Spider stuff...
Funnelweb - used to be the frighteningly-common Sydney Funnelweb was the most venomous spider in the country, but we outdid NSW to come up with the SE Qld Funnelweb [fractionally more venomous, but much more rare] & the Toowoomba Funnelweb [more venomous again & significantly harder to find].
Management - Pressure Immobilisation = firm bandage from the limb extremity [fingertips or toe tips] up as far as you can, firmly cover the entire limb. Mark on the bandage the location of the bite. Immobilise your patient - the less they move, the more slowly the venom travels & the better chance you have of survival. Call the ambulance - 000 in Australia [that's triple zero not triple-O, for all those people who text a lot & can't remember that zero & O are on different keys. Sounds daft? You'd be surprised.] or 112 from your mobile phone.
Mouse spider - if you can get close enough to tell it from a Funnelweb, you're Too Close.
Management - see Funnelweb above.
Redback - lots of bites from mature spider = pain, misery & a trip to the hospital, even for an adult. One or two bites = pain & misery "like a really bad hangover without the fun bit at the start" for a few days to a week or so, again for an adult. Children tend to get kept in hospital for observation.
Management - Ice pack for the pain. Go get it checked out, but be aware that if you're a Normal Healthy Adult, you'll probably be sent home, with not a lot of sympathy.
Please note - the weather is hot & dry & summer is pretty-much here. It is redback breeding season. They are more prevalent & out looking for mates, soon there will be lots & lots of little baby redbacks. Think "Hot, Dry & Undisturbed" & you'll think like a redback. Under edges of terracotta pots, rocks & brickwork, under garden furniture & metal bathtubs [troughs], the hotter & drier, the better [if you're a redback], in corners where the humans rarely go. Think like a redback & you'll no doubt find some. Brisbane has lots. Web is untidy, tangled-looking & very very sticky. Generalised insecticide will kill redbacks, spider-specific insecticide will kill redbacks, the bottom of your boot applied with a little force [not too much, you don't want to hurt yourself] will kill redbacks.
Whitetail spider - Soap & water wash, ice pack for the pain, seek medical advice if it blisters, gets ulcers or fails to heal. Most problems with Whitetail bites come from bacterial infection. Yes, that includes the cases of tissue necrosis that made such a big splash on the news a few years back.
Brown Huntsman - rarely a big deal. Bites, if you can harass the spider enough to get it to bite you, are small & may hurt a little, but are not sufficiently venomous to be considered.
Soap & water wash, ice pack if it's painful.
Grey huntsman - a gorgeous spider. Soft, grey, fuzzy, incredibly docile. If you can get one to bite you [try picking it up & throwing it out the door 5 or 6 times] the neurotoxin will numb all the nerves of a large adult's arm for 6 - 12 hours. Uncertain as to how severely it would affect children, but likely equivalent to adult. Then again, don't harass the spider & it'll bugger off & leave you in peace. After all, that's what it'd prefer.
Soap & water wash, ice pack if painful.
Most other Australian spiders - bites may be painful, but are not generally considered venomous.
Soap & water wash, [it is a bite & spiders do carry bacteria from their prey].
Ice pack for the pain.
Seek medical attention if there are blisters; ulceration; severe pain, redness & swelling; nausea & vomiting or the bitee shows signs of intoxication as a result of the bite. [This bit applies to ALL bites & stings.]
Management - Pressure Immobilisation = firm bandage from the limb extremity [fingertips or toe tips] up as far as you can, firmly cover the entire limb. Mark on the bandage the location of the bite. Immobilise your patient - the less they move, the more slowly the venom travels & the better chance you have of survival. Call the ambulance - 000 in Australia [that's triple zero not triple-O, for all those people who text a lot & can't remember that zero & O are on different keys. Sounds daft? You'd be surprised.] or 112 from your mobile phone.
Mouse spider - if you can get close enough to tell it from a Funnelweb, you're Too Close.
Management - see Funnelweb above.
Redback - lots of bites from mature spider = pain, misery & a trip to the hospital, even for an adult. One or two bites = pain & misery "like a really bad hangover without the fun bit at the start" for a few days to a week or so, again for an adult. Children tend to get kept in hospital for observation.
Management - Ice pack for the pain. Go get it checked out, but be aware that if you're a Normal Healthy Adult, you'll probably be sent home, with not a lot of sympathy.
Please note - the weather is hot & dry & summer is pretty-much here. It is redback breeding season. They are more prevalent & out looking for mates, soon there will be lots & lots of little baby redbacks. Think "Hot, Dry & Undisturbed" & you'll think like a redback. Under edges of terracotta pots, rocks & brickwork, under garden furniture & metal bathtubs [troughs], the hotter & drier, the better [if you're a redback], in corners where the humans rarely go. Think like a redback & you'll no doubt find some. Brisbane has lots. Web is untidy, tangled-looking & very very sticky. Generalised insecticide will kill redbacks, spider-specific insecticide will kill redbacks, the bottom of your boot applied with a little force [not too much, you don't want to hurt yourself] will kill redbacks.
Whitetail spider - Soap & water wash, ice pack for the pain, seek medical advice if it blisters, gets ulcers or fails to heal. Most problems with Whitetail bites come from bacterial infection. Yes, that includes the cases of tissue necrosis that made such a big splash on the news a few years back.
Brown Huntsman - rarely a big deal. Bites, if you can harass the spider enough to get it to bite you, are small & may hurt a little, but are not sufficiently venomous to be considered.
Soap & water wash, ice pack if it's painful.
Grey huntsman - a gorgeous spider. Soft, grey, fuzzy, incredibly docile. If you can get one to bite you [try picking it up & throwing it out the door 5 or 6 times] the neurotoxin will numb all the nerves of a large adult's arm for 6 - 12 hours. Uncertain as to how severely it would affect children, but likely equivalent to adult. Then again, don't harass the spider & it'll bugger off & leave you in peace. After all, that's what it'd prefer.
Soap & water wash, ice pack if painful.
Most other Australian spiders - bites may be painful, but are not generally considered venomous.
Soap & water wash, [it is a bite & spiders do carry bacteria from their prey].
Ice pack for the pain.
Seek medical attention if there are blisters; ulceration; severe pain, redness & swelling; nausea & vomiting or the bitee shows signs of intoxication as a result of the bite. [This bit applies to ALL bites & stings.]