
This is the internet, remember? The weeaboos will hunt you down and troll you for not knowing every single anime's original Japanese release date. They will also use the English names, but with that thick tryhard Japanese accent.
This is the internet, remember? The weeaboos will hunt you down and troll you for not knowing every single anime's original Japanese release date. They will also use the English names, but with that thick tryhard Japanese accent.
Hey, every devilfish, ever Riptide, every blue skinned grot fondler among them that lacks nice breasts must burn! errr, wait, are we talking about otaku or Tau Players?
This is the internet, remember? The weeaboos will hunt you down and troll you for not knowing every single anime's original Japanese release date. They will also use the English names, but with that thick tryhard Japanese accent.
Hey, every devilfish, ever Riptide, every blue skinned grot fondler among them that lacks nice breasts must burn! errr, wait, are we talking about otaku or Tau Players?
Was an interesting day in South Australia. Hottest day of our heatwave and we've apparently set new record temperatures for atleast 36 locations across the state today with temperatures up to 49.5C. Not just in rural regions that usually bake either, plenty of suburbs were cooking in the high 40s.
Adelaide has taken back the title from Melbourne for hottest recorded temperature in a capital city that they held since 2009s black saturday.
Also seen a cloud of BO drift off with a rainbow. Last seen headed for Victoria.
chromedog wrote: Sister-in-law's place isn't far from there (a number of blocks) and her street was about 3' deep in floodwaters.
Crocodiles are a thing along most of the northern rivers, though - all the way up to the pointy end (Cape York).
Well Salties will, as their name suggests, swim through the ocean to get to new places. Heck, we're probably lucky they haven't spread to the rest of the world yet given how far those guys can swim.
There was a 3m saltie seen climbing a tree to get out of the waters.
Once again, they had to warn people NOT to go randomly wading through floodwaters, too (apart from the crocs and snakes - inland browns can swim quite well), the water was also full of sewage from people's overflowed septic systems (Yes, T'ville has proper sewers, but older properties still have tanks that it settles in first before dispersal).
AndrewGPaul wrote: I'm not surprised there's crocs in the streets; after all, this is the country with the shark-infested golf course.
When we went to see my sister-in-law in Perth we stayed at a golfing hotel where there were Roos generally
Wandering around and chilling on the course.
At least with the sharks their mobility options are somewhat limited........
...a holiday to Australia or New Zealand is simply not going to happn. The spiders that live in that part of the world crawl into a shop and purchase Gillette products at the counter.
NZ is safe in that regard, we only have a couple of bity species of spider and they are not particularly viscous or common (or large). For freaky "oh my god what the hell is that?" we have Weta. They are pretty terrifying when you stumble across one unexpectedly.
AndrewGPaul wrote: I'm not surprised there's crocs in the streets; after all, this is the country with the shark-infested golf course.
When we went to see my sister-in-law in Perth we stayed at a golfing hotel where there were Roos generally
Wandering around and chilling on the course.
Yeah, most of the golf courses around Brisbane have at least one mob of roos hanging around.
ingtaer wrote: NZ is safe in that regard, we only have a couple of bity species of spider and they are not particularly viscous or common (or large). For freaky "oh my god what the hell is that?" we have Weta. They are pretty terrifying when you stumble across one unexpectedly.
Spoiler:
Omg its eating a carrot!
I can handle grass hoppers...as long as they don't try nibbling my fingers I think I handle that.
What began as one woman's fight against injustice has turned into a crusade! Guerilla COP fights the darkness of the modern inner-city crime lords of Australia! Swinging from lamp post to lamp post she patrols the nights streets, prowling for miscreants, evil and drop bears.
By day an ordinary woman battling the same struggles and trials that beset us all; by night the crime fighting vigilante!
Cop gets bitten by a mutant Gorilla that escapes from a science lab, turning her into a Weregorilla. She transforms whenever she eats a Banana and uses her powers to fight crime. However the transformation method means she has to be careful in public about what she eats. Later she gets a few sidekicks. "Roo-Ben", a little kid who has Kangaroo powers, and another Cop who ends up being a Werekoala. They fight various villians including Saltie-Joe and THE WOMBAT!
Grey Templar wrote: Cop gets bitten by a mutant Gorilla that escapes from a science lab, turning her into a Weregorilla. She transforms whenever she eats a Banana and uses her powers to fight crime. However the transformation method means she has to be careful in public about what she eats. Later she gets a few sidekicks. "Roo-Ben", a little kid who has Kangaroo powers, and another Cop who ends up being a Werekoala. They fight various villians including Saltie-Joe and THE WOMBAT!
ingtaer wrote: NZ is safe in that regard, we only have a couple of bity species of spider and they are not particularly viscous or common (or large). For freaky "oh my god what the hell is that?" we have Weta. They are pretty terrifying when you stumble across one unexpectedly.
Spoiler:
Omg its eating a carrot!
I can handle grass hoppers...as long as they don't try nibbling my fingers I think I handle that.
I've seen pictures and videos of Wetas. Do they bite when you pick them up? (Honest question, I really have no clue.)
ingtaer wrote: NZ is safe in that regard, we only have a couple of bity species of spider and they are not particularly viscous or common (or large). For freaky "oh my god what the hell is that?" we have Weta. They are pretty terrifying when you stumble across one unexpectedly.
Spoiler:
Omg its eating a carrot!
I can handle grass hoppers...as long as they don't try nibbling my fingers I think I handle that.
I've seen pictures and videos of Wetas. Do they bite when you pick them up? (Honest question, I really have no clue.)
Not that I am aware of, their original predators were all avian so their evolved defence is to stick their back legs in the air to make it hard to eat them;
Ok, thats way different than anything in the US. In the US, custom plate characters and letters are a replacement for what you would normally have as your plate. So if someone got a custom plate that was "LUVPUPS" or "#YOLO", the actual legal license tag is "LUVPUPS" or "#YOLO".
Grey Templar wrote: Ok, thats way different than anything in the US. In the US, custom plate characters and letters are a replacement for what you would normally have as your plate. So if someone got a custom plate that was "LUVPUPS" or "#YOLO", the actual legal license tag is "LUVPUPS" or "#YOLO".
Yes, we have those as well, although ours are confined to letters and numbers. These are not those - there are various custom plates that have images sports team badges and other such stuff alongside the normal letters and/or numbers. The emojis are that latter kind.
