Spiders - meet your housemates!: Museum Victoria

Spiders – meet your housemates!

These are some of the spiders that share our Melbourne homes and backyards.

Badge Huntsman Spider

The beautifully marked Badge Huntsman is active at night and occasionally comes into houses. Outside, it hunts slaters and other insects on the trunks of trees or in foliage. It hides under bark during the day.

Badge Huntsman Spider, Neosparassus.sp.
Photographer: Alan Henderson / Source: Museum Victoria

Daddy Long-legs Spider

Daddy Long-legs Spiders are probably the most common spider found indoors. They make their webs behind doors, around furniture, in garages and sheds and in the corners of ceilings. They feed on small insects, silverfish and other spiders.

Daddy Long-legs Spider, Pholcus phalangioides
Photographer: Alan Henderson / Source: Museum Victoria

Social (Flat) Huntsman Spider

This is the largest of the Huntsman spiders and is commonly found under the bark of trees in the company of several other adults and immature spiders. It eats insects and other invertebrates.

Social (flat) Huntsman Spider, Delena cancerides
Photographer: Alan Henderson / Source: Museum Victoria

Huntsman Spider

Huntsman Spiders are the large, hairy spiders often found inside homes. Although they are the spiders of nightmares and provoke the loudest screams, Huntsman Spiders are actually timid and relatively harmless. They eat insects and other spiders.

Huntsman Spider, Holconia sp.
Photographer: Alan Henderson / Source: Museum Victoria

Brown House Spider

The Brown House Spider has a similar body shape and web to the Red-back Spider, but lacks the Red-back’s distinctive red stripe. It is often found indoors and prefers dark places such as in cupboards or under furniture.

Brown House Spider, Steatoda grossa
Photographer: Alan Henderson / Source: Museum Victoria

White-tailed Spider

White-tailed Spiders are frequent visitors to our homes, particularly our bedrooms. They are nocturnal hunters and feed mainly on other spiders, especially Black House Spiders.

White-tailed Spider, Lampona cylindrata
Photographer: Alan Henderson / Source: Museum Victoria

Black House Spider

Black House Spiders make distinctive lacy webs with several funnel-shaped entrances. Webs are common in the corners of window frames and on paling fences. These timid spiders appear only when prey is caught in their web.

Black House Spider, Badumna insignis
Photograph: Alan Henderson, Museum Victoria

Wolf Spider

Wolf Spiders are ground-dwelling hunters. The female carries her egg sac underneath her abdomen until the spiderlings hatch. The spiderlings then ride on their mother’s back for several weeks. This behaviour occurs also in scorpions.

Wolf Spider, Lycosa godeffroyi
Photographer: Alan Henderson / Source: Museum Victoria

Comments (128)

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We live in the Dandenongs and over the last week have had at least a dozen HUGE black spiders inside the house. We moved into this house just before Christmas. We have lived in the HIlls for decades but never seen these big black monsters inside in these numbers. Is it normal is certain areas or have we bought some kind of freakish spider haven??

Hi I have a spider that has built its web up in a corner between a veranda pillar and the roof, it is quite a large circular web of about 30 centimetres in diameter. It has brown-red legs that have white bands around them, it has a black head, pure white torso and a large silvery-grey abdomen. Any ideas on what it could be?

Hi Henry! Does your spider neighbour look like the photo on this page? If not, do feel free to send a photograph to us through our Ask the Experts service, and we will get an entomologist on the case!

Massive spider web found in west Brunswick. What spider does it belong to? I'm trying to attach photo

Hi Vicki, unfortunately we are not able to identify a spider species from the web alone, we would also need to see an image of the spider. If you are in Melbourne and there is a large web it may be a species of orb weaver. There are may different species of orb weaver, none of which are considered highly dangerous. These spiders tend to remain in or near their webs and are timid, bites are rare.

Hello I was bitten by a spider Monday night on my big toe. The pain was bad and only stayed in the toe, then on Tuesday. Have now a skin rash so I have gone to the doctors thy have put me on antihistamine and cream. But no one can Id the spider, I believe from research it might be the black house spider baby. Am I able to bring it to you to get an idea???

Hi Jessica, you can bring the spider to us in the Discovery Centre at the Melbourne Museum, we are open between 10 and 4.30 from Tuesday through Saturday. Or you can place the spider in a small container which won't get crushed in the post and mail it to Discovery Centre PO Box 666, Melbourne 3001.

We recently moved into a new home 6 weeks ago and noticed that there were a lot of spider webs outside (ie guttering eves, roof of the deck, plants etc). We have seen the odd spider inside but over the last 3 days we have found 4 white tailed spiders crawling on bedroom walls. We have 3 young children including a baby (3 months old) and was wondering what is the best preventative measures for this situation. The home is uncluttered and all windows and doors have flyscreens with no obvious gaps. We do have airconditioning ducts in the roof and heating ducts in the floor. Any advise would be appreciated?

