Melbourne spider season peaks in summer and autumn. Learn how to identify redbacks, white-tails, and funnel-webs, plus proven tips to keep spiders out of your home.
When Is Spider Season in Melbourne?
Spider activity in Melbourne peaks between November and April, when warmer temperatures drive spiders to mate, hunt, and seek shelter. You'll notice more spiders indoors during this period — not because there are suddenly more of them, but because males leave their webs to find females, often wandering into homes in the process.
Autumn is particularly bad for indoor spider sightings. As overnight temperatures drop in March and April, spiders actively seek the warmth inside your home, garage, and shed.
Melbourne's Most Common Spiders: Identification Guide
Not every spider in your home is dangerous, but it's important to know which ones are. Here are the species we encounter most during callouts across Melbourne:
Redback Spider (Latrodectus hasselti) — Dangerous
The redback is Melbourne's most medically significant spider. Females are jet black with a distinctive red or orange stripe on the abdomen. They build messy, tangled webs in dry, sheltered spots — under outdoor furniture, inside meter boxes, in garden sheds, and along fence lines. Redback bites cause increasing pain, sweating, and nausea. Antivenom is available and bites are rarely fatal, but always seek medical attention.
White-Tail Spider (Lampona cylindrata) — Moderate Risk
White-tails are dark grey-brown with a distinctive white spot at the tip of the abdomen. They're active hunters (no webs) that roam at night looking for other spiders to eat. They commonly enter homes and are found in bedding, clothing left on the floor, and inside shoes. Bites cause localised pain and swelling. Despite urban myths, there's no confirmed link between white-tail bites and flesh-eating ulcers (necrotising arachnidism).
Black House Spider (Badumna insignis) — Low Risk
These are the spiders responsible for the messy, lace-like webs around window frames, door frames, and eaves. They're dark brown to black and rarely leave their webs. Bites are uncommon and cause only mild local pain. They're more of a nuisance than a danger, but heavy webbing around your home looks unsightly and attracts other pests.
Huntsman Spider (Sparassidae family) — Harmless
The large, flat, fast-moving spider that terrifies Melburnians. Huntsmen are brown with long legs spanning up to 15cm. Despite their alarming size and speed, they're essentially harmless. They eat cockroaches, moths, and other insects. Bites are rare and cause only mild, short-lived pain. If you can tolerate them, huntsmen are actually beneficial to have around.
Garden Orb Weaver (Eriophora transmarina) — Harmless
Responsible for the large, circular webs you walk into at night across pathways and between trees. They're plump-bodied with varied brown/grey colouring. They build their web at dusk and dismantle it at dawn. Completely harmless — they rarely bite even when handled.
Where Spiders Hide in Melbourne Homes
During our spider treatments, we consistently find spiders and egg sacs in these locations:
- Roof voids and subfloor areas — Dark, undisturbed spaces perfect for web-building species
- Inside meter boxes — Redbacks love electrical meter boxes. Check yours carefully before reaching in.
- Under outdoor furniture and BBQs — Redback webs accumulate underneath anything that sits still
- Window frames and eaves — Black house spiders colonise every exterior opening
- Garden sheds and garages — Cluttered storage areas provide hundreds of harbourage spots
- Inside shoes and clothing — White-tails hide in items left on the floor, especially in wardrobes
- Behind picture frames and mirrors — Undisturbed wall hangings are a favourite spot
- Around exterior lighting — Lights attract insects, which attract web-building spiders
How to Reduce Spiders Around Your Melbourne Home
Complete spider elimination isn't realistic (or desirable — many species are beneficial). But you can significantly reduce indoor encounters with these steps:
- Switch to yellow or sodium vapour outdoor lights — These attract fewer insects, which means fewer spiders building webs near entry points
- Remove web buildup regularly — Knock down webs around windows, eaves, and doorways with a broom. Consistent removal discourages spiders from rebuilding in the same spot
- Seal gaps around doors and windows — Install or replace weather stripping. Spiders enter through surprisingly small gaps.
- Keep garden beds away from the house — Vegetation touching exterior walls creates spider highways directly into your home
- Declutter storage areas — Fewer hiding spots means fewer spiders. Keep sheds and garages tidy with items off the floor
- Shake out shoes and clothing — Before putting on shoes left in the garage or clothes from the floor, give them a shake. This is the simplest way to avoid white-tail bites.
- Check outdoor furniture before sitting — Run your hand underneath chairs and tables (with gloves) to check for redback webs, especially if furniture hasn't been used recently
Professional Spider Treatment: What's Involved
A professional spider treatment from Pest Eraze targets both existing spiders and prevents new ones from moving in:
- Web removal — We knock down and remove all accessible webbing around the exterior of your home
- Residual barrier spray — A long-lasting insecticide is applied to all exterior surfaces including eaves, window frames, door frames, fence lines, and garden edging. Spiders that cross the treated surface are killed on contact.
- Roof void and subfloor dusting — We apply insecticidal dust into roof voids and subfloor areas where spiders harbour
- Internal crack and crevice treatment — Targeted spray to skirting boards, behind furniture, and inside wardrobes where white-tails hide
- Meter box treatment — All electrical and gas meter boxes are treated for redbacks
Our spider treatment provides up to 12 months of protection. Most customers notice a dramatic reduction in spider activity within the first week as the residual spray takes effect.
Spider Treatment Cost Melbourne 2025
| Property Type | Price (from) |
|---|---|
| Apartment / Unit | $149 |
| 3-bedroom house (interior + exterior) | $199 |
| 4+ bedroom house (interior + exterior) | $249 |
| Spider treatment + general pest bundle | $279 |
Bundle your spider treatment with a general pest control service (cockroaches, ants, silverfish) and save. All treatments come with a 6-month warranty.
When to Call a Professional
Consider booking a professional spider treatment if:
- You're finding redback spiders around your property — especially if you have young children or pets
- White-tail spiders are appearing inside your home regularly
- Heavy webbing around the exterior of your home keeps returning despite regular removal
- You're moving into a property that's been vacant and hasn't been treated
- Spider season is approaching and you want preventative protection
Book Your Spider Treatment
Pest Eraze provides professional spider control across all Melbourne suburbs. Call us on 0416 528 547 or book online for same-day and next-day availability. New customers receive 25% off their first treatment.
A professional spider treatment targets eaves, fence lines, outdoor furniture, and the redback hotspots around play equipment — with a residual barrier that keeps working for months.