They have to put 'for external use only' on shampoo anymore; unless you explicitly say "DO NOT DRINK" on anything remotely drinkable some idiot's going to drink it just so they can sue you over it.
The bit I find really creepy is the matter of fact 'oh, yeah, spiders lifting larger animals into the air and devouring them is just a thing that happens.'
It's a BABY snake. Yes, an Eastern brown that will probably still produce enough venom to kill an adult human, but still a baby. It's tiny. Maybe 8" long.
It's a BABY snake. Yes, an Eastern brown that will probably still produce enough venom to kill an adult human, but still a baby. It's tiny. Maybe 8" long.
Well...
I guess only Aussies would call an 8" snake small.
Oh my, i just had just seen that Australia has tarantulas... that along with the huntsman spider, feth that. I don't know how i even managed to sleep when i visited Australia now i think about it. I guess its mainly the outback where you find these things. Any way it's kind of amazing how none of these scary insects ever found there way to NZ, very grateful i am.
It's a BABY snake. Yes, an Eastern brown that will probably still produce enough venom to kill an adult human, but still a baby. It's tiny. Maybe 8" long.
Well...
I guess only Aussies would call an 8" snake small.
Stormatious wrote: I guess its mainly the outback where you find these things..
No, not at all. Our most dangerous spider lives in Sydney. And snakes get everywhere... I've seen three eastern brown snakes in my yard in the last couple of years, and we're in the suburbs.
Likewise, Redback spiders are fairly common all over the place, although their reputation is grossly inflated... Last time I did a first aid course, the general procedure for handling a Redback bite was 'wait and see what happens' because they generally don't bite deeply enough to get the venom in.
It's a BABY snake. Yes, an Eastern brown that will probably still produce enough venom to kill an adult human, but still a baby. It's tiny. Maybe 8" long.
Well...
I guess only Aussies would call an 8" snake small.
Stormatious wrote: I guess its mainly the outback where you find these things..
No, not at all. Our most dangerous spider lives in Sydney. And snakes get everywhere... I've seen three eastern brown snakes in my yard in the last couple of years, and we're in the suburbs.
Likewise, Redback spiders are fairly common all over the place, although their reputation is grossly inflated... Last time I did a first aid course, the general procedure for handling a Redback bite was 'wait and see what happens' because they generally don't bite deeply enough to get the venom in.
How do you resist the urge to, like, napalm your entire garden?
I would seriously be considering concrete if I lived in Aus
Stormatious wrote: I guess its mainly the outback where you find these things..
No, not at all. Our most dangerous spider lives in Sydney. And snakes get everywhere... I've seen three eastern brown snakes in my yard in the last couple of years, and we're in the suburbs.
Likewise, Redback spiders are fairly common all over the place, although their reputation is grossly inflated... Last time I did a first aid course, the general procedure for handling a Redback bite was 'wait and see what happens' because they generally don't bite deeply enough to get the venom in.
How do you resist the urge to, like, napalm your entire garden?
I would seriously be considering concrete if I lived in Aus
Honestly I think part of the issue is being British - whilst not unique to the UK it is one ecosystem where basically there is nothing to fear from wildilfe in general.
Sure if you take a wrong turn and manage to get close enough to a red deer and annoy it you might be in a world of pain, but chances are they will be long gone before you are any where near. Your greatest risk is ignoring a warning sign and going into a field with a bull or being daft and going into a field of cows with calves whilst walking your dog. Basically we don't have wolves, tigers, lions, bears, deadly spiders/snakes/bugs/insects/stuff. Sure adders carry a nasty bite and if you're allergic then a bee or wasp sting can be deadly too - but in general its a very safe environment. You've more to fear from people than animals.
So I think that you just don't learn a whole rafter of careful motions and measure that you grow up with and are thus second nature. Little things like how to store your shoes and checking them before putting them on etc.... Lots of little bits here and there that most living in more dangerous countries might well take for granted or just not think about doing when they do it.
Heck there's a Pepper Pig cartoon episode that wasn't allowed to be aired in Australia because it was focused around the idea of spiders being friendly and encouraged studying/picking them up - pretty much perfectly safe to do in the UK with almost no risk; a totally and utterly different story in Ozland where the spiders come loaded with enough power to fell a small army!!
It's a BABY snake. Yes, an Eastern brown that will probably still produce enough venom to kill an adult human, but still a baby. It's tiny. Maybe 8" long.
Well...
I guess only Aussies would call an 8" snake small.
Unless you're using 'snake' as a euphemism for something else, an eight-inch snake IS quite small. Most species range in the 3-4 FOOT range, so four to six TIMES the length...
Funnily enough, I have a similar reaction to the idea of living somewhere with bears and wolves and suchlike.
Our wildlife has lots of interesting ways to kill you, but for the most part the dangerous stuff is either easily avoided, will run away unless cornered, or can be dealt with through careful application of a shovel or a shoe.
Unless you're using 'snake' as a euphemism for something else, an eight-inch snake IS quite small. Most species range in the 3-4 FOOT range, so four to six TIMES the length...
I've dug up earthworms longer than eight inches.
Yeah, 8" is a hatchling. Eastern Browns generally grow to around 5' long.
It's a BABY snake. Yes, an Eastern brown that will probably still produce enough venom to kill an adult human, but still a baby. It's tiny. Maybe 8" long.
Well...
I guess only Aussies would call an 8" snake small.
Unless you're using 'snake' as a euphemism for something else, an eight-inch snake IS quite small. Most species range in the 3-4 FOOT range, so four to six TIMES the length...
I've dug up earthworms longer than eight inches.
I suppose. Where I grew up the only commonly seen snake was a garter snake. Occasionally you'd see a big Gopher snake. And allegedly rattlers, but nobody around us ever saw one except during a drought.
Stormatious wrote: I guess its mainly the outback where you find these things..
No, not at all. Our most dangerous spider lives in Sydney. And snakes get everywhere... I've seen three eastern brown snakes in my yard in the last couple of years, and we're in the suburbs.
Likewise, Redback spiders are fairly common all over the place, although their reputation is grossly inflated... Last time I did a first aid course, the general procedure for handling a Redback bite was 'wait and see what happens' because they generally don't bite deeply enough to get the venom in.
How do you resist the urge to, like, napalm your entire garden?
I would seriously be considering concrete if I lived in Aus
Since I moved to a place that is mostly concrete in the yard I’m sure I get even more critters in the house (mainly spiders).