Hi Evie, female Black House Spiders generally remain in their webs but the males will go wandering looking for a female. Without an image we couldn't say for sure what the spider species was. Regular vacuuming should help to minimise numbers of wandering spiders.

I found a black spider, I'd guess the body was maybe 15mm long, on my cardigan tonight. I was wondering what type it may have been. I have what I take to be a black house spider in a web in the corner of my window, but have heard they are shy; is it possible that the spider on my shoulder was one of the window spiders babies in search of a nesting place, or was it more likely a white tail (being on cloth and all)? Should I just vacuum up the one in the corner if I don't want spiders wandering all over?

Hi Mick, we don't currently have an arachnologist on staff but to me the spider looks like Deinopis ravida. According to the Find a Spider Guide for the Spiders of Southern Queensland website, D. ravida has a very similar appearance to D. subrufa and there appears to be some uncertainty that they are indeed separate species. However, at the present time they are listed as different species in Platnick's World Spider Catalog.

Hi! Does anyone know if there's been clarification on the species name this Deinopsis species yet? Link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=321466504629371&set=a.321451014630920.70109.100002980730311&type=3&theater

Hi Eliza, it is difficult without a specimen but from your description it may be a species of spider from the genus Parasteatoda and maybe a species like Parasteatoda tepidariorum.

I have recently found a spider just on the outside of my house and would like a bit of info on it. I don't have a picture at the moment but was hoping you could have a go at givin me a suggestion so I can look it up. I'm in SE Melbourne suburbs if that helps. The spider was creamy white in colouration. The front ofIt was sort of like a daddy long legs (tiny body) however it's abdomen was more like that of a red back in shape. The abdomen was a beautiful silvery/white and looked like a small pearl. On the abdomen it had a clear greyish mark. Not quite sure what shape. Sort of like a diamond I suppose. It was only about 7mm (estimate excluding legs) Is it a daddy long legs of some sort or what? If you could please provide me with an educated guess it would be much appreciated. Thanks very much!

Hi there! I have recently captured a large huntsman spider and I have been keeping him in a spare fishtank I have. I was wondering how often I should feed him. I have bought some crickets from a pet store and he has eaten one of them but I don't want to overfeed him. So how often should I?

This is a great collection of various types of spiders. The college where I studied (Sacred Heart College) had a vast collection of various types of spiders. The college also offered specific courses on spiders that came under the zoological department. Thanks for the post.

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Hi there Rachel, unfortunately we can't do identifications based on description but we do have an excellent website called Victorian Spiders that is allows you to identify different spiders and will give you information about their toxicity. On this site you can also look at the characteristics of the Victorian Funnel Web and information about its bite.

Hi, I found a large black spider living in a funnel shaped web on some furniture we had stored. Total length would be about the 30-35 mm mark. It was dark black, hairy, with a thick body and legs. We live in central Victoria so I assumed its a black house spider but it says they don't usually leave their webs. This one leaves and gets itself into the washing basket or under some curtains we had folded in the room. I've found this one, a smaller one of the same species in the same room and then one in the bathroom. It also says that white tails love to prey on them but I havnt seen a whitetail on our property for a good ten months. Is there anything else it could be? And how bad are their bites?

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Hi again, I have identified the spider as a Victorian funnel web. The one that I caught tonight (yes, I've found a couple since the last email!) had two little orangey spots underneath. I will send the through photos if I figure out how. Very interesting! I think it's definitely the Vic funnel web as it has big thick fangy bits at the front and two little spikes on it's bottom. They are all about an inch long. Thanks for your help, I didn't know spiders could get mites! My bite is getting better thanks to some antibiotics and cream. Kind Regards, Claire

Hi Claire, it's hard to be sure without an image but rather than being eggs I would say that the spider you saw may have been carrying some mites. The Black House Spider does not carry its eggs around.

Hi, I was bitten by a spider last Friday and it was a nasty bite! Lots of fluid and I now have a small infected crater on my wrist (sorry for the yuk image)...I can only assume it was one of the spiders I've been finding in my flat recently. I've removed about 9 of them now (and accidently stood on one) and let them go in the garden. They look just like the black house spider. Tonight, i found a big one and let her go outside. When I tipped it off the envelope, I caught a glance of 2 or 3 small pale red eggs or something on her underside. Are these eggs? Is the black house slider known to carry eggs like this? Thank you so much for your help!

