I always thought about what would be part of my perfect home. High on my list was the idea that a properly functioning place would include the interplay of insects and their predators. I accept that there are myriads of life forms that inhabit the same space as I do, and look  for a balance. I don't choose to use poisons and sprays to control them.
I am happy with the idea of spiders who eat ants (daddy-long legs) .. and spiders that eat  other spiders, and skinks to eat spiders etc.

I have native geckos and skinks in residence with me, and must assume they have the necessary game to keep them here. That makes me happy.

I have numerous NATIVE Geckos and SKINKS around my home. I have skinks and geckos that reside with me in my home. I don't see them all that often.. but they are definitely present.

I am NOT referring to the Asian Gecko which has infested many homes here in Australia.

Lately I have seen the natives more frequently, and I smile when I see them, usually heading for cover, because they've seen me seeing them.. :)

Most thrilling to me is to see these native geckos, because they aren't really considered to be commonly occupying human dwellings.

So... anyway... I went to bed the other night, and thought there was an unusual smell .. I went to sleep anyway. It has been uncommonly hot and humid here recently, and sleep has been pretty sweaty.
So anyway.. I woke up and went about my minimal business, given the heat and humidity. I tend to hibernate in the hot summer days.

When I went to repair my sleeping place for the next hot night, I discovered the reason for the smell.
There was a mangled skink, dead and smelly , just where I sleep, and toss and turn. EEuuwww :P

Eewww  the smell was more prominent and I picked up the corpse and disposed of it and stripped off the bedding and put them into the washing machine and washed them.. pillow and all. .It was 39c during the day and the night was mid 20c.
The smell was seemingly imbedded in the underlay, but  I tried to clean it up. That night I used improvised bedding, but it still smelled .  Waking up the next morning, (Sun A.M. ) I realised that I had been unsuccessful in removing the smell.  :P :-/
So.. its all outside..it is all going to be tossed...  and I shall have to get a new mattress it seems.  :-?

Who'd have thunk such a small skink could make such a big stink..
:oi

You can't get rid of their piss stains either.

Emma wrote on Jan 16^th, 2017 at 6:17am:

I always thought about what would be part of my perfect home. High on my list was the idea that a properly functioning place would include the interplay of insects and their predators. I accept that there are myriads of life forms that inhabit the same space as I do, and look  for a balance. I don't choose to use poisons and sprays to control them. I am happy with the idea of spiders who eat ants (daddy-long legs) .. and spiders that eat  other spiders, and skinks to eat spiders etc. I have native geckos and skinks in residence with me, and must assume they have the necessary game to keep them here. That makes me happy. I have numerous NATIVE Geckos and SKINKS around my home. I have skinks and geckos that reside with me in my home. I don't see them all that often.. but they are definitely present. I am NOT referring to the Asian Gecko which has infested many homes here in Australia. Lately I have seen the natives more frequently, and I smile when I see them, usually heading for cover, because they've seen me seeing them.. :) Most thrilling to me is to see these native geckos, because they aren't really considered to be commonly occupying human dwellings. So... anyway... I went to bed the other night, and thought there was an unusual smell .. I went to sleep anyway. It has been uncommonly hot and humid here recently, and sleep has been pretty sweaty. So anyway.. I woke up and went about my minimal business, given the heat and humidity. I tend to hibernate in the hot summer days. When I went to repair my sleeping place for the next hot night, I discovered the reason for the smell. There was a mangled skink, dead and smelly , just where I sleep, and toss and turn. EEuuwww :P Eewww  the smell was more prominent and I picked up the corpse and disposed of it and stripped off the bedding and put them into the washing machine and washed them.. pillow and all. .It was 39c during the day and the night was mid 20c. The smell was seemingly imbedded in the underlay, but  I tried to clean it up. That night I used improvised bedding, but it still smelled .  Waking up the next morning, (Sun A.M. ) I realised that I had been unsuccessful in removing the smell.  :P :-/ So.. its all outside..it is all going to be tossed...  and I shall have to get a new mattress it seems.  :-? Who'd have thunk such a small skink could make such a big stink.. :o

Well then sounds like you've never had a huntsman crawl over your face when you're asleep.... :D

http://i68.tinypic.com/9iyzv4.jpg

May have, but being asleep I would be unaware of it. :)
I have good screens, and I don't see very many LARGE spiders, not to say they aren't around. Certainly on the outside of the house have seen some huge ones,  and DON"T like them inside. Having said that,   I have woken a few times with a bite on my arm or something , with 2 clear punctures side by side,, and they are a bit itchy. That's be a spider.

