Since moving to Australia, I have long been waiting the day I would wake up and see a tarantula right above my bed...or in the cuboard while I am reaching for a can of something. I ALWAYS anticipate it when I am cleaning behind the fridge. You might be wondering how many times I have cleaned behind the fridge since moving here 6 months ago; truth is, if I am not a clean freak (no offense to all my clean freak friends) then we get cockroaches, ants, etc... Don't get me wrong, we are in a really nice area in great accommodations but there are bugs in this country that we don't have in the US. So today was my carpool day to school and I was trying to get all the kids out the door when I noticed a spider. It was a BIG spider. So big, I got my camera. This picture doesn't do it justice--I am standing as far away from the spider as I can. I ran and asked my neighbor to kill it. He said "No, they kill the cockroaches so leave it." 
Turns out this is a jumping spider too! Anyway, it is harmless. It is called an Australian tarantula otherwise known as a huntsman spider (Wiki that), which is actually not a tarantula at all...but it sure looks like one. I have decided to combat the situation by staying inside my house all day and not opening the door. So far it is working :-)Add on (three day later): So to finish the story, my neighbor came over to see if I was going to pick up the kids from school. I hadn't left my house yet so he got a broom and swept the spider off my door. The spider came in my house because I hadn't shut the door all the way. To make a long story short he got the spider out, but kept him alive. I told Stan all about it when he came home and Stan went looking for the spider and found it alive and well on a different wall. Then Stan smashed it with his shoe and I am going to surprise my younger brother (Ben) by mailing it to him since I KNOW he never reads my blog. Nothing like a late april fools joke hu?
9 comments:
Alisha, YOU are a gifted writer! It's always so fun to read your blog.
That monster is HUGE! I looked it up and they can have a leg-span of 11.8 inches! THAT'S LIKE A FOOT!!! Good luck with your little buddy there. ;)
Thats crazy! Although I've seen some real wild tarantulas here in Utah. Just none in my house. My brother found one in his basement in Kansas. He thought it was somebody's escaped pet. I guess you aren't safe anywhere.
Here's an idea you could try: put peanut butter in the cracks and corners of each room, and that might keep the bugs/spiders from getting to the middle where the kids are! Good luck!
that is the nastiest looking thing i've ever seen!!!
Eisha- I would have had a heart attack if that spider was in my house! You should name and adopt him as a new member of your family! lol You are a trooper for sure! Thanks for leaving me a message on my blog! I will definitely add you ASAP!!! :)
Yeah, I don't know if I could ever live in Australia because that would freak me out!
You are brave.
UMM...I would have smacked your neighbor and then gotten out the vacuum hose for that spider. LOL I don't think Aus and I could work with all those bugs. LOL
I'm pretty sure I would have been throwing my shoes at it. There is NO WAY I could leave it on the wall.
I would move. Leave the stuff behind, grab the kids and move. Let the spider have the house.
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