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Hi Aerogers, many spiders are very good at climbing sheer surfaces such as glass panes and so I would imagine a toilet bowl wouldn't present too many problems unless it was flushed. This link is from the Australian Museum in Sydney and details ways of minimising spider numbers in the home including white-tailed spiders. The article also points out that it is almost impossible to rid your home of spiders and that is better to learn their habits and avoid intercation. No spiders feed on Australia and so do not seek us out to bite.

Hi, I saw a huge whitetail charging towards my baby's cot last week, got it and threw it in the toilet to show my husband when he wakes up. 5 mins later it was gone! Since then, I have killed 10x small/baby whitetails and I'm afraid there will be more if these are the offspring. I read that they can lay upto 90 eggs. My questions are: Is it true whitetails can crawl up slopey, slippery surfaces therefore possibly escaping up the toilet bowl? What attracts whitetails? My room is tidy and they constantly come into MY room! What other spiders eat whitetails and Is it true that spiders don't like peppermint oil? I'm petrified of whitetails, it takes me hours of checking the house before bedtime before falling asleep. I think I need mental help! I live on the central coast of NSW..

Hi Alison, if you place spiders in a freezer this is a quick way to kill them that is probably preferable to being inside a vacuum cleaner. With the Dady long-legs you may be fighting a losing battle as they are so numerous in our suburbs and towns. The best thing if you don't like them around is to just keep destroying their webs.

Thanks for your great website. I have recently become a fan of spiders after years of severe arachnophobia. I will now happily escort larger spiders from my home, but I was getting overwhelmed by the number of Daddy Long Legs, so have been leaving them to their own devices. However, they are making an awful mess with discarded prey and cobwebs. Is there a humane way to kill them? I worry that just vacuuming them up maims, rather than kills, them. Thanks.

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Hi Gemma, huntsmans have no interest in pets, but if your cat was to grab it the spider would probably bite in self defence. We are not aware of huntsman bites posing any particularly high risk to pets. To remove a huntsman if you feel confident just place a small plastic bowl or glass over the spider and slide a piece of paper between the bowl and the wall. Take the glass outside and release the spider.

Just wondering what affects a huntsman spider would have on my cat? his seen it and has been eyeing it off and tried to attack it but luckily the spider is high up. I was also worried about my budgie, I have moved her away from the spider. Hopefully my fiancee can move it outside after work, any ideas on how he can safely do it?

Hi Lou, Museum Victoria has a free identification service, but we need to see either a photograph or the creature itself. If you see another one, we would be very to identify it for you. In the meantime, you can try and identify it yourself using our resources:

Information Sheet on Victorian Huntsman Spiders
Information Sheets about Spiders and Scorpions
Victorian Spiders website

Just removed a large (huntsman sized) spider from my house. It was bright/fluroscent type orange colour. Not dark orange but bright orange. Can you help?

Hi Jarrod, it is likely to have been one of the spider hunting wasps that you saw dragging the huntsman. These wasps search for spiders to sting and paralyse. They then lay eggs on the spider so that upon hatching their young have a live food source to feed on. One species which we have had quite a few reports of this summer is the native species Heterodontonyx bicolor.

I went to open my flats security door the other day only to see an oddly large insect crawling vertically up the door. What was even more frightening was that this insect was dragging what appeared to be a fully grown huntsmen spider up with it. I have lived in Melbourne all my life and had always assumed that the huntsmen was the king of the local insect/arachnid kingdom, do you know of any local insect predators capable of such a feat? I'd love to give you a description but fear that I may only mislead as I only caught a fleeting glimpse of the strange creature.

Dear Javan,

This question has been answered already in the above Discovery Centre responses. Hope this helps!

my dog just got bit by a wolf spider in the muzzle, what do i do?

Hi Janine, yours is a difficult question to answer as it depends on a number of factors. For example is your garden conducive to high numbers of spiders, is it in an area with some bush nearby, do you have many other trees in your garden, do your neighbours have much vegetation in their gardens? Also it will depend on the species of huntsman that you have in your tree, there are communal species of huntsman, so you can get large numbers living together or it may be a more solitary species. Huntsman spiders are not attracted to the insides of our homes per se, their interest is food. So if the spider can find sufficient food in the garden it is less likely to come inside. However, our homes are usually playing host to a range of insects such as cockroaches, moths and flies, all of which can attract a hungry huntsman inside.

Hi Amanda, we don't believe that wolf spiders pose a serious threat to pets or humans. It is hard to remove them from your property as wolf spiders are wandering spiders and new individuals will recolonise from neighbouring properties. Spiders have no interest in people and as long as you don't threaten them will leave people alone, and will go about their business of catching insects and other invertebrates.