8" is slightly smaller than the distance between my thumbtip and middle finger if I spread the fingers out. The largest redback I've seen had an overall footprint about the last joint of my thumb, legs included (body would have maybe been 8-10mm long), so yeah, 8 INCHES is a small snake here.
Especially when the adult EBs reach 12 times that ...
The redbacks don't get big enough to ever threaten even a juvenile brown snake.
Mygalomorphs, though, they can get quite large (this is the group that tarantula belong to, and funnel web spiders) and they get more aggressive the warmer their environment is (The "Sydney" Funnel web is found up and down the east coast of Oz, from the southern tip of Wilson's Promontory up to the tip of Cape York. The CY ones are larger and MORE aggressive than the southern ones).
Stormatious wrote: I guess its mainly the outback where you find these things..
No, not at all. Our most dangerous spider lives in Sydney. And snakes get everywhere... I've seen three eastern brown snakes in my yard in the last couple of years, and we're in the suburbs.
Likewise, Redback spiders are fairly common all over the place, although their reputation is grossly inflated... Last time I did a first aid course, the general procedure for handling a Redback bite was 'wait and see what happens' because they generally don't bite deeply enough to get the venom in.
So whens the last time you saw a huntsman or tarantula in your own property or house? And god damn snakes!!!!??, how did you get rid of them?. I know if i ever came across a tarantula or any huge spider in my house that would have me mentally scared for a long time jajaja.
I don't think I've ever seen a tarantula. Huntsmen? All the time. We're in an older house, so there's no keeping them out. They're fine if you leave them alone... We have an arrangement: if they don't go into the bedrooms, I don't put them outside. Seems to work for everybody concerned.
Snakes - there's generally no need to get rid of them, they're just passing through. Browns are ornery when it's hot, but will still prefer to run away rather than bite unless you get too close. More likely to be hurt by the non-venomous tree snake that fell on me when I opened my front gate the other day without noticing it crawling along the top - but only from potential heart attack
Inside the house would be more of an issue, but I think it's been 25 years or so since I had a snake actually in the house.
This was on the bedroom window one morning, my wife jumped 10ft in the air. Fortunately it was on the outside of the inner door, though we have no idea how it got in or out of that space without one of us opening the door.
For reference, the area of my hand (ignoring the fingers) is about the size of the diamond-shaped spaces.
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Reds8n
chromedog wrote: Yes, an Eastern brown that will probably still produce enough venom to kill an adult human, but still a baby. It's tiny. Maybe 8" long.
Remember, Australia has given us some of the deadliest venoms on earth. The neurotoxic venom from a single 6" pacific cone shell is potent enough to kill 700 people, hypothetically. Even with medical treatment you're looking at 75% fatality rate in some areas, due to the over 100,000 different bioractive substances that make up cone shell venom.
Pseudonaja textilis (the eastern Brown) is interesting in that it's venom is both hemotoxic and neurotoxic and considered the second most toxic snake venom on Earth. Only about 20% of eastern Brown bites result in significant envenoming, but those that do are extremely dangerous and medical attention should be sought IMMEDIATELY as serious medical issues can begin within 15 minutes.
Stormatious wrote: I guess its mainly the outback where you find these things..
No, not at all. Our most dangerous spider lives in Sydney. And snakes get everywhere... I've seen three eastern brown snakes in my yard in the last couple of years, and we're in the suburbs.
Likewise, Redback spiders are fairly common all over the place, although their reputation is grossly inflated... Last time I did a first aid course, the general procedure for handling a Redback bite was 'wait and see what happens' because they generally don't bite deeply enough to get the venom in.
So whens the last time you saw a huntsman or tarantula in your own property or house? And god damn snakes!!!!??, how did you get rid of them?. I know if i ever came across a tarantula or any huge spider in my house that would have me mentally scared for a long time jajaja.
I’ve never seen a tarantula, I don’t think they live in my area. Huntsmans are very common and like to wander into houses and cars, there was one sitting on the inside of my car a week or two ago.
Huntsman spiders will often wander into your house just before a storm, they sense it coming and look for shelter. They also like to come in pairs, if you see one there’s a good chance there’s another hiding somewhere. They’re harmless though.
Eastern browns, I’ve only seen a couple even though they are supposed to be common in my area. That said I may just not have seen them because they were hiding, I don’t think they like coming up and saying hello to people.
Wierd that you guys havn't seen tarantulas, i guess its because they mainly live underground or some thing. But yeah i am amazed that you guys can live among these creatures with no fear. Imagine just lifting your blanket to get in to bed, and there's that huntsman spider there, i cant even explain how crazy that is.
I would never search for lost coins in the crevices of sofas, never put on any shoes with out a good pounding on concrete to make sure there's nothing hiding in there. Any way good, i suppose not every one has phobias of spiders n stuff like i do.
Stormatious wrote: Wierd that you guys havn't seen tarantulas, i guess its because they mainly live underground or some thing. But yeah i am amazed that you guys can live among these creatures with no fear. Imagine just lifting your blanket to get in to bed, and there's that huntsman spider there, i cant even explain how crazy that is.
I would never search for lost coins in the crevices of sofas, never put on any shoes with out a good pounding on concrete to make sure there's nothing hiding in there. Any way good, i suppose not every one has phobias of spiders n stuff like i do.
Eh, I used to live in a place you'd find an eight foot long snake in those places. It's all in what you're used to. One time had a bloody black snake climb up the outside of the house, in through the open bathroom window, and curl up in my nice hot bath tub. Find that when you're buck naked.
Stormatious wrote: Wierd that you guys havn't seen tarantulas, i guess its because they mainly live underground or some thing. But yeah i am amazed that you guys can live among these creatures with no fear. Imagine just lifting your blanket to get in to bed, and there's that huntsman spider there, i cant even explain how crazy that is.
I would never search for lost coins in the crevices of sofas, never put on any shoes with out a good pounding on concrete to make sure there's nothing hiding in there. Any way good, i suppose not every one has phobias of spiders n stuff like i do.
Eh, I used to live in a place you'd find an eight foot long snake in those places. It's all in what you're used to. One time had a bloody black snake climb up the outside of the house, in through the open bathroom window, and curl up in my nice hot bath tub. Find that when you're buck naked.
Not sure about that, you could have The Great Unclean One's walking around your country, don't know if getting used to that would be great looool.
Not sure about that, you could have The Great Unclean One's walking around your country, don't know if getting used to that would be great looool.
