That was a close call

[stui magpie]

I picked up a cheap misting kit at Aldi, went to install it today on the back porch in Toc to just lower the temp a tad in the arvos when there's little breeze.

After figuring out how to make it work, (instructions didn't include telling you to twist the top of the misters) went to put it up. Sorted it out, got the hammer and was just about to tap the little clips that have a nail in them to hold the pipe to the timber, when I realised there was a paper wasp nest about 6 inches away. Now paper wasps are pretty docile, except when their nest is threatened. I sort of figured that driving a nail into the timber their nest is hanging from, 6 inches from the nest, might just be considered a threat.

The nests are small but with 10 or so wasps that can sting repeatedly, if they triggered an anaphalactic reaction like bees do, I won't even make it to the hospital to get a shot. So put the hammer down. I'll have a think, maybe cable ties will do the job.

Anyone else had a close call recently?

[What'sinaname]

Walked about a foot away from an Eastern Brown drinking from a tap. Luckily it was thirsty enough to not care about me walking right past it.

Afterwards it wasn't the only thing brown.

[stui magpie]

^

Yep, that would be a brown pants moment.

[Skids]

I was cleaning some leave out of a gutter from a step ladder. Unbeknown to me, there was a wasp nest tucked under the valley.
I disturbed them and BANG, I was getting stung repeatedly by the suckers. Nearly fell off the ladder trying to get away.

Luckily wasps, bees and redbacks have little effect on me. The 2 times i've been bitten by redbacks, I felt more 'high' than anything else.

[pietillidie]

^Ouch! Nasty critters, wasps. We had a nest of ground bees, but they're virtually harmless (and an endangered local species), so we left them.

Did you get anti-venin/anti-venom for the redback bites? Or where they just not good enough bites or you just didn't react to them?

I've been bitten twice in Oz by white tails, but mercifully didn't get the ulcerated skin reaction. Hurt like blazers both times, as if a needle was going into me, but didn't even as much as throb afterwards, so I guess it was just a bite.

[Skids]

The first time A redback got me, I was doing some pipework under a demountable building at a school.
Felt a sharp bite on my back, shoulder blade area. Scampered out from under there and squished it through my shirt. It dropped out onto the path, quite a large one. I though about heading to a doc but decided to just have a drink and sit down to see how I felt. It was a stinking hot day.
After about 10 - 15 minutes I felt pretty good, so just finished off the job and knocked off.

I had a euphoric feeling as I cruised to the closest bottleshop. Went to a mates place to have a few. I was feeling really good until I got up out of the chair to gpo for a leak. The moment I stood up, it felt like somebody had slipped a knife into my shoulder blade. I had a sore/aching shoulder for a few days.

Second time, I put my hand down a valve box to turn off some water and got bitten on the back of my hand. Again, it was a fair size redback. Nothing more than a little red spot popped up, no pain, just that almost, stoned feeling.

I looked up the effects of the venom and found an article somewhere about prisoners in gaol catching them and letting them bite them for the stoned feeling.

[pietillidie]

^Anything for a buzz in prison! It might be that past deaths were as you suggest, simply those who reacted adversely. Back in the day there must have been so many more bites given old houses, more spartan sheds and outhouses, and more manual work generally, so if they were that deadly I guess there would've been more deaths because they are aggressive little buggers.

Spiders and all things venomous were a hobby of mine as a kid. My favourite toy was an old plastic bug catcher!

Only wussy spiders and snakes here in the UK. But mowing last summer I was excited to discover that we have what they call 'slow worms' in our yard, a kind of legless lizard and one of only a small handful of endemic reptiles.

But I do miss things that can kill you (apart from gangs and terrorists!).

[swoop42]

Walked about a foot away from an Eastern Brown drinking from a tap. Luckily it was thirsty enough to not care about me walking right past it.

Afterwards it wasn't the only thing brown.

Soft.

This is how it's done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myeXMuGJAB8

[pietillidie]

^ That is brilliant

[think positive]

nah thats soft compared to this kid!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGJcobg0gXE

[stui magpie]

^

The kid was good but that was a python. If it was an Eastern Brown the guinea pig would've been deader than disco before she started swinging.

Kudos to Dad too.