End-of-Spring in N.E. Downunder - so ... we can get rather large Spiders here

Wow! That's pretty large!

Do you get tons of spider webs everywhere?

Spider webs are the biggest problem for me. They're all around the outside of the house. I can never get rid of them for long.

Yes, Andy, spider webs are a big problem for me too. In the last few years I've resorted to paying huge amounts of money to get the house and verandah sprayed every year. It really makes a difference.

Although the huge spiders like the Orb Weavers and Huntsmen, pictured above, don't really get affected by the chemicals used.

I'm glad it's not just a huge problem here.

I've pretty much given up on getting rid of the spider webs in summer. I don't like to spray much because spiders eat a lot of the unwanted bugs.

We have tons of brown widows which have take over San Diego over the last 12 years. They are 2 times more poisonous as a black widow which are super common here in California. The brown widows are very poisonous however, are very shy and almost never bite (which is good!). I leave them along because they're such a beautiful-looking spider! (They have variegated colored legs).

I haven't heard of the Brown Widow spiders before. They sound fascinating. Great to hear they're rather shy.

Yes, it's good they're shy. I have never read about a person being bitten by a Brown Widow spider.

Before 2000 we never heard of them either. They came in and took over. The only place they check under the benches every day is in Balboa Park. Female Brown Widow spiders (like Black Widows) lay their egg sacks under the concrete benches in the park.

Wonder where they were hiding before 2000? What do the people who check under the seats do if they find a Brown Widow? I wouldn't be getting too close if it was me!

The Brown Widow came from South Africa, somehow.

The park workers remove the spiders and egg sacks every morning from what I've seen on the news. Even though they're shy and rarely bite they are still considered a liability, because they're so venomous.