Beware the Wanderers
Residents of the East Coast of Australia this is a little reminder for you. The summer months are the mating season for the funnel web spider, so the males become “ wanderers”, leaving the burrow to look for a mate.
Whilst wandering, they can become trapped in garages or homes, gaining entry beneath concrete slabs. They can also be found in backyard pools and despite not being able to swim , they can survive for 24-30 hours under water with an air bubble trapped in the hair around their abdomen, as illustrated in the picture below. This particular male was retrieved from our pool by my wife last Tuesday. For clear concise information regarding safety rules for prevention of spider bites, first aid treatment, a video demonstration of how to safely capture a spider for identification and a list of drop-off locations for the funnel web spider anti-venom program, click on the link below.
http://reptilepark.com.au/venom-program/spider-first-aid-drop-off-points/