Spider Pest Control Melbourne

Spiders in the house? We treat them. You should not have to share your home with something you are frightened of.

Spider Control FAQs

• Do you treat huntsman spiders and redbacks too?

  Both, yes. Redbacks always, without hesitation. They are a close relative of the black widow and one of the most dangerous spiders in Australia, a bite can need antivenom, and they build in exactly the spots people reach into.

  Huntsmans we treat too. They do eat other pests, which is the one point in their favour, but nobody wants one running across the ceiling at night and we are not going to tell you to live with it.

• How dangerous is a redback spider bite?

  Serious enough to take straight to a doctor. Redbacks are a close relative of the black widow and their bite causes severe pain, sweating and nausea, and can require antivenom. It is worse again in children and pets because of their size.

  If someone has been bitten, seek medical attention rather than waiting to see how it goes. And if you have found one on the property, book a treatment, because they are rarely on their own.

• Are white tail spiders dangerous?

  They are hunting spiders rather than web builders, which is where the reputation for aggression comes from, and their bites are painful. They also hide in clothes and bedding. They are not the monsters of the urban legends, though. If a bite reaction worries you, see a doctor.

• Why do I keep getting white tails inside?

  Because they are hunting other spiders, mostly black house spiders, and your building is where those are. Clearing the webbing spiders off the eaves and window frames takes away the reason white tails came in.

• How long does spider control take to work?

  Activity usually drops within a few days. The webbing already built stays until it is knocked down or weathers off, so give it two to three weeks before judging it. The residual keeps working the whole time on anything that walks across it.

• Is spider spray safe around pets and children?

  It is, applied properly. We choose where the product goes, keep it off the surfaces pets and children actually use, and tell you how long each treated area needs to stay clear. Let us know before we arrive if you have pets, fish tanks or beehives.

• How often do I need a spider treatment?

  Spiders are a common reason people call us, and our general pest treatment kills them. Most Melbourne homes have one or two general treatments a year.

  The first is usually timed heading into the warmer months, before webbing builds up over spring and summer. Properties backing onto reserves, creeks or bushland are the ones most likely to want the second.

• What about wolf spiders and trapdoor spiders in the garden?

  Those live in burrows in soil and lawn rather than on the building, so treating a wall is not what changes things for them. What helps is reducing the harbourage they favour, and we will show you what to look at while we are on site.

• Can pest control get rid of spiders?

  Yes. We treat the places spiders sit and rest: the eaves, the window and door frames, the weep holes, the fences, the sheds and the garage. Spiders pick the treatment up when they walk across it, and it keeps working for months. Spiders are part of our general pest treatment.

• Why do I suddenly have so many spiders?

  Usually it is the time of year. Webbing builds up over spring and summer, when spiders are most active. White tails often follow, because they come inside hunting the black house spiders on your eaves and windows.

• When are spiders most active in Melbourne?

  In the warmer months. That is why we time spider treatments heading into spring and summer, before the webbing builds up.

• Can I get rid of spiders permanently?

  Not with a single treatment, no. Spiders may need more than one treatment depending on the property. The treatment keeps working for months on any spider that walks across it, and most Melbourne homes have one or two general pest treatments a year to stay on top of spiders.

• How much does spider pest control cost?

  It depends on the size of your home: the number of rooms, the size of the block and whether there is a second storey. Our pest control pricing page has the starting prices for a general pest treatment, which is the treatment that kills spiders.

• What are the most common spiders in Melbourne homes?

  Black house spiders and daddy long legs are two of the spiders people find most often in and around Melbourne homes. Black house spiders build messy webs in window frames, eaves and brickwork, where they catch flies and other small pests, and daddy long legs hang in the corners of ceilings and garages. White tails often turn up too, because black house spiders are what they hunt.

• What is the most dangerous spider in Melbourne?

  The redback. White tails and huntsmans can give a painful bite, but a redback bite can need antivenom, and it is more serious again for children and pets. It is worth booking a spider treatment if you have seen one around the house or shed.

• Do outdoor lights attract spiders?

  They attract what spiders eat. Moths and other flying pests gather around lights at night, so webbing spiders tend to build on the eaves, window frames and walls near them.

  Switching outdoor lights off when you are not using them means fewer insects gathering, and usually less webbing. It will not stop spiders on its own, but it is a simple part of pest management around the house.

• Why am I still seeing spiders after pest control?

  For the first few days that is normal. The treatment works when spiders walk across it, so you may still see some while activity drops, and spiders from the garden and the yards next door can still wander onto the house. If you are still seeing a lot of them after two or three weeks, give us a call.

• Do lots of baby spiders mean an infestation?

  Not on its own. It means an egg sac has hatched close by, so the spider that laid it is probably close by too. Redbacks can have up to 10 round egg sacs in one web, and black house spiders keep white egg sacs in theirs, so look for the web the babies came from. If you are finding egg sacs in the shed or around the eaves, it is worth booking a spider treatment.

• How can I keep spiders out of my house?

  Make it harder for them to get in. Health.vic recommends flyscreens on the windows, weather strips or draught excluders under the doors, and keeping trees and bushes planted away from the house. Our spider treatment then deals with the ones that still make it onto the house, around the eaves, the window frames and the entry points.

• What spiders are found in Melbourne?