Actually had a weird experience a couple of months ago. I was standing at my stove, doing dinner, and the light comes from behind me...so I see a confusing movement, and something on the wall in front of me. The next I see is this bloody big spider, which had abseiled down from somewhere over my head and landed in front of me on the stove. What I had seen was the shadow of the spider as it descended.
WOW what a surprise, as I said don't see them very often, BUT this one was weird.  It had very clear banding on its legs.. and about the same size as a largish huntsman.
Quite active too. I tried to photograph it on my phone but the glare from the white stove and the flash made it difficult. I did manage to get a photo which did show the legs. Very bold markings, brown and white bands. Must look it up in my critters book.  I removed it with a microfiber type woolly duster..  they are excellent for picking up spiders, but it sure put up a fight,, running all around my stove.  :)

Emma wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 3:49pm:

May have, but being asleep I would be unaware of it. :) I have good screens, and I don't see very many LARGE spiders, not to say they aren't around. Certainly on the outside of the house have seen some huge ones,  and DON"T like them inside. Having said that,   I have woken a few times with a bite on my arm or something , with 2 clear punctures side by side,, and they are a bit itchy. That's be a spider. Actually had a weird experience a couple of months ago. I was standing at my stove, doing dinner, and the light comes from behind me...so I see a confusing movement, and something on the wall in front of me. The next I see is this bloody big spider, which had abseiled down from somewhere over my head and landed in front of me on the stove. What I had seen was the shadow of the spider as it descended. WOW what a surprise, as I said don't see them very often, BUT this one was weird.  It had very clear banding on its legs.. and about the same size as a largish huntsman. Quite active too. I tried to photograph it on my phone but the glare from the white stove and the flash made it difficult. I did manage to get a photo which did show the legs. Very bold markings, brown and white bands. Must look it up in my critters book.  I removed it with a microfiber type woolly duster..  they are excellent for picking up spiders, but it sure put up a fight,, running all around my stove.  :)

An Orb spider..........??

http://i68.tinypic.com/e7xjk7.jpg

No not an orb weaver. I know them by sight. and it had a shape much like a huntsman. Probably a type of huntsman .. I have seen similar markings on similar spiders, but they were outdoors-type spiders. Very interesting. There was no obvious web, but it definitely used silk to cover distance. :)

Yeah.. just checked my local wildlife reference.. er  that's an excellent  book  Wildlife of Greater Brisbane.. Queensland Museum publication.

I'd say it was a Grey Huntsman Spider.
Have had the book for at least  20 years, (crikey!! :o )  and at some time in a previous life I have marked all the fauna I have actually seen on my place with little yellow stick-its. There is one marking the Grey Huntsman. :)

I got a large huntsman in the car door cavity last week, he was a tan brown color similar to this one.

http://i68.tinypic.com/fm6esi.jpg

I opened the door and he quickly hid between the seal rubber and the centre column all I could see were his fangs and front legs, I took of my shoe and squished him, if he got in while I was driving well I have prepared myself should this occur to stay calm but you never know.

I don't like spiders and when I stayed in Sydney for an extended time for my work I had a mild case of arachnophobia, before going to bed I would always look around for Sydney funnel webs.

BTW I never did see one, which was a relief.... 8-)

http://i68.tinypic.com/2zz7rl4.jpg

Here's one for a chuckle.

One day I was mowing the lawn when a black and orange hornet flew into the yard (cant miss these things they are huge) this thing was coming straight at me (he may have been a bit blind) when he got to about 3 metres I left the mower running and bolted into the house.

Behind the safety of the fly screen I watched it disappear into the neighbours yard.

The boss came over and said what are you doing....???

