To the unknowing eye, Redback spiders do not appear to be much of a threat. Most people are more likely to shudder at the larger spiders that build silk threads with the strength of a piece of leather cord and suspend them between trees. One of these species are the nearly mammoth sized Orb spiders. We also have some spectacular river spiders which you will come across at night. The Orbs will usually leave you alone and disappear if you disturb them accidentally. Redbacks, however, will frequently bite and are particularly noxious. Redback bites often cause a fine blistery rash and pain that lasts for hours. Years ago, a patient described being discharged from an emergency department in a rural area after a bite by a Redback. He had noted that it's body was about 1 cm (this is huge, they are usually much smaller and most people will recall seeing a brief black and red glossy flash as it disappears but won't remember the bite; Redbacks are tiny, diminutive and deceptively dainty). When the agony sets in, so does the realisation. Three hours after he was discharged, while driving, he began struggling to breathe and managed to call someone to get help and transport him to a hospital. That one nearly killed him. Ascending paralysis is rare and unlikely but the danger is there. I get them in my lounge, which is a problem. I actually get more inside than in my garden but they are easy to kill, however...just two squirts of house fly spray will usually suffice. Their nests are tiny little white balls which can also be sprayed. Redbacks love dry grass fencing screens, the rims of outdoor plant pots and dog houses. It is a good idea to routinely check the fence adjacent to your dog house and inside. The spiders look for quiet places with filtered light. A large dog is the size of a child and a bite can lead to the dog vomiting, losing consciousness and having seizures. Death is a likely prognosis for many pets but the Australian antevenom (given in a half hour infusion) is highly effective (in minutes the pain resolves).
