Pruning of the newly planted Pinot Noir clones has its surprises for the unwary.
The Redback Spider is Australia’s most recognisable spider and it likes to live in dark dry areas. The female Redback is the only deadly spider in Victoria and recent reports indicate
an explosion in their numbers due to the cooler summer of 2011.
The Redback spider is closely related to the Black Widow and is known to make a meal of the smaller male of the species after mating. The female Redback matures over 2-3 months, will lay 3-8 egg sacks which may contain up to 300 egs. Hatchlings disperse on the wind but most do not survive as they are eaten by their siblings.
No doubt about it …….. winter pruning is certainly not a place for the faint hearted!
Adult Redback w/ egg sack
Male Redback