Spiders Pest Control Sydney, Pest Management Sydney

Types of Pests - Spiders .....................................................................................................

Redback Spiders are found throughout Australian and commonly found in urban areas. Where there is adequate food and shelter will establish web and commence breeding.
Female Redback Spiders are black and occasionally brownish with an obvious orange or red stripe on the upper abdomen, with the red stripe sometimes shaped like an "hourglass". Females have a body about the size of a large pea. The males red markings are often less distinct. The body is light brown with white markings on the upper side of the abdomen, and a pale hour-glass marking. 1 cm (female); 3 mm - 4 mm (male) Webs consist of a tangled, and sticky catching threads run to ground. The Redback Spider builds webs in dry, sheltered sites, such as rocks, in logs, shrubs, junk-piles, stored items left outs, sheds, or toilets.

The female can store sperm and use it for a period of up to two years to lay several batches of eggs. She spends a lot of time producing up to ten round egg sacs (1cm diameter), which are white, weathering to brown over time. Each egg sac contains around 250 eggs and in only one to three weeks need to pass before more eggs can be laid. These sacs are suspended within the web. Young spider lings hatch in two to four weeks. Spider lings are cannibalistic and will eat unhatched eggs and other spider lings. Females mature on average in about four months. The smaller male matures on average in about 3months. Females may live up to three years, whereas males only live for about six months.

Redback bites mainly occur over the summer months as this is the season they are most active. Only the female bite is dangerous. They can cause serious illness and have caused deaths in the past. However, since Redback Spiders rarely leave their webs, humans are not likely to be bitten unless a body part such as a hand is put directly into the web, venom acts directly on the nerves, resulting in release and subsequent depletion of neurotransmitters. Common early symptoms are pain (which can become severe), sweating (always including local sweating at bite site), muscular weakness, nausea and vomiting. Antivenom is available. Apply an ice pack to the bitten area to relieve pain. Do not apply a pressure bandage (venom movement is slow and pressure worsens pain). Collect the spider for positive identification. Seek medical attention immediately.

There are at least 40 species of funnel-web spiders.
They are medium to large spiders, varying from 1 cm - 5 cm body length. Males are more lightly built than females. Body and colour can vary from black to brown but the hard carapace covering the front part of the body has scattered haired and is glossy.

Funnel-web spiders live in the moist forest regions of the east coast and highlands of Australia the Sydney Funnel-web Spider, is found from Newcastle to Nowra and west as far as Lithgow in New South Wales. Funnel-webs burrow in moist, cool, sheltered habitats - under rocks, in and under rotting logs, crevices, and rot and borer holes in rough-barked trees. In gardens, they prefer rockeries and dense shrubberies, and are rarely found in more open situations like lawns. The most characteristic sign of a Funnel-web's burrow is the irregular silk trip-lines that radiate out from the burrow entrance of most species. These trip-lines alert the spider to possible prey, mates or danger.

Rain may flood burrows and the temporary retreats of male Funnel-webs, causing an increase in their activity. Funnel-webs are very vulnerable to drying out, so high humidity is more favourable to activity outside the burrow than dry conditions. Most activity is nocturnal. Gardeners and people digging in soil may encounter Funnel-webs in burrows at any time of the year. Funnel-web burrows are distinguished from other holes in the ground by the presence of a series of irregular silk 'trip-lines' radiating out from the entrance. The burrow is rarely more than 30 cm deep if a spider burrow has obvious silk trip-lines around its rim you can be fairly certain that it belongs to a funnel-web spider.

Despite the availability of effective antivenom, correct and immediate first aid is still an essential requirement for funnel-web spider. The recommended first aid technique is pressure/immobilisation (as for snake bite) and this must be done as quickly as possible. The pressure/immobilisation technique compresses surface tissues and reduces muscle movement, greatly slowing the lymphatic flow.
Spider bites require a pressure bandage to be applied as soon as possible after a bite has occurred. This should be applied as tightly as for a sprained ankle, starting from the bitten area and binding the entire limb above the bite. A rigid splint should be bound onto the limb to prevent limb movement. The patient should be kept as quiet as possible and medical attention sought. If possible, keep the spider for positive identification.

