Dangerous spiders in and around your home 29 Jan 2015

Spiders may need pest control

 Getting rid of spiders from your workplace or home permanently is near impossible as spiders don't all live in one place or area. Wandering spiders will come into your home often through a crack in your window seals or under a door. Fitted weather strips or door stoppers can help prevent spiders using these places as entry routes. Fly screens on all windows will also help prevent any climbing spiders from gaining access. Make sure to clear all around the house to help discourage burrowing spider breeds from building their burrows in those areas.

Keeping a home completely free of spiders is very difficult but there are precautions that can be taken to help avoid bites. Walking outside with bare feet isn't advised nor is gardening without wearing shoes, full length pants and good quality garden gloves to help protect against any spider bites or any other types of stinging insects.


The Sydney Funnel Web Spider

The Funnel Web is the most dangerous breed of spider you will encounter in Australia. It builds burrows which can be easily told apart from other general holes in the garden by the presence of silk like lines protruding out  from the entrance of the hole. These burrows are generally found in a moist, shady area of the garden where there are rocks, shrubs, logs and fallen leaves. A smallish, precise burrow which is lined with a "collar" of silk which doesn't protrude for more than 10mm's from the edge may be the home of a Trapdoor Spider as they don't build a "door" for their burrows.

A female Funnel Web normally wont leave her burrow but she may come out because of either rubbish removal or gardening or she be driven out by heavy rain and yard excavations. Males leave their burrows to look for the females in the months of summer and autumn but are normally active at night. It is a lot more common to come across this type of wandering spider after a lot of wet weather.

Inside your home Funnel Webs will hide to avoid drying out. Therefore it's extremely important to check your clothing, shoes or bedding that are in contact with or close to the floor. The same guidelines apply for any shoes or clothing you may have left outside.

This particular breed of spider will often fall into swimming pools. The Funnel Web can keep a small bubble of air in its hairs around its abdomen which helps keep it both breathing and floating. It should never be presumed that a Funnel Web on the bottom of a pool is dead from drowning. This Spider has been known to survive up to 30 hours under the water.

 

The White Tail Spider

As the White tail spider does not build a web there are no obvious signs to look for other than sighting the spider itself.

If you know that White tail spiders are in your area always check your shoes and clothing before putting them on. Its also advised to check for them in your bedding and laundry clothes/sheets. White tails are also mostly active at night.

 

The Redback Spider

Redbacks are most commonly found in Suburbia in garden sheds, under steps or around swimming pools or amongst rubbish. They build their webs in dry, sheltered areas out of the direct sunlight.

As Redbacks generally build their webs underneath things they are often not seen until it is too late. Always visually check before placing your fingers and wear thick gloves when gardening.