An Intruder in Somebody Else’s House

I have written many, many posts about intruders coming into my house. Only last week I presented you with a small list linking to just a handful of such posts when I wrote about being Viciously Attacked in My Own Back Garden!

I have also written about the Huntsman Spider before, in a post called Time for Our Fourth Annual Pest Control Treatment.

If you’ve read that post, you’ll know all about the Huntsman Spider, so I won’t repeat myself here.

But on a post I did about an even bigger spider, Australia’s Bird Eating Spider, I received a comment from somebody who came here for a visit and was determined to see a Huntsman, but had no luck for about four months.

Eventually, fortunately, he did see one in the bathroom of a rental he was staying at in the Blue Mountains.

Mission accomplished.

That got me thinking, what about those of you who really really want to see one of these big spiders and maybe just haven’t had the opportunity, for whatever reason. For those who don’t want to watch the video, he is a quick view…

Brown Huntsman SpiderFor those who do want to see it move, you can share my experience; when I saw this Brown Huntsman Spider in somebody else’s house the other day, I took a quick video with my iPhone.

Before that though, let me remind you that this particular spider, as big as it is, isn’t really harmful to humans. Some people even like having them in the house; they kill other more irritating insects.

But here’s something I read in my “Wildlife of Greater Brisbane” book which is actually published by the Queensland Museum, so I think it would be safe to assume that they know what they’re talking about.

Under the entry for the Huntsman Spider, they actually say, and I quote…

“Although the bite is not medically significant in most people, squashing the abdomen of a Huntsman with a hard object such as a shoe can result in an ‘explosion’ of material that can render the attacker blind for up to 2 days.”

Well, who knew?

Anyway, in my book, anyone who thinks its okay to squash one of these beautiful spiders needs to be taught that kind of lesson. These spiders have a lifespan of two years or more, I think we should let them enjoy that to the full. After all, they do eat some of our less pleasant insects, and they will even have a go at a cockroach!

Huntsman Spiders are well known for their ability to climb vertical walls, as you’ll see from this film. This, as I’ve said, is a Brown Huntsman Spider, not the biggest I’ve seen, his leg span was only about 8 cm (around 3 inches).

He knew I had seen him, he was on the wall in the house, I opened the door, and he kindly left the building. How about that?

Check it out…

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{ 11 comments… add one }
  • Megan Murray May 6, 2014, 4:09 am |

    Hi Bob,
    Sorry it might seem like a stupid question but…
    What was that noise in the background of the video? Is it some sort of sound to scare the spider off or was it just really windy that day?
    I was just asking because me and my family might be moving to Australia next year and I was curious to know about the different ways to deal with spiders and other ‘critters’
    Thanks 🙂

    • BobinOz May 7, 2014, 1:03 pm |

      Ha ha, no, it wasn’t a windy day and nor was it a sound to scare the spider off, it was a sound effect added to the movie to give it a scary/eerie effect.

      If you are interested to find out how we do deal with spiders and other critters in the house, check out my post on pest control.

      Cheers, Bob

      • Megan Murray May 24, 2014, 4:55 am |

        Thank you so much for relying to my comment! 🙂 I’m going to check the post now!

  • Debbie April 22, 2013, 7:42 am |

    The Huntsman can indeed be fatal – but only when you’re driving (fast) and it suddenly pops out from behind the sun visor 😉 I’m from Queensland, but have lived abroad for over 30 years (yikes) and the abundance of fast hairy spiders is the only thing that bothers me about retiring back home. I still remember how, on a moonlit night, their little eyes would glint at me from the wall, passing them in the corridor at home.

    • BobinOz April 22, 2013, 4:14 pm |

      That is so true Debbie, I have often wondered exactly how many fatal car accidents spiders have caused, because, well, you would never know, would you? All you read about is a car that suddenly lost control.

      It’s not very difficult to stay calm with one of these things running all over you when you are trying to drive, best thing is to simply pull over and stop as soon as possible.

      I remember pulling out of a car park one day and a Huntsman appeared on the windscreen, fortunately on the outside. As I hit speeds of 60 km/h the thing was still holding on, and then managed to drag himself out of the wind and into my bonnet, sort of where all the air vents are. I was thinking “Can this thing find his way into my car?”

      When I got to my destination, he was still crouched down behind the bonnet, I chucked him off and I imagine he must have been thinking “Where on Earth am I?”

  • Opal February 16, 2013, 4:28 am |

    I don’t mind spiders: it’s those darn snakes I hate. I hope to NEVER meet one when I make my move later this year.

    • BobinOz February 18, 2013, 2:10 pm |

      Some people who live in the city almost never see a snake, but if you live in the countryside, well, you’re sure to come across one at some point.

  • Patrick February 14, 2013, 11:47 am |

    I love this beauty! I hope to meet one when I get there (152 days left!), they will be welcome to my place 🙂

    • BobinOz February 15, 2013, 4:59 pm |

      Great, isn’t he? (151 days left!) 🙂

  • Cecilia February 13, 2013, 5:55 pm |

    I’m terrified of spiders and this video made me scream!! Do those bite? It seems like there are a lot of spiders in Oz!

    • BobinOz February 13, 2013, 11:53 pm |

      Of course they bite, how else would they be able to eat their lunch? Seriously, yes, they can bite us humans, but that’s pretty rare, they are more likely to run away. If you were to try and grab one from the wall, they usually drop to the floor and sprint off.

      Now, what are you doing screaming at a video? 🙂

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