Just remember, they're probably eating things that are worse for you than they are. I remember one house that had a roach problem until lizards moved in. Then they were the house with the lizard problem. Which is much nicer than a roach problem.
I'd still say the most dangerous Australian fauna you can ever come across is the garden variety Bogan. Thankfully you usually know one is in the area by the loud mating calls and the numerous stubbie bottles they decorate the area around their habitat with.
Stormatious wrote: Wierd that you guys havn't seen tarantulas, i guess its because they mainly live underground or some thing. But yeah i am amazed that you guys can live among these creatures with no fear. Imagine just lifting your blanket to get in to bed, and there's that huntsman spider there, i cant even explain how crazy that is.
I would never search for lost coins in the crevices of sofas, never put on any shoes with out a good pounding on concrete to make sure there's nothing hiding in there. Any way good, i suppose not every one has phobias of spiders n stuff like i do.
I would say I have mild arachnophobia in that if I see a huntsman I won’t want to approach or kill it or whatever, I’m certainly not one of those weirdos who just picks them up and takes them outside.
BUT, when one surprises you (eg see one climbing up the shirt I just put on or jumps out at me in my car) instinct takes over and I just instinctively flick it away without thinking about it or getting overly startled.
Though I have had times where I’ve had nightmares after killing a white tail that was in or near my bed. I don’t know if they’re actually all that dangerous but I’ve been raised to think they are.
Stormatious wrote: Wierd that you guys havn't seen tarantulas, i guess its because they mainly live underground or some thing. But yeah i am amazed that you guys can live among these creatures with no fear. Imagine just lifting your blanket to get in to bed, and there's that huntsman spider there, i cant even explain how crazy that is.
I would never search for lost coins in the crevices of sofas, never put on any shoes with out a good pounding on concrete to make sure there's nothing hiding in there. Any way good, i suppose not every one has phobias of spiders n stuff like i do.
I would say I have mild arachnophobia in that if I see a huntsman I won’t want to approach or kill it or whatever, I’m certainly not one of those weirdos who just picks them up and takes them outside.
BUT, when one surprises you (eg see one climbing up the shirt I just put on or jumps out at me in my car) instinct takes over and I just instinctively flick it away without thinking about it or getting overly startled.
Though I have had times where I’ve had nightmares after killing a white tail that was in or near my bed. I don’t know if they’re actually all that dangerous but I’ve been raised to think they are.
Had no idea that white tails were an ozzie import, they can give a nasty nip but generally its not a problem (no worse than a wasp sting for example) but some people have a reaction to them (or the bite necrotises the tissue) that can have some adverse effect. My brother has an area on his lower back about an inch square where the flesh has permanently puckered from a white tail bite and have seen a few people missing fingers, not sure if that's a kiwi thing only though as it might be caused by their local diet?
It's a BABY snake. Yes, an Eastern brown that will probably still produce enough venom to kill an adult human, but still a baby. It's tiny. Maybe 8" long.
Well...
I guess only Aussies would call an 8" snake small.
I mean, an 8 inch snake is pretty small man.....
I would call that a healthy medium sized snake.
You would? Where do you live at that that is a medium sized snake. Thats the size of a small grass snake. A six foot water moccasin would give you a heart attack...
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Baragash wrote: This was on the bedroom window one morning, my wife jumped 10ft in the air. Fortunately it was on the outside of the inner door, though we have no idea how it got in or out of that space without one of us opening the door.
For reference, the area of my hand (ignoring the fingers) is about the size of the diamond-shaped spaces.
This picture is why I bought that ground to air missile...
You would? Where do you live at that that is a medium sized snake. Thats the size of a small grass snake. A six foot water moccasin would give you a heart attack...
It's all in the level of threat. By comparison, that water moccasin would have to be over forty feet long to produce enough venom to have a comparable level of lethality. It might be tiny, but it's a whole different magnitude of dead if you get bit. Picture if a dozen diamondbacks AND a king cobra bit you at the same time.
There ARE some local tarantula species, but they tend to be found up in the northern parts of the country.
There have been black snakes seen around my area, but no browns - we're too far from their normal habitat and surrounded by concrete expanses. That and local wedge-tails tend to keep snake numbers down.
Juvenile male Kangaroos do this all the time with each other. It's all about the macho posturing. That's an eastern grey (they don't get anywhere near the "Big Red" sizes, but they can still give you a nasty kick). They especially do it during the seasonal mating times.
You would? Where do you live at that that is a medium sized snake. Thats the size of a small grass snake. A six foot water moccasin would give you a heart attack...
It's all in the level of threat. By comparison, that water moccasin would have to be over forty feet long to produce enough venom to have a comparable level of lethality. It might be tiny, but it's a whole different magnitude of dead if you get bit. Picture if a dozen diamondbacks AND a king cobra bit you at the same time.
You're misperceiving. I am not comparing the threat from a WM, vs. some Australian death snake. I am saying an 8 in snake is not medium sized in the US and the poster had an American flag. \
For the record, I am extremely concerned about a small WM or rattler. They inject all their poison, can kill you or your doggie dead, and don't have the sense older snakes have to get out of there.*
*Water Moccasins of course, do not leave. They are active aggressors. Nothing says WTF like one trying to climb into your boat.
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chromedog wrote: There ARE some local tarantula species, but they tend to be found up in the northern parts of the country.
There have been black snakes seen around my area, but no browns - we're too far from their normal habitat and surrounded by concrete expanses. That and local wedge-tails tend to keep snake numbers down.
Juvenile male Kangaroos do this all the time with each other. It's all about the macho posturing. That's an eastern grey (they don't get anywhere near the "Big Red" sizes, but they can still give you a nasty kick). They especially do it during the seasonal mating times.
*Water Moccasins of course, do not leave. They are active aggressors. Nothing says WTF like one trying to climb into your boat.
I thought their aggressiveness was notoriously exaggerated and in reality they flee contact with humans more often than not, and those that don't tend towards aggressiveness displays but rarely actually attack unless handled?
*Water Moccasins of course, do not leave. They are active aggressors. Nothing says WTF like one trying to climb into your boat.
I thought their aggressiveness was notoriously exaggerated and in reality they flee contact with humans more often than not, and those that don't tend towards aggressiveness displays but rarely actually attack unless handled?
*Water Moccasins of course, do not leave. They are active aggressors. Nothing says WTF like one trying to climb into your boat.