  Melbourne has plenty of spiders. Here are 24 you may come across around homes and gardens, with how to spot each one, whether the bite is a worry and whether it is likely to come into contact with our treatment.

  • Redback spider: black with a red stripe on the back and a red hourglass underneath, with messy webs in sheds, pots and under outdoor furniture. The female’s bite can need antivenom, so see a doctor. Often around the sheds, garages and meter boxes we treat.
  • Black house spider: dark and velvety, with lacy, funnel-shaped webs in window frames, brickwork, fences and under the eaves. It is timid, but a bite can be painful and swell. It lives right where our treatment goes.
  • White-tailed spider: long and dark grey with a dull white tip, hunting other spiders at night and hiding in beds and clothing by day. Bites range from nothing to redness, swelling or blisters. It can cross treated surfaces as it wanders.
  • Daddy long-legs: a small, pale body on very long, thin legs, with tangled webs indoors, in sheds and under balconies. It is harmless to people and known to eat redbacks. In sheds and garages it sits where we treat.
  • Huntsman: large, flat and grey-brown with forward-pointing legs, sheltering under bark and often coming into houses and cars at night. It is timid and rarely bites, and a bite gives a local reaction. It can cross treated walls, eaves and window frames.
  • Social huntsman: very flat, red-brown and grey-brown, living in groups under bark, in woodpiles and sometimes inside houses. It rarely bites, but a bite can be painful because of its size. Groups in woodpiles and trees sit away from the house.
  • Badge huntsman: fawn to orange-brown with a black badge-shaped mark underneath, hunting on trees and foliage at night. No serious symptoms have been recorded from its own bite, but bites from close relatives can cause severe pain, swelling, sweating and nausea. It comes inside less than other huntsmans.
  • Brown house spider: small, round and dark, often with a white crescent on top, with tangled webs in sheds, under pot plants and indoors. A bite can cause headache, nausea or muscle pain, and small blisters. Often in treated sheds and garages.
  • Garden orb-weaving spider: light brown and triangular with two humps, spinning a big round web at dusk and taking it down by dawn. A rare bite is local, possibly with nausea and dizziness. Webs on the eaves or pergolas are within reach.
  • St Andrew’s Cross spider: striped yellow and brown, resting with its legs in an X shape in webs among shrubs or against buildings. Its bite is considered harmless. Webs against the house are closer to the areas we treat.
  • Banded garden spider: silver-white with yellow and dark bands, building a big round web low down in grassy, open areas. It is harmless, though a bite may cause a local reaction. Out in the grass it is mostly out of the treatment’s way.
  • Spiny spider: small and black with orange legs and six spines, living in colonies whose webs can cover whole bushes. It rarely bites, and a bite gives a local reaction. Its webs stay in the shrubs.
  • Leaf-curling spider: red-brown with a cream pattern, hiding in a curled leaf in the middle of its web in garden plants. Bites are rare but may cause local pain and swelling. It is seldom near treated surfaces.
  • Golden orb-weaver: long and silvery, with big golden webs that stay up instead of being rebuilt each night, often in suburban gardens. Bites are rare but painful, with redness and possibly nausea and dizziness. It builds out in the garden.
  • Slater-eating spider: orange to red-brown at the front and pale behind, with long forward-pointing fangs, living under logs, rocks and compost and eating only slaters. A bite may cause headache, nausea or muscle pain. Treating a wall is not what changes things for it.
  • Lynx spider: a long, pointed, striped body and spiny legs, hunting insects on plants. Little is known about its bite. It lives on plants, well away from the walls.
  • Bird-dropping spider: mottled brown, black and cream, and it looks just like a bird dropping on a leaf. Its bite is not considered dangerous. It sits on foliage, out of the treatment’s way.
  • Red and black spider: a red front and legs with a black body, living under bark, logs and stones, and males sometimes wander indoors in summer. Its venom is not dangerous. The ones that come inside can cross the door frames and skirting we treat.
  • Net-casting spider: long, thin legs and two huge eyes, throwing a small web held in its front legs over passing prey at night. No bites have been recorded. It hunts in garden plants.
  • Jumping spiders: small and often colourful, with big forward-facing eyes, jumping on their prey on walls, fences and bark. They are timid, and a rare bite gives a local reaction. Hunting on walls and fences puts them on surfaces we treat.
  • Jupiter jumping spider: common in houses, with a black head with white hairs, a slim black and bronze body and orange banded legs. It is usually harmless but can bite. It can turn up on treated surfaces around the house.
  • Crab spider: a triangular body with two points at the back and spiny legs, waiting on flowers and leaves to grab passing insects. Little is known about its bite. It keeps to the garden plants.
  • Melbourne trapdoor spider: large and brown with big fangs, often mistaken for a funnel-web, living in silk-lined burrows in soft soil. Its bite can be deep and painful but is not known to cause medical problems. Treating a wall is not what changes things for it.
  • Wolf spiders: brown to grey with two large front eyes, hunting on the ground in gardens and lawns. A bite is local, but cats and possibly dogs might be at risk. They are mostly out of a wall treatment’s reach.

  Not sure which one you have? Send us a photo and we will identify it for you.

Need A Spider Exterminator In Melbourne?

Tell us what spiders you are seeing and where, and we will explain the treatment we recommend and what to expect on the day. Our spider control services cover Melbourne homes and businesses, and if other pests are bothering you, tell us about those too.