I explained to her what had happened and how dangerous this thing was, stings greater than a bee and just keeps on stinging, she just rolled her eyes and continued her million and one chores around the house..... :o

http://i64.tinypic.com/14250mu.jpg

http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/MM/MX5/5AT505_Scol-subs_RR2_GM1_MX.jpg


Dont talk to me until you've had one of these arseholes chase you down the corridor.

Prime Minister for Canyons wrote on Jan 30^th, 2017 at 8:32am:

http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/MM/MX5/5AT505_Scol-subs_RR2_GM1_MX.jpg Dont talk to me until you've had one of these arseholes chase you down the corridor.

Huh.!!  Like yeah?.

Had on a pair of those trekking sandals, you know?  the open type with Velcro all over..  ::)

sooo  was doing a bit of work in the garden, and felt something cool and moving under my sole, inside my sandal.!!!!,  and I was leaping around on one foot, shaking the poo out of the other, and out it came....

... one of THOSE centipedes.  :o 

Hair-raising stuff. :)

so anyway,         have been seeing the gecko ...
Oedura robusta Robust Velvet Gecko..
on the wall . It stays near a mirror  that it can hide behind. Have been observing it , and it started to looked a bit deflated. I'd been wondering if it was really inside by choice.  :-?

After a couple of half-hearted attempts I captured it the other night, and placed it outside. I figure, if it wants to live inside, and it can gain entry, I might see it again.
Either way I feel better. :)

Emma wrote on Mar 3^rd, 2017 at 11:58pm:

so anyway,         have been seeing the gecko ... Oedura robusta Robust Velvet Gecko.. on the wall . It stays near a mirror  that it can hide behind. Have been observing it , and it started to looked a bit deflated. I'd been wondering if it was really inside by choice.  :-? After a couple of half-hearted attempts I captured it the other night, and placed it outside. I figure, if it wants to live inside, and it can gain entry, I might see it again. Either way I feel better. :)

Well done

I saw this very thing many years ago in my back yard.

The wasp was dragging a massive huntsman spider across the lawn.



http://i64.tinypic.com/14250mu.jpg[/quote]

The wasp stings and paralyses the spider and then drags it back to its mud nest.

A single egg is laid inside the abdomen of the huntsman.

Once hatched, the larva eats the spider from the inside out.

They tend to leave the vital organs till last, as the spider needs those to stay alive and the wasp wants the huntsman to be as fresh as possible to be consumed.

It seems cruel and gruesome to us, but that is the way nature is.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-06/huntsman-killer-spider-wasps-turn-crawlies-into-baby-incubators/7068188

It's also been used as proof that there is no God. Why would God have created animals with such an incredibly cruel and painful life cycle?

Yep.. there are many wasps that pray on spiders. I don't want them living in my place tho, because they can also sting me!.

Saw a redback spider catch a skink once. That was fascinating... a good sized redback, I 'd add. Probably the biggest I've seen. The skink fought hard against the silk, but was well and truly caught.

Sadly, my Mum, against my protests sprayed them  bigtime with bug killer. :(
  I guess it was not really my place to protest tho, as it all took place inside her outhouse loo.  :)

Nevertheless, a sight to have seen, for sure.

The_Barnacle wrote on Mar 4^th, 2017 at 10:48am:

I saw this very thing many years ago in my back yard. The wasp was dragging a massive huntsman spider across the lawn. http://i64.tinypic.com/14250mu.jpg The wasp stings and paralyses the spider and then drags it back to its mud nest. A single egg is laid inside the abdomen of the huntsman. Once hatched, the larva eats the spider from the inside out. They tend to leave the vital organs till last, as the spider needs those to stay alive and the wasp wants the huntsman to be as fresh as possible to be consumed. It seems cruel and gruesome to us, but that is the way nature is. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-06/huntsman-killer-spider-wasps-turn-crawlies-into-baby-incubators/7068188 It's also been used as proof that there is no God. Why would God have created animals with such an incredibly cruel and painful life cycle?

I saw one of these wasps fly into the rafters of a paling fence and emerge with a common black spider that you find around the house, the ones that build a funnel web, good size too.

http://i67.tinypic.com/ic359u.jpg