White-tailed Spiders have dark, reddish to grey, cigar-shaped body and dark orange-brown banded legs. The grey dorsal abdomen bears two pairs of faint white spots (less distinct in adults) with a white spot at the tip; the male has a hard, narrow plate on the front of the abdomen. Their bites have been implicated in causing severe skin ulceration in humans. Size vary upon age Males 12 mm, Females 18 mm. White-tailed Spiders are vagrant hunters that live beneath bark and rocks, in leaf litter, logs and detritus in bush, gardens and houses.

They are most active at night when they wander about hunting for other spiders, their preferred food... They make temporary silk retreats and spin disc-shaped egg sacs, each containing up to 90 eggs. White-tailed Spiders around your house can be controlled by catching and removing any that you see and by clearing away the webs of the house spiders upon which they feed.

The mouse spiders are distributed across Australia. They vary from 10 mm - 35 mm body length and all have distinctively bulbous head and jaw regions. While mouse spider bites are not common, a few have caused serious effects in humans. Mouse spiders have high, bulbous heads and jaws. The carapace is smooth and shiny, The eyes are spread across the front of the carapace, not closely grouped, The spinnerets are short, the last segment domed and button-like, Male spiders have long slender pedipalps, Male spiders have no mating spurs on the legs.

Habitats ranging from open forest to semi-arid shrub land. The species with the largest distribution is the Red-headed Mouse Spider. This may be related to the fact that the spiderlings of this species are known to disperse aerially by ballooning, possibly over many kilometers. This is a very rare ability among mygalomorph spiders, most of which disperse over relatively short distances by walking. Mouse spider burrows are large, silk-lined burrows vary from 20 cm to 55 cm deep and are widest in the entrance and bottom chamber Some mouse spiders have a very toxic venom.

Wolf Spiders are found throughout Australia. They are robust, agile hunters that live on the ground in leaf litter or burrows. They are often found in lawns and gardens. There are many species of Wolf Spider, ranging in size. Their body colours are typically drab, with most having variegated patterns in brown and yellow, grey, black and white; some inland species are a bright salmon pink below. Often the patterns include radiating lines on the carapace (front of the body) and scroll-like patterns on the abdomen. The spider's underside is light grey, cream or black, sometimes salmon pink, often with black or white markings superimposed. The sides of their jaws may have a small raised orange spot or 'boss'. Wolf spiders have eight eyes in three rows (4, 2, 2), with the four smaller eyes in front and the four largest arranged in a square on top of the high and convex head...sizes range from 1 cm - 8 cm . Wolf Spiders are found in habitats ranging from dry inland shrub lands and woodlands to wet coastal forests and alpine meadows. Some species are common in suburban gardens. Wolf Spiders are wanderers but some build burrows, either open or with a trapdoor, while others may make temporary retreats in vegetation. The female constructs an egg sac of white papery silk, shaped like a ball with an obvious circular seam, which she then carries around attached with strong silk to her spinnerets. When the spiderlings hatch, they are carried around on the females back until they are ready to disperse by ballooning or on the ground. Such a high degree of parental care is relatively unusual among spiders. Symptoms of a Wolf spider bite are usually minor, restricted to local pain or itchiness. Less commonly, symptoms can include swelling, prolonged pain, dizziness, rapid pulse and nausea. Seek medical attention if symptoms persist.

Black and House Spiders are common in urban areas. The Black House Spider is a dark robust spider, with the female being larger than the male. The carapace and legs are dark brown to black, and the abdomen is charcoal grey with a dorsal pattern of white markings (sometimes indistinct). There size is from 18mm female, 9 mm male.

Their webs form untidy, lacy silk sheets with funnel-like entrances. Black House Spiders are found on tree trunks, logs, rock walls and buildings. The female constructs several white silk egg sacs, which are secured within the web retreat. The female stays with the eggs until they hatch. The spider lings then disperse. The spiders mature during summertime and live for about two years. The bite may be quite painful and cause local swelling. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sweating can occur. A cold pack may relieve local pain. Seek medical attention if symptoms persist.

