Dangerous Aussie pest invades Japan
Updated
In Japan, there are fears that a potentially deadly Australian invader is beginning to close in on some of the country's most crowded urban areas. It's believed that redback spiders originally hitched a ride to Japan in a container ship, possibly one carrying woodchips.
Presenter: Mark Willacy, North Asia correspondent
Speakers: Takesada Ohashi, managing director, Aichi Prefecture Pest Control Association; Masahiro Yoshida, former researcher at the Osaka Institute of Public Health
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WILLACY: From Nagoya, to Fukuoka, to Osaka - the redback spider is spinning its silk web right across western Japan. In fact the Environment Ministry says redbacks have now been reported in 16 of Japan's 47 prefectures. And in Osaka prefecture alone this year 12 people have been bitten. Takesada Ohashi is the managing director of the Aichi Prefecture Pest Control Association…
OHASHI: (Japanese)
WILLACY: If redback numbers keep increasing and they spread throughout Osaka City then I'll be very worried that more people could be bitten says Mr Ohashi. And the big fear is they may even be bitten without knowing he says. And if people are bitten they'll need antivenom. But it has not yet been officially approved for use in Japan. Only a handful of hospitals in western Japan stock the antivenom, and luckily for one six-year old Osaka boy recently the antivenom was in stock. Masahiro Yoshida is a former researcher at the Osaka Institute of Public Health.
YOSHIDA: (Japanese)
WILLACY: So far the Japanese government has done nothing says Mr Yoshida. They only deal with the redback problem after someone is bitten. Accidents must be prevented, so I think homes should be checked he says. Masahiro Yoshida warns that someone will die if no steps are taken to halt their spread. Pest controller Takesada Ohashi has a uniquely Japanese approach.
OHASHI: (Japanese)
WILLACY:In the case of big factories we must move in and exterminate at once says Mr Ohashi. But in the case of households we can use pesticides…although I'd rather pick up the redbacks with chopsticks and then kill them he says Pesticides can flow into water supplies. What's alarming many here is that redbacks can survive the biting Japanese winter, which officially begins next week, mostly by nesting near heating systems. And with electrically-warmed toilet seats in almost every home over here, it may be best for the Japanese to check carefully before sitting.