This is a interesting site - and is appreciated. Perhaps someone can help me with information as to how many huntsman spiders at a given time are likely to be on a single Eucalyptus tree(?). The tree in question is in my front garden, and is the very fibrous and deep-barked, E. cinerea (Argyle Apple. Also I'm trying to find our if our intuition is spot on re re-location - i.e., if we re-locate a huntsman, or any other spider, do they come back in .. especially if they have been re-located to the nearest eucalyptus or other tree? Hope someone can help.

Hi Ruth, we have asked the Entomologist about your strange spider activity and he has suggested that it was most likely a wolf spider as they carry their young on their backs, and black and brown house spiders do not. If the spiderlings were still very young they probably won’t survive and if they do wolf spiders are not considered dangerous and have no interest in people, etc. Have a look at the infosheet we have about wolf spiders.

Just before midnight tonight, I saw what appeared to be a black (or brown) house spider on the floor of my bedroom. I put my foot on it and, when I looked, the spider had escaped (I subsequently caught it). There was a dark patch where it had been, about 3cm diameter. At first I thought it was a squash stain, but then realized it was a clutch of tiny baby spiders who rapidly dispersed. I sprayed the remaining ones with fly spray which seemed to work. My questions are: If spiders lay eggs, how could this happen? Will any escapees survive without their mother and bother me later? I look forward to your advice. Sincerely, Ruth Whittle

Hi Mike, if it wasn't a huntsman there are trapdoor spiders that can be found throughout Melbourne that can be quite large in size and also mouse spiders. If you do see one again see if you can safely take some good quality images and email them to us at discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au and we'll try and provide an identification.

At my cousins on the weekend and an enormous spider similar in appearance came walking across the floor. At first we thought it was just a massive huntsman but when we looked at it we could see it was totally different. It had quite large fangs, not aggressive, actually tried to avoid us. It stood quite high of the ground, not skittish. Similar coloring to a huntsman and massive abdomen. Unfortunately my cousin decided to kill it as she has young children. I would say over all it was about the size of a small mouse. I initially thought it might be a member of the tarantula family but when I checked pictures on the Internet it seemed to be quite different. My cousin told me this is the second one to come through the house over the last month and she is quite concerned about the safety of the kids. It appeared to have entered the house from the back door that was left open on both occasions. Are you able to help us out and shed any light on this for us. We'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks Mike

I live in North Eastern Victoria on a farm that is in bushland. I came across a brown spider with a similar body shape as a black house spider that had a black spot either side of its abdomen. As I was watching it crawl across the ground, it climbed on some leaf litter which flipped it onto its back. It had an orange triangle shape on the underside of its abdomen with a white patch either side. It also had an electric blue band on the underside of its legs (closest to the abdomen) and 2 yellow band on each leg (closer to the end of its legs). Can you tell me what this spider may be as I have been searching for days on various websites to find out what type of spider if may be as I am very interested in spiders. I did take some photos but they are not very clear. Hoping you can help me solve the mystery.

Hi Leanne,

Wolf spiders do not pose a serious threat to humans or pets. As long as you do not threaten them, they have no interest in people and would much rather catch insects and other invertebrates. If bitten, symptoms include local pain and swelling. There are no records of any serious symptoms resulting from wolf spider bites in Australia.

It is difficult to remove them from your property as wolf spiders are wandering spiders and new individuals will recolonise from neighbouring properties.

I have a lot of very large wolf spiders living in my back yard in holes in the ground and I am concerned as i have 3 small children and these wolf spiders have big fangs, how can i get rid of them? Do I need to be concerned? Your thoughts will help. Thanks for your time. Leanne

Hi Lightning, Museum Victoria has a free Identification Service. If you send us in a photograph of the spider (or the creature itself), we'd be very happy to identify it for you.

Hi, my family has just gotten a new caravan and my 7yr old brother found a tiny spider, probably the size of a 5 cent peice with its legs pulled in. It has thin hairy legs with golden knees, tarantular like fangs and is black on its body/abdomin. its heas is a silverish black and abdomin is fairly large to the rest of its body. I am unsure of its kind as it has not bitten me yet, I have let no one but me and my brother touch it... Can you help? Thanks Lightning

Hi Anne, it is likely that White-tailed Spiders would be prey for some of the larger spiders such as huntsmans and wolf spiders. Centipedes and scorpions would also be predators of White-tailed Spiders.

I was wanting to find out what would eat a white tail spider it must have a natural predator. Thanks anne

Hi Thomas, the Red-back Spider (Latrodectus hasseltii) will eat a variety of invertebrates such as cockroaches, crickets, moths, flies and beetles. One good way of collecting food for the spider is to look at what is flying around your porch light at night. One other possibility is that some pet shops sell live crickets for food sources and these could be used for the spider. You need to take a lot of care with this spider as the bite of the Red-back Spider is considered life threatening.

