Spiders are a fact of life in Australia. We have so many of them lurking around. Of course, spiders have their place in the ecosystem, ensuring bug populations remain in check. But that is hard to remember when they are inside our homes, crawling around, giving a nasty fright.
Of course, there are great ways to reduce the chances of a spider getting inside your home. If you have spider problems, reach out to Pest Gone Pest Control to keep your home spider-free.
Now, what kind of spiders could you expect to stumble across your home in Brisbane, and which ones are dangerous?
1. White-tailed spider
White-tailed spiders are very common to find around the garden. You will likely see them under bars, rocks, leaf litter, or logs. They are most distinguished by the white tip on the end of their abdomen, hence the name. If you haven’t seen a white-tailed spider before, you will find that they are actually quite small, with females no larger than 2cm and males no larger than 1.3cm.
If you were to find one inside the home, generally they will hide in nooks and crannies that may attract their pray. They will also be seen during late summer, early autumn. The benefit of white-tail spiders is that they will prey on other insects and spiders, keeping the insect population inside your home low.
2. Black house spider
The black house spider loves urban environments. You will likely find them sitting happily in a cobweb in the corner of a skylight, window, verandas, sheds, fences, porch ceilings, crevices, or other buildings. They can also be found on tree trunks, logs, and rock walls.
While this spider is often mistaken for the funnel web, it is in fact, significantly smaller at only 1-1.5cm. These spiders are also often quite friendly and trap insects in their untidy, lacy webs before the insect can enter your home.
3. Brown house spider
These spiders are generally quite bulbous, similar to the red-back spider. But brown house spiders tend to be quite small at up to 1.2cm in length. Their preference is to hide out in dark, undisturbed areas, which gives them their nickname, the Cupboard spider. Brown house spiders build their untidy, tangled webs, pretty much everywhere. Whether it be under rocks, bark, on walls, around garage doors, among old furniture stored in the garage, or under garden benches.
4. Daddy long legs
A daddy long legs spider is often one of the friendliest of the spiders we see in Brisbane, and also is extremely common. If you played with spiders as a child, it was likely with one of these. Daddy long legs’ are tiny, at 0.7-0.9cm long, and have long legs and a tiny body. They form spindly, flimsy webs, that often go unnoticed, generally in human habitation including houses, garages, and sheds. Their food is insects and other spiders.
5. Garden orb weaving spider
If you do any gardening, you will likely have run straight into a Garden orb weaver's web. The garden orb weaver spins its web right in the prime spots to catch insects. Their webs tend to be massive, at 3m wide. This does mean they often get in your path.
An orb weaver’s web is generally empty during the day, as they are hiding away under adjoining foliage, and come back out again at night. This is why you will find if you destroy the web during the day, it will then be back again in a slightly different spot the next day.
When fully grown the Garden orb weaving spider can range between 2-3cm. Fortunately, you aren’t likely to find one inside your home, as they prefer to stay outside in your garden.
6. Saint Andrew’s cross spider
The Saint Andrew’s cross spider is famous for its yellow and brown Aztec-painting style pattern on its abdomen. Plus, the fact that its eight legs fold in to look like four when it is relaxing in its web. Another unique factor of the Saint Andrew’s cross spider is the zig-zagging ribbons in its web that form a cross shape in the centre. These zig-zags reflect UV light to attract insects.
You will find the Saint Andrew’s cross spider hanging in webs spun within low, shrubby vegetation. They also have a body length of around 1-1.5cm.
7. Huntsman spider
The huntsman spider is the classic Australian nightmare for those who fear spiders. They are found everywhere across Australia and are famous for their ugly, alien appearance.
As huntsman spiders are a hunting spider, they don’t construct webs, instead preferring to hide away in dark, undisturbed spaces, under bark, under rocks, under eaves, within rooves, and behind your boxes and tools in the garage. They are then active at night, scurrying around in search of insects, or even other spiders, to eat. The huntsman is also a very timid spider, running away from you at a lightning speed of 1 meter per second.
What often makes them a spider so feared is their appearance. They are very alien-like, with big legs, and a brown hairy body. The huntsman can also grow to enormous sizes. Some species can reach 20cm long in their legs, yikes! Most, however, will only reach 6cm long in their legs, and 2-3cm in their body. Still bigger than many other spiders.
8. Wolf spider
Wolf spiders share a lot of similarities to huntsman spiders, in that they are also roving, nocturnal hunters. However, unlike the huntsman, wolf spiders tend to stick to the ground. You will likely spot one of these spiders zipping around the garden, your lawn, or among leafy debris.
These spiders are also nocturnal, so hunt for their prey at night, enjoying a diet of insects and other small ground-dwelling critters. Wolf spiders tend to have a body length of 1.5-3cm and have thick stripes on the front of their body and on their abdomen.
9. Redback spider
Redbacks are infamous in Australia. With their black bodies and bright red stripe down the middle of their pea-shaped abdomen, they are very recognisable. In fact, almost all of us have seen at least one. This is because they adore urban areas, and often live in secluded urban spots that kids love to play in. They can be found in a variety of places including outdoor BBQs, letterboxes, roof eaves, sheds, outdoor toys, cubbies, garden shrubbery, and flowerpots.
Because of their love of secluded spots, and small size, they can be often hard to spot. Redbacks generally grow to be about 1cm in length. They are also poisonous, so keep an eye on your kids when they play in spots these spiders love to hide. If bitten seek medical help immediately.
10. Funnel web spider
Funnel web spiders are another infamous type of spider that is almost exclusively found on the east coast of Australia. While most of the 30 species of funnel web are dangerous, the most notorious is the Sydney Funnel web. These spiders have been responsible for several deaths before the antivenin was developed in the 1980s. During the warmer months of the year, male funnel webs tend to wander looking for female mates. Some males get trapped in houses or garages, and so some people get bitten.
Another spot that funnel webs accidentally run into are pools. They can survive in a pool for up to 2 days. So, if you see a black spider floating in your pool, it could be a living funnel web, be careful. Funnel webs tend to build burrows, which have irregular silk trip lines that radiate from the burrow. When one of these are tripped by prey the funnel web will rush out and catch the prey, then return to their burrow. If you are digging soil around your garden, you may encounter a funnel web burrow at any time.
Funnel webs are generally identifiable by their black or brownish body, which is glossy. Their legs have indentations that make them look like they are wearing armour. They also have robust, velvety black/brown abdomens.
Conclusion
Spiders are a common sight in Australia. Generally, they will just go about their business and will not bother you. If you see a venomous spider in your home or where your children are playing, ensure you remove the spider as soon as possible. If bitten, seek medical assistance immediately.
Often, spiders can be a consistently annoying pest in the home. If you wish to reduce the number of spiders in your home, reach out to Pest Gone Pest Control for assistance.