The Sydney Brown Trapdoor Spider lives in silk-lined burrows, which are commonly found in the lawns, gardens and bush land of Sydney. The Sydney Brown Trapdoor Spider's body has a dusty look about it, with golden brown hairs on the carapace (body) and grayish bars on the abdomen. The carapace is usually weakly arched in side profile. Their eyes are arranged in two compact rows. Males usually have a small double spur halfway along their first leg and have thick 'boxing glove' palps (front pair of limbs). Females are larger than males, and tend to be harder to identify to species level. These spiders are quite timid, although the male may rear up if threatened, and they are not dangerously venomous. Trapdoor spiders are quite different in appearance from the shiny brown-black funnel-web spiders, with which, being similar in size, they are often confused. Also unlike funnel-webs, they have short, blunt spinnerets. There sizes are from1.5 cm - 3 cm body length.
Although often mistaken for funnel-web spiders, the bite of a trapdoor spider is not dangerous, but may be painful and cause some local swelling. Apply a cold pack to relieve pain and seek medical attention if symptoms persist.

Huntsman spiders are large, long-legged spiders... They are mostly grey to brown, sometimes with banded legs. Many huntsman spiders have rather flattened bodies adapted for living in narrow spaces under loose bark or rock crevices. This is aided by their legs which, instead of bending vertically in relation to the body, have the joints twisted so that they spread out forwards and laterally in crab-like fashion. Body lengths: 2 cm (female), 1.6 cm (male); Leg span: up to 15 cm these general are generally widely distributed throughout Australia. Huntsman spiders sometimes enter houses and cars. The female Huntsman produces a flat, oval egg sac of white papery silk, and lays up to 200 eggs. Huntsman spiders, like all spiders, moult in order to grow and often their old skin may be mistaken for the original spider when seen suspended on bark or in the house.

The Golden Orb Weaving Spiders build large, strong orb webs. Golden Orb Weaving Spiders are large spiders with silvery-grey to plum coloured bodies and brown-black, often yellow banded legs. The males are tiny and red-brown to brown in colour. There sizes range from 2 cm - 4 cm female, 5 mm male. Golden Orb Weaving Spiders are found in the Sydney region to areas with high vegetation. All orb weaving spiders make suspended, sticky, wheel-shaped orb webs. Webs are placed in openings between trees and shrubs where insects are likely to fly.
In the Golden Orb Weaving Spider group, it is common for a number of tiny (6 mm) males to live around the edges of a female's web, waiting for a mating opportunity. After mating, the female Golden Orb Weaving Spider wraps her single egg sac in a mass of golden silk, which is then hidden on foliage away from the web, disguised within a curled leaf or sprig of twigs.

The Garden Orb Weaving Spiders are a large group of spiders with over 100 known species in Australia. The commonly seen Garden Orb Weavers are stout, reddish-brown or grey spiders with a leaf-shaped pattern on their fat, roughly triangular abdomens, which also have two noticeable humps towards the front. They sometimes have a dorsal stripe which may be white or brown edged with white. Sizes range from 2 cm - 3 cm female, 1.5 cm - 2 cm male.

Orb weaving spiders make suspended, sticky, wheel-shaped orb webs. Webs are placed in openings between trees and shrubs where insects are likely to fly. The Garden Orb Weavers build large, strong, vertical orb webs. Generally, the spider constructs its web in the evenings and takes it down again at dawn. The spider rests head-down in the centre of the web, waiting for prey. The female Garden Orb Weaver lays her eggs in late summer to autumn. The eggs are encased in a fluffy silken cocoon and attached to foliage. The lifespan is about twelve months. They mature in summer, mate, lay their eggs, and die in late summer-autumn. Males and females are similar in size. During autumn, the spiderlings disperse by ballooning (floating on the breeze using small silk strands as "balloons"), and build their own tiny orb webs among vegetation.

St Andrew's cross Spiders are named for their bright web decorations - zigzag ribbons of bluish-white silk that form a full or partial cross through the centre of the orb web. Females have a silvery carapace and a silver, yellow, red and black banded upper abdomen with two longitudinal yellow stripes below. The spider sits with the legs in pairs. The brown and cream coloured males are smaller than females. Sizes range from Males 3 mm - 4 mm, females 10 mm - 16 mm. The diet of the St Andrew's cross Spider includes flies, moths, and other insects. These are usually secured by silk wrapping into a neat parcel before being bitten...