Hi ive a pet female redback and just wondering whats best to feed her and where to find it thanks

Hi Ashley, the Western Australian Museum have a similar facility to ours, where you can have biological specimens to be identified. You might want to contact their Discovery Centre to find out what they can do for you. Alternatively, you can send us images or specimens and we'll try to answer you questions through our Ask the experts service.

I live in Perth and am unable to find a local website like this. I found at least 6 unusual spiders in a large bush of rosemary. They were roughly 40mm in length and were a bright yellow/gold with a black leopard print. I have never seen these spiders before and am wondering if they are deadly or harmful as young children play around that area.

i just came across a brown spider with a big belly and underneath its belly was black with 2 small white stripes??

Hi Linda,

Good advice on first aid for redback (and spiders in general) bites is available from the Australian Venom Research Unit.

13/08/11 Hi, I've just been spraying outside, all the frequent haunts for my lovely house spiders and as I was taking out the umbrella from the outdoor chest which I frequently sit on, I came across a red back spider. I haven't seen one for many, many years, so I called my son and his friend out to have a look, and of course have the image imprinted in their brain for future reference! Then I sprayed it and squashed it. I felt quite sad, but I just was not going to risk having it reside where I sit! Can you tell me what happens when bitten by a red back, and how quickly the venom spreads and how painful it is? How soon should you get yourself to hospital. Should you immobilise the limb? etc.. thank you, great website.

Hi Tabatha, there are many different species of spider that are commonly known as huntsmans and these are found in many parts of the world. If you have a query about a spider in Alabama you may want to contact the Natural History Museum in your state which will have more expertise on the spiders of your region.

Can Huntsman spiders be found in Alabama??

i have daddy long legs in my garage and i named them all

Ok so one morning i looked at my fence and there was this black and white spider that had a very long tail )about 2cm long) and it was straight the spider was about 5cm long (including tail). Can you please tell what it could be and if it was dangerous or not?

what would you call a spider with white legs and a red body? is it venomous?

What can the bite of the white tail spider do? what are the small spiders that are in the corner of windows that are about 1cm big? can they harm you?

have just built a new home in vic builders pilled dirt around house lots of brown spiders in dirt,horrid looking come into house hide under mats & in carpet edges also baby black ones on cornices are they the young of brown spiders neighbours have them too have never seen them before.

Michael - the spiders you saw could've been one of any number of species, sorry - but it doesn't sound like a pleasant experience! If you managed to get any photos, you are welcome to email them to us via the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page, or you may want to use our Victorian Spiders website at http://museumvictoria.com.au/spiders/ to try identifying them yourself.

Hope that helps!

Rogaining in Kimbolton Forest near Lake Eppalock last weekend. Enormous number of large shiny (deep purple/black) spiders with webs (up to 2 or 3 metres across and as high as three metres). Made for a very sticky 6 hours - it was hard to move without running into a web and often collecting the spider down the back of the neck as well. Any thoughts on type of spider?

Hello Brendan - without seeing the spider ourselves we wouldn't be able to provide an identification, feel free to send us a photo via the 'Contact Us' link at the bottom of the page, otherwise you may wish to try identifying the spider via our Victorian Spider website at http://museumvictoria.com.au/spiders/

Hope this helps!

I just found a small mainly black spider in my house in melbourne. It had yellow markings on its back and redish legs. Just wondering what it is and if it is dangerous. Thanks.

Hi Jessica - Sorry, but the Museum doesn't really have a lot of expertise with this sort of thing in the absence of an actual spider specimen to identify. Anecdotally, our experts mentioned that a Redback spider bite can affect cats, or possibly a wolf spider; the bite of this species is known to affect dogs and cats but not so much people.

Hi Jess,

You might want to look at our spider identification page. If you can't find it there, you can contact us through our Ask the Experts page. Images can be attached at the bottom of this page when you submit your enquiry.

My cat has recently suffered envenomation from a spider (best guess by the vet)he lost the use of all legs, but retained movement of his head, very dilated pupils that didn't react to light. First symptoms at 7pm Sunday night, totally recovered by am Wednesday morning. Once he started to move it was a very quick recovery. Did a snake kit venom test which proved negative. No sign of a paralysis tick. We live in the Dandenongs on 20 acres of bush. Any ideas what sort of spider it might have been? He's an indoor cat now (it was an expensive vet bill!) but spiders love the inside of my house as much as the outside.

