Spring’s warm start and heavy rain provide perfect trigger for dangerous snakes and spiders to thrive

Conditions are perfect for an explosion in Funnel Web spider activity. Picture: Rex Gilroy

BRACE yourself Sydney — some of the world’s most venomous creatures are about to go bananas in your backyard. 

Experts warned yesterday that spring’s warm beginning and recent heavy rain had combined to provide the perfect trigger for dangerous snakes and spiders to thrive.

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Wild Life Sydney Zoo invertebrate keeper Julie Grizia said humans were doubly likely to come into contact with species like the deadly funnel web spider at this time of year because they were heading back outdoors to garden and play.

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While they spend most of their time in underground burrows, male funnel webs roam garden in search of a mate or a new place to set up shop — dark, warm shoes left outdoors being a favourite haunt.

Male funnel web spider in threat display.

 

Australian Reptile Park general manager Tim Faulkner said the recent rain had a knock-on effect through the entire suburban ecosystem.

It started with abundant vegetation growth, which led to an increase in insect numbers and consequently on the animals that feed on them.

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That continued through the food chain to venomous spiders, snakes and other predators.

“I reckon if we get some more warm weather and then a few wet days the male funnel webs are going to go bananas,” Mr Faulkner said.

Not that it’s all bad news if they do.

The Australian Reptile Park’s stock of funnel web spiders is low, affecting the amount of antivenom that can be harvested.

 

Mr Faulkner said the Reptile Park’s funnel web collection, used for milking to produce antivenom, had dwindled to fewer than 100 specimens.

As Australia’s sole supplier of funnel web venom, the site needs more than 300 spiders, most caught and donated by members of the public, to keep up with demand.

“We only get an incredibly small amount of venom from any one spider, so it takes a large number of milkings to get just one vial of antivenom,” Mr Faulkner said.

“Our funnel web room is only one-third full so we can’t fill the quota and that for us is a dangerous point.”

An eastern brown snake.

 

No one has died from a funnel web’s bite since an antivenom was introduced in 1980.
Snakes, too, are expected to emerge due to the warmer weather, with eastern browns, red-bellied blacks and diamond pythons among the species likely to be seen around Sydney.


NSW National Parks and Wildlife said people could discourage snakes from “lingering” by removing pet food that attracted mice, removing items that could provide them shelter and filling gaps in doors and walls to prevent entry into a house.

“If snakes do come into contact with children, adults or pets, give the snake plenty of room to escape,” it said.

A red-bellied black snake.

Ranger Ray Harrison with a diamond python named Jub Jub at the Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park.

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Sunny conditions ahead for Sydney this weekend

Heavy rain hits Sydney commuters on Thursday morning. Photo: Nick Moir

Sydney is over the worst of the miserable weather that has blanketed the city with early-morning fog and showers for several days, with conditions set to clear this afternoon.

Rain hampered Thursday morning's commute, but Sydneysiders can look forward to clearer conditions over the next five days, Weatherzone meteorologist Rob Sharpe said.
"It's going the best weekend in Sydney for three weeks," Mr Sharpe said.
The rain will subside to the occasional shower by late Thursday morning, with cloudy conditions easing throughout the day as winds turn more southerly.

A mostly sunny day is expected for Friday.
The weekend will be sunny and dry for most Sydneysiders, with only the odd light shower near the coastal fringe expected, bringing less than 5 millimetres of rain.
Saturday is expected to reach 19 degrees, before climbing to 21 degrees, with "mostly sunny skies" on Sunday.

"Despite the chance of showers lingering, I think we're going to be quite surprised how nice the weekend is going to be," Mr Sharpe said.
Balmy weather is expected for the first day of spring, with Monday set to be clear and mostly sunny, reaching a top of 24 degrees.

But the five-day respite is set to break early next week, as a cold front takes hold. Rain will begin developing later into Monday evening with the front expected to hit Sydney on Tuesday, bringing a few showers.
The fluctuating conditions, which will lead to a top of 22 degrees on Tuesday before dipping to 19 degrees on Wednesday, is "quite a standard start to spring", Mr Sharpe said.
"During spring, the temp often fluctuates quite a bit as we see the warmth coming in from central Australia before being replaced by cold air from the south with the movement of a cold front."

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