Re: [Paddlewise] Funnel web spiders..

My neighborhood and particularly my house is infested with this recent
import from abroad.  After taking one into the Oregon Extension Service I
picked up their brochure on spiders.   

My specimen was a Giant House Spider - it's legs extended beyond the lg.
canning jar opening.  It's a very close relative to the smaller Aggressive
House spider and to the Brown Recluse spider.  The house spiders were first
noticed in the Seattle area approximately three decades ago and are
replacing the native species of funnel web spiders.

They like low areas or cracks under the house siding trim and are commonly
seen indoors near moisture - like bathrooms or wet gear in garages.  I
found one on my wetsuit which I had slung over my shoulder.  I had put it
over a crate in the garage after returning from sailboarding at the gorge.
I now shake out my neoprene.

Their bites are painless to the point that people are usually unaware that
they have been biten until the onset of symptoms.  The Aggressive's bite is
similar to the Recluse's bite.  This is usually an ulcerative wound which
may not heal for months.  Grafts usually fail.  Some people experience a
severe drop in their blood platlet level accompanied by a migraine quality
headache lasting up to two weeks.  The Giant House Spider or Common House
Spider has a less severe bite.

I'm not clear on the distinction between the Hobo spider and the other
House spiders.  I think that the name "Hobo spider" in now the preferred
name of the Aggressive House Spider.

The males search for females when the weather cools.  I'm currently finding
one to three a night usually in my bedroom.  The males can be identified by
large black tips at the ends of a pair of small appendages in front of the
fangs. If you have these in your area, now is the time to be careful to
store your gear off the floor and to shake out your shoes and paddling
clothing.


						Bill



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