I came accross this amazing spider yesterday and couldn't id it. It had a massive circular web, at least 4 foot accross (just the round part) and the spider was also quite huge with it's body being at least 5cm in length with quite chunky legs. It was brown and hairy. It's head was sort of rectangular and its abdomen was diamon shaped and a little bulbous..perhaps with two slight lumps (it appeared that way but i wasn't getting any closer). Its back legs curved inwards past it body and had bands of lighter colour where the front pair of legs were together and appeared darker and bandless. The spider could also bunch itslef up completly and just look like a small brown bundle. I have a couple of pictures, but couldn't see how to attach. Can you help me?

Hi Andrew, please feel free to send any images you have to discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au and we'll try and identify the spider for you.

Hi, tonight I Mortiened a very different looking spider as it started to build it's web over our garden setting table. It was about 2cm in body length with long thin legs; head and middle was dark reddish; and bum (thorax??)was charcoal grey, round and about 1cm in diameter with a very distinct white strip along it's back - looked almost as if soeone had painted it on with thich white-out. It is not a white tail as we have plenty of big ones here, but I have never seen this one before, and I can't find a picture on any of the sites depicting Australian spiders - I do have a rather poor picture of the dead spider on my phine but no idea how to attach it for you. Can you please help??? Andrew.

The other week I put my hand under my car seat and instantly felt a stinging sensation on my fingers, when I looked under the seat there was a white/grey sac about the size of a small cotton ball. I couldn't see them, but I believe there were a number of needle like prickles either in the sac or on the outside. Days have gone by now and it seems like I've got 100's of prickles in my fingers, which are quite painful. Would this have been a spider nest or sac? I haven't been able to find anything with this description on your site. Hope you can help. Thanks

Hi Jenny,

Could you please send your photo of your spider with your enquiry to the Discovery Centre? We can't identify it without seeing it! Thanks.

Hi Someone, its up to you but I would be happy to leave her there. Any young she has will attempt to continue the species, so they will emerge, feed, mate and attempt to catch spiders for their young to feed on. This species of wasp does have a sting and a sting would most likely be quite painful. They do not have the ability to paralyse us and are generally not aggressive if left alone.

I found a big spider (60mm body length) with blue colour legs in my garden. What's its category? I got a photo.

i was on camp yesterday and the look alike wolf spider was on our door

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My house has seems to have a Cryptocheilus bicolor which I think has made a nest for itself inside the wall. Also, it dragged a spider inside and is probably going to do what it is expected to do. My questions are, should I leave it alone? And if I do, what becomes of its offspring? Also is its sting able to paralyse us somewhat like it does to the spider?

Hi Tammy, it is hard to say without an image as there are many wasp species that hunt spiders. They sting and paralyse them and lay an egg on them, thus ensuring their young have a live food source upon hatching. We are not aware of any bee species that do this; one of the large wasps that we receive enquiries about is Heterodontonyx bicolor, (also called Crytocheilus bicolor on some sites).

If you see it again please feel free to take a photo if you can and send it into us.

Hi Jonathan! For identification enquiries, please have a look at the identification service and guidelines page. Don't forget, we need a photo to identify your spiders!

Found 2 spiders in the house today, one on the ceiling and it looked like a white tail spider, except it had a very large clear lower abdomen, would it be a whitetail spider or a brown spider?

Are there bees that hunt spiders? We have seen a bright orange bee hunting down a wolf spider on the ground. It was behaving like a predator by following its scent on the ground. The spider was jumping and fleeing as though it were being hunted. We know it was a bee as it was short bodied and fuzzy, with orange red wings.

Hi Petra, depending on the size of the spider a bite will hurt. The dogs will either be quick enough to avoid getting bitten or if not will soon learn to give the spiders a wide berth.

I have two little Jack Russells and we have alot of wolf spiders around our house and one of our dogs is always biting them, will they hurt at all?

Hi Jake, it is very hard for the Museum team to know what to tell you without identifying the spider first. Are you able to snap some photos and email them in to us? Please quote your enquiry number, DC ENQ 5762, in all future correspondence.

I've noticed a spider wandering around and it either looks like a white-tail or a black house spider but it uses a web which is around the room. It's appearance is closer to that of a white tail though. My question is, while white tails dont spin webs, would they make use the webs of other spiders (this one seems to make extensive use)?

great site, trying to ID the nice spider that bit me tonight, so I sent an email provided as above with some links to photos

Hi Martin, tell your wife not to be too concerned as no spiders feed on people and they do not seek us out as we pose more of a threat to them than they do to us. Cutting down the Silky Oak would remove one resource for the spiders but your gum tree will also have spider inhabitants. The Australian Museum's Spiders in the House and Garden page will provide you with some tips to minimise spider numbers in the home and garden. Note it talks about the Sydney Funnel-web which we do not have in Melbourne.

