>Well, didn’t I?
It’s the spiders that are worrying me now as the heatwave is over and I don’t have time for Oink Flu as it doesn’t worry me much.
But it’s them darn spiders that worry me.
Last Thursday, as I had a glass of wine with my mate Tony down the road as it thundered a bit, rained heavily but not enough for the plants – if you have any, thus cooling the heavy air wonderfully as I settled back with my Château de Blanc de Blancs – and what should happen when the rain stops? A bloody great tarantula ran across the carpet. My feet shot up knocking the glass that I was holding down my front as Tony went and jumped repeatedly on the unfortunate spider. Soaked, I went home.
And not soaked in the good sense.
Now I don’t know about you, but I sometimes read the online news, sometimes to find out about what is happening in Belgium.
And guess what.
Go on.
Alright, I’ll tell you: Belgium is under threat from Black Widow Spiders.
Flanders News/Flanders Today reports that:
The chance that the spiders will adapt themselves to the Belgian climate and stay here is real, say the experts of the Belgian Arachnology Society. The black widow adapts very easily. They can survive in both warm and cold climates and they can live long without food. Further, they are fairly resistant to chemical treatments.
Apparently they come in old cars imported from the States – why does Belgium import old cars from the States? Cars are pretty cheap here compared to other countries. I’ll never understand these sorts of facts.
So now, Belgium is invaded by American Black Widows. They can kill too. One bite lasts up to four days … And that spider in the bathroom this morning … it was black.
I have another three days to live.
And then … I’m dead.
Oh shit.
23 Comments
just make sure that every spider you see is a dead spider, no worries lol!
If you need me to do the eulogy at your funeral you better let me know what day it is going to be at least two weeks in advance. I am very busy, you know.
If they come to Blightly, this could be the excuse I need to insist on a house that is clean and tidy!
I heard on the wireless earlier this year that there is a colony of black widows in the west country, around one of the ports, maybe Falmouth, and that they’ve been there for for decades. Nobody told me that when I went on holiday there all those years ago.
If a Black Widow spider had any sense it wouldn’t bite you! *scarpers*
Yikes! That was very brave of you to squash a huge spider. Please try to kill them all before they move south. We’re not far from the Belgian border and I’m terrified of them – even the little ones. . . . .
Sounds like Belgium needs to be isolated. We will need to build up reserves of chemical gas in case the whole country needs to be liquidated……..
Sure it’s not this guys… scary!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAmPY-ELCo4
Okay, I may defend tarantulas, but I will NOT say a word in favour of black widow spiders. If they can adapt to the Belgian climate, surely they can adapt to the climate on the West Coast of Canada. Now I’m worried.
pinklea, black widow spiders have been in BC forever (since the last ice age anyway).
They’re only an existential threat to the very young, very old, or (surprise) very feeble.
Otherwise half the population of Utah and Arizona would be dead.
So long as you suffer in silence ….. I’m trying to concentrate …. oh, goodbye then …..
They might be resistant to chemicals, but not resistant to shoes …
One Province here in Canada, OK it’s Alberta, managed to become Rat-Free. Yes that’s right an area roughly the same size as Belgium, Germany and France..um maybe you better add Spain and a bit of Albania…
anyway, the government got rid of every single Rat!
Of course this was back in the 1950s and they used red squill, antu, barium carbonate, zinc phosphide, 1080, thallium sulfate, arsenic, strychnine alkaloid and warfarin.
Prolly works on Black Widows..
check under the kitchen sink to see if you have any.
Donn, that would kill just about every other living animal too. I have Hermie to think about, although he doesn’t seem to mind the spiders that invade his run.
Nor do I really. They’re only small.
Now how do I get rid of foxes? There’s one that shits in my garden fairly regularly and it STINKS.
Here in the UK we have a very efficient solution to the fox problem. About a hundred men dress up in red coats and riding breeches, bring horses, servants and dogs, get drunk at 6am and rampage round your garden blowing trumpets. That usually does the trick. Or not……
a – I don’t think that would work. No, not at all.
Lots of black widows out here along the coast. A little scary-looking but no big deal. They mostly eat other insects and stay away from people.
Did have a spider bite (from a brown, presumably happily married) about a year ago while hiking up the local mountain. My right arm got all tingly like an electric shock (it took about four hours to untingle) and my pulse went up and my face got red. Went to the doctor. No big deal about the spider bite but the doc found three other things wrong with me so I guess I should thank the spider.
Zed, shoot the fox!
My sister used to be a pest controler in her youth. One day she got a call to a banana boat that had pulled into Cork harbour.
All the sailors were up in arms becuase an tarantula had come in in crate. They insisted she use all her expertise to get kill it.
She stepped on it! Problem solved!
:’( this great nation (stop laughing, not great in that sense, the other sense, yea, okay, we’ve got it, stop it :’( please leave belgium alone) has to endure a lot, o proud belgium nation, you shall overcome!
Manic, this great nation is under threat – whatever shall we do?
I could be wrong, but I think the female black widows are the ones you really have to worry about. You can identify them by the red hourglass design on their lower abdomen.