I thought their aggressiveness was notoriously exaggerated and in reality they flee contact with humans more often than not, and those that don't tend towards aggressiveness displays but rarely actually attack unless handled?
This is personal experience.
Are you sure about it beeing a water moccasins `?
I am saying nothing about your eyesight gramps so don't look at me funny but they seem to often get wrongly labled.
*Water Moccasins of course, do not leave. They are active aggressors. Nothing says WTF like one trying to climb into your boat.
I thought their aggressiveness was notoriously exaggerated and in reality they flee contact with humans more often than not, and those that don't tend towards aggressiveness displays but rarely actually attack unless handled?
This is personal experience.
Are you sure about it beeing a water moccasins `?
I am saying nothing about your eyesight gramps so don't look at me funny but they seem to often get wrongly labled.
No thats an extremely fair question. I have had multiple run ins with these.
Not Online!!! wrote: Well, did you have your dog with you? Maybee the snake was hungry? Can they even eat a dog?
Also the last one is the Fabled Horned Rabit, the unfriendly cousin of the horned rat right?
Ancient Buddha say do not pick a fight with a Caucasian Mountain Dog, be you snake or pit bull. They are bred to stop wolves, being built like tanks with two coats of fur. Your teeth / fangs can't get through to their hide, and all you do is piss them off...
Rusty was only part CMD, but he was huge. Here is a pure blood. Yes I went from this to wiener dogs...
Its a jackalope. One attacked President Carter once. They are cute then you get close and they gore you like a bull.
Not Online!!! wrote: Well, did you have your dog with you? Maybee the snake was hungry? Can they even eat a dog?
Also the last one is the Fabled Horned Rabit, the unfriendly cousin of the horned rat right?
Ancient Buddha say do not pick a fight with a Caucasian Mountain Dog, be you snake or pit bull. They are bred to stop wolves, being built like tanks with two coats of fur. Your teeth / fangs can't get through to their hide, and all you do is piss them off...
Its a jackalope. One attacked President Carter once. They are cute then you get close and they gore you like a bull.
The snake was probably slightly smaller right? Also did it speak french? Maybee it is Napoléon re-incarnate?
Not Online!!! wrote: Well, did you have your dog with you? Maybee the snake was hungry? Can they even eat a dog?
Also the last one is the Fabled Horned Rabit, the unfriendly cousin of the horned rat right?
Ancient Buddha say do not pick a fight with a Caucasian Mountain Dog, be you snake or pit bull. They are bred to stop wolves, being built like tanks with two coats of fur. Your teeth / fangs can't get through to their hide, and all you do is piss them off...
Its a jackalope. One attacked President Carter once. They are cute then you get close and they gore you like a bull.
The snake was probably slightly smaller right? Also did it speak french? Maybee it is Napoléon re-incarnate?
Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
To the horrifying topic. I can deal with killer crocs (good leather), killer snakes, kangaroos who think they are chavs and pick a fight with you, even your weird ants, but those spiders. holy crapaoly. Those even scare New Mexico's radioactive muties.
For the record, I am extremely concerned about a small WM or rattler. They inject all their poison, can kill you or your doggie dead, and don't have the sense older snakes have to get out of there.*
*Water Moccasins of course, do not leave. They are active aggressors. Nothing says WTF like one trying to climb into your boat.
Never had an indigenous North American species try to climb into a boat with me. Did have an encounter with a 55 gallon drum full of copperheads though. As far as dog loss though I can say the nastiest thing was a cougar that decided she had a taste for both sheep and sheep dogs.
Frazzled wrote: Are bull ants ever a problem there? Are they really 1.5inches long?
I discharge my 9mm on a camel spider in Afghanutstan
That Bull Dog ant....ya...see a bunch those coming through my window I scream like I lost my manhood, get behind the 240B and just hold the trigger down with my eyes close...
Wait. NVM. That's a blown up head shot of a Bull Ant
Frazzled wrote: Are bull ants ever a problem there? Are they really 1.5inches long?
I discharge my 9mm on a camel spider in Afghanutstan
That Bull Dog ant....ya...see a bunch those coming through my window I scream like I lost my manhood, get behind the 240B and just hold the trigger down with my eyes close...
Wait. NVM. That's a blown up head shot of a Bull Ant
It's not blown up, just proof that Ambulls are real.
THEM was actually a documentary in the 50s about some Australian Bull Ants that got loose in the US. In the documentary, US troops burn out the nests, but the reality is less heroic. The Air Force flew in some Aussie ant wranglers, and they just lured the ants onto an old Liberty ship, which was promptly sunk by Australian great whites they had brought along (aka the Australian Navy).
The stories that the Japanese woke up Godzilla to deal with a Bull Ant infestation is just stories. They actually woke up Rodan.
We have falcons, hawks and eagles, though.
Mind you, hawks and falcons mainly prey on other birds.
Proper Aquila Audax (Wedge-tailed eagle) eagles, mind you, not the glorified seagull you yanks venerate - it's a sea-eagle and not even a proper Aquila.
One look at the Wedge-tailed eagle tells you "I'm'a f*** your gak up!" - these birds are known to attack hang-gliders and will take out r/c drones in their airspace without a second thought. They also carry off smalll dogs, possums and roos.
Pygmy possums tend to be food for the owls and frogmouths.
Grey Templar wrote: Frankly its a miracle that those pygmy possums haven't gone extinct due to all of the other hostile creatures
"Reproduction
Western pygmy possums can breed throughout the year, although they do so more commonly in the spring, and give birth to litters of four to six young. The mother often carries more than six embryos at a time in her womb, but because she has only six teats, and marsupial young remain attached to an individual teat for much of their early lives, six is the maximum number she is able to rear.[10] Unusually, however, the mother may give birth just two days after weaning a previous litter, with her teats dramatically changing in size to accommodate the smaller young, and the mammary glands reverting to production of colostrum.[6]
The young are still blind when they leave the pouch at around 25 days of age; they initially remain within the nest, and are fully weaned at around 50 days. Females reach sexual maturity at 12 to 15 months old.[6]"
They breed like mad. Animals in Australia either need to be deadly or breed so fast it can keep up.
