White-tailed spiders are hunting spiders that wander around gardens and houses at night looking for other spiders. They are common across south-eastern Australia, and the Australian Museum says they are often seen in and around houses in summer and autumn.
What does a white-tailed spider look like?
The Australian Museum describes a dark reddish to grey, cigar-shaped body with dark orange-brown banded legs. The grey abdomen has two pairs of faint white spots and a white spot at the tip, which gives the spider its name, although the spots are less distinct in adults. Males are about 12 mm long and females about 18 mm. The two common species in southern Australia are Lampona cylindrata and L. murina.
Why are they in my house?
They are vagrant hunters rather than web builders. The Australian Museum says they live beneath bark and rocks, in leaf litter and logs, and in gardens and houses, and that they are most active at night. In summer and autumn they are often found indoors, where they find sheltered nooks and plenty of their favoured prey, black house spiders.
That is the useful part. A white-tailed spider indoors usually means there is something to eat indoors. Webs along window frames, eaves and corners are a food supply.
Are white-tailed spider bites dangerous?
A bite can cause an initial burning pain followed by swelling and itchiness. The Museum notes that bites have been controversially blamed for severe skin ulcers, and that a study of more than 100 verified white-tailed spider bites found no case of ulceration. Its summary is that skin ulceration is not a common outcome of a bite.
If a bite is painful, spreads or you are worried, see a doctor.
How do you reduce white-tailed spiders?
The Museum's advice is to catch and remove any you see and to clear away the webs of the house spiders they feed on. In practice:
- Brush down webs around windows, eaves, doorframes and the garage regularly.
- Clear leaf litter, bark and stacked timber from beside the walls, since they shelter there.
- Shake out shoes and clothing left on the floor or in sheds.
- Fit seals or weather strips to doors so spiders have fewer ways in.
When to call a pest controller
If you keep finding spiders indoors even after the webs are cleared, there is probably a steady supply of prey and entry points that a spider control treatment targets around the eaves, windows and doors. Redbacks are often what white-tailed spiders hunt, and our guide to getting rid of redbacks and funnel-webs covers those. To book an inspection or ask a question, contact us.
Common questions
- Are white-tailed spiders dangerous?
- Their bites can cause initial burning pain followed by swelling and itchiness. The Australian Museum says white-tailed spider bites have been controversially linked to skin ulceration, but a study of more than 100 verified bites found no cases of ulceration, so skin ulcers are not a common outcome.
- What do white-tailed spiders eat?
- Mostly other spiders. The Australian Museum records them eating curtain-web spiders, daddy-long-legs spiders, redbacks and black house spiders, and they hunt at night rather than building a web.
- How do you get rid of white-tailed spiders?
- The Australian Museum advises catching and removing any you see and clearing away the webs of the house spiders they feed on. Fewer webs around the house means less prey for them to follow indoors.
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