All I do is get the shop vac out andd suck out the case clean upon opening. Also, with winter oming on it doesn't hurt to leave the eqauipment outside for a day or two (sheltered) in subzero temps. Really good for killing off spiders, roaches, etc. Allison J Parent wrote:

----- Original Message ----- From: Allison J Parent <allisonp(a)world.std.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Sent: Tuesday, 21 September 1999 8:20 Subject: Re: Spiders, hazard of collecting junk? Don't think we have that type here.... (not by that name anyway) we have some Huntsman spiders (big brown things - not web spinners - they run around and hunt things....) Obviously something different, huntsmen are slightly poisonous but not considered dangerous, and they are fairly unaggressive. The bite is painful, and may cause some nausea, but that's about it. We have Redbacks which are a somewhat more dangerous version of the Black Widow, they'll make you very ill, and can be fatal if not treated, if you have a weak heart, and especially where small children are concerned. They will kill small dogs and cats outright in about half an hour or so. (Lost a couple that way) Spare a thought for people on the East Coast, the Sydney Funnel-Web likes the same environment as the redback/black widow, but it's DEADLY. It's quite agressive, particularly during breeding season, and a bite from a male is a death sentence without the antivenene. The females are slightly less poisonous, but can still kill you if it's not treated. They will bite repeatedly, given the chance. Children sometimes die even when treated promptly. By your standards they are in the rattlesnake class. We don't get them in South Australia, (fortunately). There's also a Black House spider that looks a lot like a Redback, but not quite as poisonous. (More like your Black Widow I think) looks similar, but does not have the distinctive red spot the redbacks have. Individual search and destroy missions with a can of REALLY GOOD insectiside are the only effective way to kill the beggars. Fogging a house or shed often doesn't kill them, they either run for it, and come back when it's clear, or just hibernate. I've known funnelwebs to bite after floating underwater for an hour in a backyard pool. Tough little suckers. I hate spiders, snakes are less of a problem, most breeds run for it given half a chance, & you can see them coming....... (We have some of the deadliest snakes in the world IIRC, Queensland Taipan being at the top of the list...) Brown snakes are also very dangerous, (easily in the rattler class) and are quite common around here in summer, even in urban areas, though they are not that aggressive except during breeding season..... Then there's the Death Adder...:^) We tend to be very cautious about things that have been laying around for a while. I found a nest of Redbacks in a HSC50 I have in storage a while back, fortunately I'm almost instinctively cautious about putting my hand under things after a couple of near misses with redbacks, and hit the thing with a squirt of spray first. After about 2 or 3 minutes a very large redback dropped onto the floor and headed for the doorway. When I had a look underneath there was a nice big web with a stack of egg cases in the corner right where I would have put my hand..... Cheers Geoff Roberts Computer Systems Manager Saint Mark's College Port Pirie, South Australia. Email: geoffrob(a)stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au netcafe(a)pirie.mtx.net.au ICQ #: 1970476