Grey Templar wrote: Frankly its a miracle that those pygmy possums haven't gone extinct due to all of the other hostile creatures
"Reproduction
Western pygmy possums can breed throughout the year, although they do so more commonly in the spring, and give birth to litters of four to six young. The mother often carries more than six embryos at a time in her womb, but because she has only six teats, and marsupial young remain attached to an individual teat for much of their early lives, six is the maximum number she is able to rear.[10] Unusually, however, the mother may give birth just two days after weaning a previous litter, with her teats dramatically changing in size to accommodate the smaller young, and the mammary glands reverting to production of colostrum.[6]
The young are still blind when they leave the pouch at around 25 days of age; they initially remain within the nest, and are fully weaned at around 50 days. Females reach sexual maturity at 12 to 15 months old.[6]"
They breed like mad. Animals in Australia either need to be deadly or breed so fast it can keep up.
You just breed so fast all the dead animals cannot wipe you all out and have qaunitity with a quality of its own.
filbert wrote: It is a legitimate defense against predation. Periodic cicadas emerge in huge swarms to the extent that the predators cannot possibly eat them all
I drove through Georgia during the Brood X Cicada "event" in 2004, I was astounded.. Doing 75 down the freeway, in a truck, radio up almost full blast and I could still hear them over all of that. Growing up in Texas I got used to Mayflys swarming and such, but this made that feel like finding an ant in the kitchen. When I got to Connecticut the front of my truck looked like black carpet. I was really blown away by how many there were and how loud they got.
And here I was putting off reading this thread thinking I was going to read a bunch of stories about house parties that got out of hand and went south.. Pleasantly surprised.
Watch Out For Wasps: Massive Yellow Jacket Nests Spotted In Alabama
June 28, 20196:11 PM ET
Dani Matias
A "super nest" was located outside an Alabama home earlier this month. Experts recommend hiring a professional to help remove these dangerous colonies.
Charles Ray
Similar to humans, yellow jackets often live in areas that disturb the natural environment. This means the two species are bound to cross paths.
Scientists are warning Alabama residents to be on the lookout for "super nests" which provide shelter to at least 4,000 yellow jackets. Early sightings of these nests suggests that the state may see a large number of wasp colonies popping up this year.
An average yellow jacket nest does not exceed the size of a volleyball, Charles Ray, an entomologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and a research fellow at Auburn University told NPR. If they choose to build in a wall void or hole, their "super nest" may not even be noticeable until it suddenly appears, extremely large, seemingly out of nowhere. Ray said although yellow jackets are not good excavators or diggers they still manage to expand the nest.
"They tend to increase the size by either going out or inward. But eventually they might start finding their way into the home," Ray said.
Most years Ray witnesses zero to two observations of large nests. The last time Alabama had a huge outbreak of "super nests" was in 2006 with more than 90 sightings — the first was reported during mid-June.
Perennial nest located inside a '57 Chevy in Elmore County, Alabama in June 2006.
Perennial nest located inside a '57 Chevy in Elmore County, Alabama in June 2006.
Perennial nest located in Chilton Country, Alabama in July 2006.
Perennial nest located in Chilton Country, Alabama in July 2006.
Perennial nest located in Talladega County, Alabama in June 2006.
Perennial nest located in Talladega County, Alabama in June 2006.
Perennial nest located in Butler County, Alabama in June 2006.
Perennial nest located in Butler County, Alabama in June 2006.
This year, the yellow jackets seem to be in a hurry. Ray said his email is flooding with potential sightings of "super nests." By mid-May he confirmed two in person, and since, at least 10 others through pictures.
Ray encourages homeowners to leave the nest alone and call a professional for help. If people choose to have the nests removed, Ray recommends contacting a licensed pest control operator, warning that some commercial operators will not tackle the job.
The southeast has a large population of yellow jackets.
Ray said the best way to measure whether a nest is perennial — one that has survived more than a year — is by counting the number of queens inside. A queen is darker colored and much larger than a worker. Some perennial nests can include up to a quarter-million yellow jackets.
In an average year, almost no nests survive the winter, according to Ray.
Every spring a queen wasp will set out to search for a place to construct a nest. Queens usually claim territory in any kind of cavity such as a wall void, or most commonly in a vacant rodent hole in the ground. Once the queen has found an ideal spot, she begins building.
"She starts the colony from scratch," Ray said. "She's doing all the work herself, she's a single mom."
After creating a nest, the queen lays a few eggs and sets off to forage for food such as spiders or other insects to bring home. She produces female workers who then assume responsibility for expanding the nest, feeding the young and protecting the colony. The nest will grow from one queen to thousands of workers. The nest is considered mature and at its largest by August. During the late summer, colonies consist of males which help produce more queens.
For example, a nest with 4,000 workers will usually produce 4,000 queens to prepare for the following season.
During winter the colony slowly fades away and the workers die from cold temperatures or starvation because their food supply disappears. The queen however lives and leaves the nest.
"The queens are the only ones who have [an] antifreeze-like compound in their blood so the queens can survive freezing," Ray said.
The queen finds a place under the bark of a dead tree or a log in the ground.
"They don't hardly move all winter, and so anything that finds them, any animal even fungi, could consume them," Ray said. "That's why they put out 4,000 queens. If one of them makes it through that winter in an average year, that's a successful colony."
Ray is in the process of confirming more perennial nest reports in person but said he expects the total to mirror 2006 numbers.
I once (unknowingly) dug into a ground yellow jacket nest while doing some yard work. Put my shovel in the ground, turned to throw the dirt, sensed something was amiss, and turned around in a slow-motion WTF moment to see a swirling cloud of those suckers.
I ran. Faster than I thought possible, although I had to stop at a not-completely safe distance to yell to my allergic wife to shut the front door. Still only got stung once, although several were trying to sting the hell out of my clothes. I counter-counterattacked with chemical warfare, and their nest was no more.
Chemicals are like lawyers...everyone says they don't like them, but when some gak happens it's the first place they turn.
Frazzled wrote: Alabama may be attempting to enter the Deathworld Games:
*snip*
Yeah that's a big effing nope from me. I hate wasps with the burning passion of a thousand suns... I get anxiety just watching the videos of exterminators taking out these big nests.
As soon as those Japanese Hornets are found in the US I am moving to Antarctica.
When I lived in Texas I ran over a ground nest with our big tractor while mowing the pasture. Fortunately our tractor was an enclosed cab but that didn't stop them from trying to get in. I pulled a quick U-turn and parked the big box mower over where they were coming from and read a magazine I had in the cab. About 30 minutes later most of them were gone so I carried on getting the mowing done.
I will say that if you see me running, screaming at the pitch equal to that of a young child, chances are I am being chased by a wasp. I am 6'3" 300 pounds, so I wont be hard to miss.
