Garden Sheds and Industrial Buildings Garden sheds invaded by poisonous spiders in Australia

Garden sheds invaded by poisonous spiders in Australia

15:01:20 14th January 2010

Garden sheds in the Australian city of Sydney are being invaded by dangerous funnel-web spiders.

There has been a significant increase in orders for anti-venom and the dangerous spider hotline is said to be receiving up to 30 reports of the spider by residents every week, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

A period of recent rain has made the city's homes, backyards and garden sheds the ideal refuge for the spiders, states the newspaper.

Spider expert Rex Gilroy told the Herald that global warming could be behind the recent invasion.

"I think climate change might have something to do with it. This season there's more moisture and coolness and the spiders have been able to breed up," he said.

"[The numbers] are definitely up from the previous year, and I think it's not going to get any better."

The Australian Museum states that the funnel-web is the "most notorious" of the country's spider population. It is responsible for 13 recorded deaths, yet no fatalities have been recorded since the introduction of anti-venom in 1981.

Find out more information about garden sheds ADNFCR-2655-ID-19557925-ADNFCR

Robin Antill+

garden sheds in 1979.

31 years experience.

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