Editorial: Spider find spooks me

Some victims suffer "significant" pain, with some symptoms including nausea, vomiting, abdominal or chest pain and headaches which last for about one week. Photo / John Stone

I wouldn't consider myself arachnophobic, but I couldn't help but shudder at news a redback spider had been found in Rotorua.

The good news is that it is news, by virtue of being such a rare occurrence.

The venomous Australian native was found in a Rotorua garden late last month. Pest-control expert Chris Brunel told us they're quite small "but very nasty".

Dr Google tells us that while fatalities from redback bites are unlikely, many victims suffer "significant" pain, with some symptoms including nausea, vomiting, abdominal or chest pain and headaches.

Symptoms resolve within a week. A week! Mr Brunel said white-tail spiders were not a big deal but redbacks were, which tells you something, given the horror stories we've heard about white-tail bites in the past.

So no thanks Australia, you can keep your redback spiders along with your many other deadly species of crawling, swimming, slithering, jumping and flying beasties.

And maybe these otherwise wonderful and pleasant creatures only attack when they're threatened or scared, but I'd still prefer they stayed on their side of the ditch.

We've got it pretty good in New Zealand. You can stroll back from the beach through the long grass and not worry about lurking nasties. Besides a few spiders with variously coloured bottoms, there aren't too many dangerous critters to watch out for as you dust the top shelf or clean out the garden shed.

In fact most of our spiders are harmless - and doing a pretty good job of eating the flies.

Now if we could just do something about the cockroaches. (Major shudder).

Kim Gillespie is the editor of the Rotorua Daily Post.