Funny story:
I worked as a maintenance guy at an independent retirement apartment complex (all the luxury of an overpriced apartment with the convenience of a nursing home for the elderly) and we had a Bald Face Hornet nest pop up in a bush behind one of the units. 2 of our lawn care guys had to be taken to urgent care after being stung so many times when they found it. My supervisor called me up and told me to go take care of it, and me, who had totally lied on the interview to get the job when they asked if I had any problems with wasps or bees, had to find a way to take care of the nest and face my biggest fear. I devised a genius, 2000 IQ plan, to deal with it since the lawn care guys had tried to spray it and it didn't work. I rang up the resident who lived in the apartment whos back yard it was in and told her to not go in her back yard for anything until we told her it was ok. I waited until dusk and went to our pool room and grabbed one of those 30 foot extendable pool net poles, extended it all 30 feet, and jousted the nest from across the yard to poke a hole in the side so the spray could get in the nest. This took about 5 or 6 tries and a lot longer than it should have because I would drop the pole and run after each thrust since I knew they would be a little upset at what I had just done, even if (when) I missed. On the last thrust I knew I had hit home when they all came pouring out and I immediately dropped the pole and ran, not looking back, and didn't stop until I had reached the community center where my office was, which was about 300 yards away. I am pretty sure I was yelling the entire time but it was all a haze of adrenalin and fear so I don't quite remember..
Anyway, the next day I went back to the nest at dusk and put the "20 ft" claim on the spray bottle of wasp killer to the test, and that's the shortest freaking 20 feet I have ever seen.. I managed to empty 2 cans before I saw movement and again went sprinting back to my office. I repeated this procedure for 2 days until one of the lawn care guys got close enough to snip the portion of the bush it was in, off, and verified that they were dead. Except not all of them were dead. All of the adults were gonners, but the larvae were still alive, so I had him throw it in a garbage bag which I sprayed another 3 cans of spray in to before dumping the basketball sized nest into the dumpster.
I don't know if anyone saw this happening, as I was the only maintenance person there that late, and the residents normally turned in at about 7 (I did this all at about 830 or so when it was still light outside but sun had gone down so they were all in their nest still), but I imagine it would have been quite humorous to see.
gorgon wrote: I once (unknowingly) dug into a ground yellow jacket nest while doing some yard work. Put my shovel in the ground, turned to throw the dirt, sensed something was amiss, and turned around in a slow-motion WTF moment to see a swirling cloud of those suckers.
I ran. Faster than I thought possible, although I had to stop at a not-completely safe distance to yell to my allergic wife to shut the front door. Still only got stung once, although several were trying to sting the hell out of my clothes. I counter-counterattacked with chemical warfare, and their nest was no more.
Chemicals are like lawyers...everyone says they don't like them, but when some gak happens it's the first place they turn.
VS wasps, yes, the deployment of everything short of napalm and thermite is sane!
Well if you wane to preserve your lawn. If not. Burn away!
If there those giant Japanese things... Nope. Nope.
They can die any way possible.
Dragonflies and the like used to be a lot bigger in the past - WAY bigger
From what I gather what mostly holds insects back from being bigger is their ability to breath. In the past the atmosphere was richer in key air particles that they required (I think its mostly oxygen) so they could grow larger and deliver more to their muscles to let wings and body function. With a more modern atmopshere the air isn't of the sufficient rich mix to allow them to convert enough to energy. Of course there are likely loads of other factors that came around too which contributed to their size reduction over time.
Dragonflies and the like used to be a lot bigger in the past - WAY bigger
From what I gather what mostly holds insects back from being bigger is their ability to breath. In the past the atmosphere was richer in key air particles that they required (I think its mostly oxygen) so they could grow larger and deliver more to their muscles to let wings and body function. With a more modern atmopshere the air isn't of the sufficient rich mix to allow them to convert enough to energy. Of course there are likely loads of other factors that came around too which contributed to their size reduction over time.
Time to get some extra cases of birdshot then.
I wonder if grackles would do a number on these guys. They are the Spitfires of the insect hunting world here. I saw one literally chase down a big mosquito hog. Galland aint got nothing on those guys.
I would imagine that wasps in general are affected by climate change, in that, if it stays warmer, longer, they are around longer before the cold winter kills them off. I think this would affect numbers and colony size more-so than the size of the actual insect. I don't claim to be a scientist, but I would imagine that if the nest is around longer, they have more time to breed more queens. More queens released to start their own nests before they go dormant before winter = more nests the next year, wash/rinse/repeat until we worship our wasp overlords.
I would imagine that wasps in general are affected by climate change, in that, if it stays warmer, longer, they are around longer before the cold winter kills them off. I think this would affect numbers and colony size more-so than the size of the actual insect. I don't claim to be a scientist, but I would imagine that if the nest is around longer, they have more time to breed more queens. More queens released to start their own nests before they go dormant before winter = more nests the next year, wash/rinse/repeat until we worship our wasp overlords.
I shudder at the thought of it...
Or:
The longer warmer period means that they remain active long beyond when their natural food sources have been exhausted or at least diminished. This might result in them over-consuming and destroying their own food source (at least locally if not at the larger scale). Thus could mean that they enter a boom-bust situation whereby every few years they build into a booming year, consume almost all the food and then bust for a few years as there's simply no food to sustain even normal sized hives for a while.
Or it means that they remain active long past normal and have to move onto other food sources which causes cascade problems for other species as the wasps are now consuming more food from alternative sources.
Or man-made sources can also influence this and the wasps end up relying more heavily on them to sustain their populations. Thus indeed leading to longer term hives, more queens and greater spread whilst at the same time increasing human-wasp interactions and conflict
Or they hibernate as normal, but the milder winters cause them to awaken or never fully enter hibernation. Thus causing them to burn out their food reserves meaning that when they come to try and awaken they simply can't. This is actually happening for many reptiles that hibernate like snakes - the mild winter causes them to awaken early; they burn through their fat reserves but there's no active food to hunt and then the cold comes back around again forcing them to hibernate once more. Thus resulting in them starving to death or, if they do survive, being in a very poor condition upon emerging which can then roll on to hinder survival and breeding.
