Spotted in a Ladysmith resident’s garden, this massive spider with a body of five centimetres in size had the resident dashing for his camera. The Golden Orb Web Weaver Spider is not uncommon in the area, but beware if you suffer from arachnophobia (which is the fear of spiders, often regarded as the oldest and most common phobia in the western culture).

According to Wikipedia, the Golden Orb Web Weaver Spider is a Nephila and is a genus of araneomorph spiders, noted for the impressive webs they weave. Nephila consists of numerous species found in warmer regions around the world. They are commonly called golden silk orb-weavers, golden orb-weavers, giant wood spiders, or banana spiders. (source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephila)

They will bite humans if cornered, but are more likely to run away if manhandled. The bite could lead to numbness; their venom is of low risk (not toxic) to humans. Symptoms may include mild local pain, numbness and swelling. Occasionally, nausea and dizziness can occur.

We can all remember the children’s song…

The itsy-bitsy spider
Climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And the itsy-bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again

Source – Songwriters: George Noriega / Joel Someillan / Traditional The Itsy Bitsy Spider lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Although the owner of the house suffers from arachnophobia, he has adopted a ‘live and let live’ approach to ‘Charlotte’. “It is hard to kill something you have named,” he quipped. “And with social distancing in effect, I think we should both be safe.”

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