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  1. #21
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    Default Re: Brown button spider - what now?

    Quote Originally Posted by Messor View Post
    Yeah about that, can you tell the difference between them all?

    Ok, lets put it this way, perhaps you can, myself for instance knows most of them, but still that doesn't change the fact that the call comes in over the missus radio, the orders being search and destroy indiscriminately.

    The big nice ones I normally put outside, but if they decided to go back inside I get it twice, first because I did not kill it outright(aka followed orders), and secondly putting the family through the same emotional trauma.

    In short, its not easy being a spider in the city :)
    Pretty much, yes. Buttons, Sac Spider and Violin are pretty much all I need to worry about in Jhb.

  2. #22
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    Default Re: Brown button spider - what now?

    Doom and a lighter! Let it rain down poisonous flames of fury!

  3. #23
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    Apr 2013
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    Kzn
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    Default Re: Brown button spider - what now?

    I used to be very "live and let live" orientated. Until my newborn arrived and in his 2nd week at home I got zapped by something nasty one evening. 2 weeks and an antibiotic course before it started to heal.

    Not a fuck will I let that happen to my kiddo.

    Enter Cypermethrin combined with Kemprin and a little Fendona. I mix it according to package instructions for inside and I double the quantities for outside along all walls, eves, gutters etc.

    This mixture kills everything.

    Not happy about it but my property is surrounded by green belt and plenty of crawlies come into our house.

    Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk

  4. #24
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    May 2014
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    Default Re: Brown button spider - what now?

    Don't spray doom on a spider they take a long time to die from it doom ad fire is a better option

  5. #25
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    Feb 2015
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    KZN
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    Default Re: Brown button spider - what now?

    As I understand, most spider bites are cytotoxic. What is the reason for the massive bacterial infection following so many bites? Maybe one of our docs will give some information?
    It seems to be a completely disproportionate attack by bacteria following a spider encounter. The only possible answer I can propose is that the spider venom is loaded with nasty bacteria.

  6. #26
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    Oct 2011
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    Pretoria
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    Default Re: Brown button spider - what now?

    Most spiders in SA are harmless to humans. The ones with a medically significant bite are the violin (Sicariidae Loxoscelinae), black and brown button spiders (Theridiidae, note that the "widow" family of spiders in SA are called botton spiders). The six-eyed sand spider (Sicariidae Sicarius spp.) is said to be dangerous but there have been no confirmed cases of them biting any humans, so we don't really know how bad the effects of a bite would be on a human.

    When it comes to the longlegged/yellow sac spider(Cheiracanthium), things get interesting. There is currently new research being conducted on the venom and the effects that it has on humans. So I'd prefer not to say anything about that until the final findings of the new research has been published. So for now, it's better to play it safe and consider their bite as medically significant.

    Generally, plenty of other insect bites and small wounds that get infected are wrongly blamed on spider bites. Even with confirmed spider bites, the bite mark is easily infected with secondary infections. Especially when people scratch the bite area and introduce harmful bacteria that are under their finger nails into the open bite wound.

    In order to prevent any secondary infections after a spider bite, do not scratch the bite area! Clean the wound and keep it dry.

    Button spiders are web bound and very shy. They do not resort to biting as a first line of defence. They would rather try to hide or play dead, than resort to biting. If you are about to squash one (usually with a finger placed in a place where the spider wasn't seen), the end result can be a bite (or if one somehow got stuck between your skin and clothing).

    There is antivenom available for black button bites. Healthy adults usually don't need this but the Dr will decide if it's needed for a patient or not. There has been no confirmed spider bite related deaths in SA in recent history. Untreated, symptoms from bites can last for about five days and are really unpleasant.

    In short, if you are a healthy adult and have been bitten by a black button spider, you do not need to count your last hours on earth like some people believe you do. You'll most likely need medical attention but you've got ample time to get help. Treat the bite as serious and even more so if you have some sort of medical condition, compromised immune system or in the event that the patient is an elderly person or a child.

    With a brown button bite, medical treatment might be necessary or not. Some people just go to the doctor to get something for the pain. Others are more effected and requires hospitalisation. The venom from a brown button is about 4 times less potent than that of a black button.

    A brown button spider is easily identified with the red/orange hourglass under the abdomen. If this hourglass is present, it is always a brown button and never a black button (this is only the case in Southern Africa, unlike their black widow cusons in other parts of the world).

    Just as an interesting note: dogs, sheep and rodents seem to be relatively unaffected by the venom of a botton spider.

    Just like everything else, use the above information at your own risk.

  7. #27
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    Default Re: Brown button spider - what now?

    And to add, remember that in SA you can find false button spiders as well as false house button spiders. They can easily be mistaken for button spider to the untrained eye. Like most spiders in SA, they do not pose any threat to humans.

  8. #28
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    Default Re: Brown button spider - what now?

    Andy what was the spider we saw at Arican Champs two years back?

  9. #29
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    Pretoria
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by FantomBadger View Post
    Andy what was the spider we saw at Arican Champs two years back?
    Unfortunately my memory is failing me. The last spider that I remember seeing at a shooting range during a match was a nice and big Nursery Web spider at Magnum United. And that was about 6 months ago.

  10. #30
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    Apr 2010
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    Knysna
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    Default Re: Brown button spider - what now?

    How effective are the mini vacuum pumps on spider bites? I have an Aspivenin kit that I have used on mozzie bites and it works quite well.

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