Spider control in Sydney

Most spiders around Sydney homes are harmless and even useful, eating flies and mosquitoes. But a few species are dangerous, and webbing all over the eaves, windows and outdoor furniture is something most people would rather not live with, especially with kids and pets around.

The spiders Sydney people ask about most

• Sydney funnel-web. Glossy black, heavy-bodied spiders that live in silk-lined burrows in moist, shaded spots like rockeries, under logs and dense shrubs. According to the Australian Museum, males leave their burrows to look for females, mostly over summer and autumn, and are mainly active at night. They can end up in pools, garages, shoes and houses.
• Redback. Females are black with a red or orange stripe. They like dry, sheltered spots such as letterboxes, under outdoor furniture, in sheds, garden edging and pot plants.
• White-tail, black house and huntsman spiders. Common around and in homes. Huntsmen look scary but are generally shy, and black house spiders build messy webs in window frames and brickwork.
• Mouse and trapdoor spiders. Often mistaken for funnel-webs, especially when they turn up in pools or during gardening.

Spider bite safety

If a bite might be from a funnel-web (or a mouse spider), treat it as a medical emergency: call 000, apply a pressure immobilisation bandage and keep the person still. For a redback bite, wash the area and use a cold pack, and seek medical advice if pain is severe or spreads. Don't try to catch the spider if it puts you at risk.

What spider treatment usually involves

1. Inspection of eaves, windows, fences, garden beds, the garage and outdoor living areas.
2. Web removal and a residual treatment to the places spiders shelter and build webs, such as eaves, window frames, door frames and brick weep holes.
3. Roof void and subfloor treatment where needed.
4. Advice on funnel-web hot spots in your garden. Burrowing funnel-webs are harder to reach than web-building spiders, so habitat changes matter too.

Spider treatments are often combined with cockroaches and ants as a "general pest" treatment, which can be better value than treating each pest separately.

When spiders are worst in Sydney

Web-building spiders build up through spring and summer as insect numbers rise. The Australian Museum says funnel-web males mostly wander from about November to April, and are often encountered after wet weather.

What you can do today

• Wear gloves when gardening, moving pots or reaching into dark corners of the shed.
• Shake out shoes, boots and gloves left outside or in the garage.
• Fit draught seals to the bottom of doors, especially on slab homes where funnel-webs can crawl in.
• Clear rubbish, timber piles and leaf litter away from the house.
• Check the pool skimmer and pool edges in summer.

Frequently asked questions