Hi, I absolutely love this service from the Discovery Centre. I live in Thornbury and have a large gum and a silky oak close to our back door. At night, I practically only have to open the door and a huntsman will come in. I've found two in the garden today, and a black house spider crawled up my arm. I know they're all pretty harmless but it's freaking my wife out, particularly because we've got two toddlers. I'm thinking of chopping down the silky oak anyway because it's old and positioned to fall through my kitchen roof if I don't. Might that reduce the number of spiders, or are they likely living in the bark of the gum? Apart from getting rid of the tree, is there anything else I can do to reduce the number of spiders? Because there really are quite a few. Thanks very much in advance.

Hi Daniel, please feel free to send some images to discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au and we can attempt to identify the spiders.

hi ive got very strange looking spiders all around my house and i notice u dont have any pics of these types of spiders can i give a plce where i can send pics of these spiders kinda worryed they might bite us 1 day and we wont know what to do

Hi Ben, there are many different species of spider and we need to see an image to ensure we give you the correct identification and information. If you can safely do so please take an image of the spider and e-mail it to discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au

hi i came across this spider and it is as big as a twenty cent coin and skinny shinny legs it has a an very large abdomen roughly a bit smaller then a 5 cent coin its hairy on the abdomen and the rest of the body i found it in a shed in a web near the ground i am wondering what type of spider is it thanks ben

Hi John, you are welcome to send an image of the spider to discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au and we will try and identify it for you.

found a huntsman today with unusal markings and colour.have seen many different types but none like this.can i send you in a pic?

All Spiders can make us fear them just the sight of one and my wife will scream, this is a good thing if we did not have fear of them my kids would have a spider collection instead of a ant farm as I do pest control I have seen some large spiders the one I remember the most was when a Childs helmet had a red back spider as big as a 20 cent piece in it

Hi Beth, you're very welcome and glad we can help out. Sometimes identifications can take up to a few weeks depending on the workload and availability of our collection managers and curators. We'll contact you directly as soon as we have an identification on the spider.

Thanks for letting me know about the free identification. I sent the spider early last week, just wondering how long the identification process usually takes? Many thanks again.

Hi Beth, we do have a free identification service at the Museum. If the insect is still alive, please place it in the freezer overnight which will humanely kill it, (it is illegal to send most live insects through the post). Then place it in a small container which won't get crushed such as a pill jar and mail it to Discovery Centre PO Box 666 Melbourne 3001, along with your contact details. It is illegal to send flammable material through the post so please don't add any methylated spirits or anything like that.

Hi there, I wrote to you earlier this month about my late cat that was bitten by a spider while under the effects of anesthesia and sadly died. Since then we have found an 'insect' in our washing machine and are wondering how it can be identified. Can we send it in? Any information would be appreciated. Many thanks.

Hi Shannon - Our Red Back Spider infosheet and the Victorian Spiders website contain lots of information about Red Back Spiders that you may find helpful.

Hi I found a red back spider in my garage I would like to know more about the red back spider the red back spider I found in my garage was scary.

Hi Claire, thank you for sending us your very good quality images complete with coins to give us an idea of scale. The e-mail we sent letting you know that the spider looks to be a juvenile redback should have reached you by now.

Your website is fantastic! I love that you are able to help identify spiders!! We have sent you 2 photos and look forward to finding out if it is indeed a redback or not! Thanks!

Hi Beth, we are sorry to hear of the loss of your cat. We are not aware of Black House Spiders or White-tailed Spiders posing a high risk to dosmestic pets. These spiders can be quite common in domestic situations and you would imagine that if they could easily kill pets that deaths would be far more common. Both these species of spiders tend to run when faced with a threat. It may have been that your cat's immune system was reduced as a result of treatment or the anesthesia.

Hi Beth - We'll pass your question through to an entomologist, and see if they have an answer for you.

Hi there, I have a question regarding black house spiders and white tails. Recently my pet cat was bitten by a spider on the top of her thigh. She was either bitten at the veterinary clinic or near after in our home when she was still very weak from the side effects of anesthesia. Very sadly she died within three days of treatment of IV fluids and antibiotics. Since then we have searched the house for any evidence of spiders and have only come across a black house spider outside near a window frame. We have another cat and we are very worried for his well being. Both cats have always been strictly indoors. The whole four years we've lived here we've never seen a white tail, do you think its possible the black house spider could cause such fatal bites in cats?

Hi Jessica, no spiders feed on people or have a desire to bite people. The Museum does have a free identification service, so if you or someone else can safely collect a couple of the small spiders we can try and identify them for you. If there are suddenly a lot of small spiders there may have been an egg sac in the house that has released a number of baby spiders. Or as you say you may have brought them inside on a toy. Probably the easiest thing to do is to just keep regularly vacuuming up the spiders and any webs they build.