Dragonflies and the like used to be a lot bigger in the past - WAY bigger
From what I gather what mostly holds insects back from being bigger is their ability to breath. In the past the atmosphere was richer in key air particles that they required (I think its mostly oxygen) so they could grow larger and deliver more to their muscles to let wings and body function. With a more modern atmopshere the air isn't of the sufficient rich mix to allow them to convert enough to energy. Of course there are likely loads of other factors that came around too which contributed to their size reduction over time.
Time to get some extra cases of birdshot then.
I wonder if grackles would do a number on these guys. They are the Spitfires of the insect hunting world here. I saw one literally chase down a big mosquito hog. Galland aint got nothing on those guys.
Or send a bigger badder critter like the Japanese Wasp!
Or:
The longer warmer period means that they remain active long beyond when their natural food sources have been exhausted or at least diminished. This might result in them over-consuming and destroying their own food source (at least locally if not at the larger scale). Thus could mean that they enter a boom-bust situation whereby every few years they build into a booming year, consume almost all the food and then bust for a few years as there's simply no food to sustain even normal sized hives for a while.
Or it means that they remain active long past normal and have to move onto other food sources which causes cascade problems for other species as the wasps are now consuming more food from alternative sources.
Or man-made sources can also influence this and the wasps end up relying more heavily on them to sustain their populations. Thus indeed leading to longer term hives, more queens and greater spread whilst at the same time increasing human-wasp interactions and conflict
Or they hibernate as normal, but the milder winters cause them to awaken or never fully enter hibernation. Thus causing them to burn out their food reserves meaning that when they come to try and awaken they simply can't. This is actually happening for many reptiles that hibernate like snakes - the mild winter causes them to awaken early; they burn through their fat reserves but there's no active food to hunt and then the cold comes back around again forcing them to hibernate once more. Thus resulting in them starving to death or, if they do survive, being in a very poor condition upon emerging which can then roll on to hinder survival and breeding.
Well, the biggest ones live in the warmer climates, abd when earth is warmer, the bugs get bigger for some reason.
I remember that! Hollywood played it as a sci fi movie, but its actually a documentary film from New Mexico...shortly before the radioactive muties started appearing.
An incredible photo showing a spider wasp dragging a huntsman spider has gone viral online.
The image, taken in Bronte, Sydney, shows the orange spider wasp carting the paralysed huntsman back to its den.
The species of wasp immobilises their spider prey with a sting and drags it to its nest.
There the female wasp uses the spider's body as a living host.
What is a spider wasp?
Spider wasps or pompilid wasps get their common name from their tendencies to hunt and kill spiders
Spider wasps prey on spiders much larger than themselves but also eat plants and leaves
They have a potentially painful sting, but aren't aggressive and are unlikely to attack humans
There are many varieties of spider wasps around the world, including in Australia, Britain and North America
It lays an egg inside the alive spider which hatches. The larva then eats it alive from inside out.
The wasps are incredibly strong and can drag a spider twice their own weight.
The image was uploaded to Reddit on Wednesday and already has been shared 37,000 times.
It has received around 4,000 comments, many from people in the US and UK shocked at the wildlife that lives in Australia.
One commenter wrote: 'I think the best part is knowing its all the way in Australia.. and it can't hurt us here.'
Another added: 'Best part about this post? We all knew it was Australia without reading the description. We just knew.'
Earlier this year a video went viral showing a spider wasp dragging a similarly-sized huntsman up the netting of a door.
I'll go you one better. Here in New Mexico I had a tarantula hawk get into the house. The cats thought it was the greatest toy ever to chase around, and here I am trying to make sure none of us got stung... total chaos.
Thor's aim isn't what it used to be (losing an eye feths your depth perception somewhat).
The big fires were started by lightning strikes in areas that were essentially tinderboxes from a 6 year drought.
Lol in reality there's only a few species of spiders that are dangerous. Most of them just look scary but their bites aren't fatal, just painful. It's really only the Sydney Funnel web which causes fatalities.
I live on a 3 acre block in the North of Brisbane QLD and get all kinds of creepy crawlies. A few years back I had a coastal Taipan slither across my front yard which I believe is the second most venomous land snake in the world. Pretty awesome.
But I also get Koalas, the occasional Wallaby, bandicoots and Sugar Gliders. And Very, very rarely the occasional firefly.
chromedog wrote: It's actually the staggering number of people who are somehow unable to *SEE* a bright RED tram on what is mostly a dead straight track run.
They've almost flattened a couple of hundred locals since it opened last year.
Maybe they are color blind and they see a GREEN tram coming their way?
Men hired for sexual fantasy break into wrong house
In a sex fantasy gone wrong, two men with machetes entered the wrong house in New South Wales, Australia, before quickly realising their error.
One of them has now been acquitted of entering a home armed with a weapon in July 2019, Australian media report.
They had been hired to carry out a client's fantasy of being tied up in his underwear and stroked with a broom.
The judge concluded that "the facts of the case are unusual".
The role play was arranged over Facebook by a man near Griffith, New South Wales, who provided his address to the hired pair.
"He was willing to pay A$5,000 if it was 'really good'," the judge said.
However, the client moved to another address 50km (30 miles) away without updating the two men. They then entered a home on the street of the original address.
When the resident noticed a light on in his kitchen at 06:15, he assumed it was a friend who came by daily to make morning coffee.
When the men called out the name of their client, the resident turned on the light and removed a sleep apnoea mask he was wearing.
It was then that he saw them standing above his bed with the machetes, which they appeared to have brought as props for the role play.
When they realised their error, one of the pair said, "Sorry, mate", and shook the resident's hand, according to local reports.
The two men then drove to the correct address, where the client noticed one man had a "great big knife" in his trousers and asked them to leave the weapons in their car.
The client then cooked bacon, eggs and noodles, and a short time later, the police arrived at the property, found the machetes in the car and arrested the hired pair.
The judge ruled that evidence did not suggest the men's actions were intentional.
"They carried the machetes either as a prop or something to use in that fantasy," he said. "The fantasy was unscripted and there was discretion as to how it would be carried out."
A lawyer for Terrence Leroy, one of the accused, said: "It was a commercial agreement to tie up and stroke a semi-naked man in his underpants with a broom. Entry was not with intent to intimidate."
... welll not a lot of social distancing there eh ?
When they realised their error, one of the pair said, "Sorry, mate", and shook the resident's hand, according to local reports.
Fair play.
"He was willing to pay A$5,000 if it was 'really good'," the judge said.
... well they do say things are more expensive in Australia..
. Gotta lay off the vegemite mate!
odd country.
