People living in Australia should all understand that kind of feeling! Just one certain morning you wake up and suddenly discover there’s an extra spider web in the corner, then look again and it seems like the whole house is a bit not right. Then you just start thinking, is this season especially spider season or something.
The answer is yes, there really is such a thing.
| Period | What people say | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| Sep – Nov | Spider season starts | Spiders slowly start showing up again |
| Oct – Dec | Peak spider season | You start seeing them everywhere 😵💫 |
| Jan – Mar | Summer spider season | Still around, still annoying 😅 |
| Sep – Dec | Main season window | Most common “spider season” period |
| Oct – Mar | Extended spider season | Long stretch where they just don’t disappear |
Approximately October to March, this is the period when spiders will come out in concentrated numbers to find food, find partners, running around everywhere, then just inexplicably appear inside your house.
Why this period? Because Australia’s climate at this time is too comfortable for them, insects are also many, food is sufficient, plus once humidity goes up many spiders just burrow toward indoors because outside is too wet and they also can’t take it.
Anyway just is this logic.
Speaking of types.
Sydney funnel web spider, this one is really truly not to joke around, that kind of toxicity is very strong, New South Wales that side has relatively many, they like to hide under rocks and under wood, if you get bitten you must immediately go to hospital.
Redback spider, just is the one with a red stripe on the back, frequently found inside sheds, under outdoor furniture, the female one has venom but now there is already antivenom so it’s also not as scary as before.
Huntsman spider, many people see legs this long and will get scared but actually it is a good one, eats cockroaches, if you see it you don’t need to do anything about it (in theory).
White tail spider, relatively common indoors, likes dark corners, if bitten the person will be uncomfortable but generally it will not be a big problem.
Wolf spider, doesn’t weave a web, directly chases prey on the ground, will be found in gardens and lawns, doesn’t have any aggression toward people.
Also those big round web spiders in the garden, the kind that come out at night with very big very round webs, they are actually quite useful for controlling flying insects.
Spider mating is honestly a bit bizarre. The male one must first think of a way to approach the female one and also must let the other party know that it is not prey, this process must be very careful. Then with the redback spider, the male one will actively let the female one eat it during mating. Right, just is this meaning.
Doing this is because it can increase the probability of successful reproduction, it counts as a kind of strategy, but it still sounds very tragic (for the male one).
After mating, the female one will put the eggs into a silk small bag and hide it in gaps or in piles of fallen leaves, then wait for hatching, temperature and humidity will all affect the result.
An interesting thing about Australia spiders is that they really can adapt to various environments very well. From coastal wet places to very dry inland places, they can all survive. Some types can go several months without eating anything, and then there is also a kind of spiderling that will release a silk thread into the wind and let the wind carry it to a very far place, this is called ballooning.
They have a very bad reputation but they are actually very important inside the ecosystem because they help control insect numbers, this one is real.
Then let’s talk about how to deal with it.
The most simple way is to just do a bit of something before peak season starts, not wait until the spider is already all over the house and then think of a way.
Seal cracks, regularly clear spider webs, vacuum corners, trim vegetation close to the house, don’t pile up too much outdoor clutter.
Outdoor lights also have an influence, light will attract flying insects, and if there are many flying insects spiders will just follow, so this also needs attention.
If you can’t handle it yourself, please have a professional come handle it, they will find the nest and deal with it before the eggs hatch, this way the effect is much better compared to dealing with it after the fact.
So spider season is real and it exists.
October to March, during this period you must pay a bit more attention, especially people living in New South Wales or Queensland.
Not saying you must specially panic, just know a bit about it and check the corners inside the house a bit more.