Hi my name Jessica i went into my sons room and there where weds EVERYWHERE i don't now if there daddy long legs baby's or not but there where crawling and they are really tiny they came from a truck i brought in from outside they just showed up out of no where i went into my sons room and seen them all there where so many webs and the little spiders where all over his crib what do i do i am really scared of spiders so please help me i got my mom to clean them out but i don't want my `son in there please help

Hi Rebecca, I don't believe that wolf spiders pose a serious threat to pets or humans. It is hard to remove them from your property as wolf spiders are wandering spiders and new individuals will recolonise from neighbouring properties. Spiders have no interest in people and as long as you don't threaten them will leave people alone, and will go about their business of catching insects and other invertebrates.

hi i'm just wondering if wolf spiders are more infectious to animals like chickens rabbits and dogs also how can i get rid of them around my yard?? thanks

Hi Neil,

if you can obtain an image of the spider and e-mail it to discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au we will try and identify it for you.

Saw what looked like a black house spider hanging from a down-pipe on its thread tonight - but it had 2 white dots about 1/3 of the way up the (thorax) body. Not a white tail - kept climbing up and down its thread. Any thoughts?? (I killed it :( as not sure if it was about to pop lots of little spiders around the house, may have been pregnant from the size of the belly)

Hi Ashley,

Huntsman spiders will feed on a wide variety of insects including cockroaches, moths and beetles. They will basically feed upon anything they can overpower quickly and easily. If you are going to catch food for it avoid any stinging or biting insects such as wasps and ants.

As for the rate of feeding, most will feed a little more often than once or twice a month, but they can certainly survive on that rate. Young huntsman will usually feed as often as they can. It’s hard to say why yours would only want to feed that often – there are a couple of possibilities that spring to mind. Adult males typically don’t feed much, and elderly huntsmen begin to lose their appetites as they near the end of their lives.

Hi, I have pet huntsman I give it crickets that I find in the area where I found it, but it will only eat about 1 or 2 a month is there something wrong thx

Hi, was after some advice. I have a spider roughly the size of a normal house huntsman. It has a large white stripe down its body. The stripe is roughly 2mm thick. Just curious as to what kind of spider it is. Great website aswell.

Hi Janine, Museum Victoria has a free identification service but in order for the Entomologist to provide an accurate identification, an image or the specimen is required. You can find all of the details for identifications here: http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/ask-us-a-question/identifications/identification-guidelines-/

Hi there, we've just found quite a large spider with distinctive black and white striped legs - very zebra-like- in our home in inner city Melbourne. Any ideas as to what it might have been and whether or not it is venemous? It was more a mottled black/ grey but definitely white as well.

Hi Teresa,

We are glad you like the tarantula webcam, our Live Exhibits Department are in the process of setting up Bower-cam; a webcam in the Forest Gallery which will be focussed on the bower of our male Satin Bowerbird. They are also looking into the possibility of having some other invertebrate cameras operating in the back of house areas.

Hi. Your Tarantula webcam is awsome! It would be cool if u could put more webcams up!

Hi Malita,

Unfortunately we cannot provide medical advice on your son's possible bite as we haven't seen and identified the spider; and people can react in different ways to a spider bite, (if that is what has caused the problem). I recommend that you take your son to a doctor and have them take a look at the injury.

All the best with your son.

my son was bitten on the hand last night so i searched his room and found what i think is a sac spider in the top corner above his bed, where the bite is on his hnd it has become red and pussy looking he tells me its not sore but he is 2 so i can only believe so much, can the bite get worse??

Hi Matt,

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you; as you probably know there are many different species of spider and it is hard to identify them from a description alone. If the spider is still there and you can safely do so please feel free to take a photo of the spider and e-mail it to discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au and we will try and identify the spider for you.

Hi there! I saw a spider outside our house today, and wasn't sure what sort it was. Was hoping you might be able to help me. It was light brown, about the size of a 20c coin. It kept it's back legs together in pairs, making it look a bit like a small stick. It was definitly alive, but when I tried to push it a little, it made no movement. We found it inside an empty flower pot outside. Hope that helps! Thanks very much. Matt Mahoney

I was out looking for social huntsmans today and I found half a dozen of these under the bark of trees. Some of them had young of about 1/3 adult size. A nice-looking species.

Related Resources

Spiders – meet your housemates!

Badge Huntsman Spider

Daddy Long-legs Spider

Social (Flat) Huntsman Spider

Huntsman Spider

Brown House Spider

White-tailed Spider

Black House Spider

Wolf Spider

Further Reading

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