It’s no secret that New South Wales has been lashed by wild weather over the past week. But now, with rain easing and warmer, humid weather on the way, the state’s residents have been warned to be on high alert for a possible plague of deadly funnel-web spiders.
Australian Reptile Park director Tim Faulkner has warned that residents in the Greater Sydney region could encounter the insects in coming days. Funnel-web spiders are large in size and highly venomous, however no one has died from a funnel-web bite since antivenom was introduced in 1981.
“Under normal circumstances, the humidity that is generated from warm weather after a rain event would see an increase in activity among funnel-webs,” Faulkner said, The Daily Telegraph reports.
“This situation is completely different. Not only are we seeing increased movement due to humidity, but we’re already seeing a plague of ground-dwelling spiders searching for higher ground, out of the floodwaters. Unfortunately, this could mean that they’ll be finding their way into residential homes very shortly.”
Australian Reptile Park also shared a warning on their Facebook page, writing: “WARNING — FUNNEL WEB BOOM! The worst flooding NSW has seen in a hundred years followed by the promise of warm weather is the perfect mix for a plague of funnel-web spiders to be on the move.”
It’s the latest ‘plague’ to hit NSW in recent days, after reports emerged last week that western parts of the state were battling a devastating mice infestation.
The Guardian reported at the time that a spokeswoman for the Western NSW local health district said the mice infestation was a natural occurrence, but had resulted in three patients being bitten while being treated at hospitals in Tottenham, Walgett and Gulargambone.
“NSW Health staff are responding with appropriate control measures,” the spokeswoman said. “These include increased baiting and trapping, deterrent measures such as odour repellents and increased frequency of food waste removal, and blocking access by improving seals around doors and windows, yard and grass clearing around buildings, and blocking brickwork weep-holes and other cavities.”
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued an extensive list of severe weather and flood warnings for regions across NSW, including a weather warning for Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast, Illawarra, South Coast, Southern Tablelands and Snowy Mountains.