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Redback spiders are common and found throughout all of Australia. These spiders are seen chiefly in disturbed areas and seem to like living near humans. The redback spider is considered one of the most dangerous spiders in Queensland, with the number of bites reported annually in Australia to be at approximately 2000, with 250 people receiving antivenom. The good news is that no deaths have been recorded since the redback antivenom became available in the 1950s.
Places Redback Spiders are commonly found around the home
Redback spiders are common in urban areas. They will live almost anywhere as long as there is a shelter for their web, warmth for breeding and an adequate food source.
It is common to find them in places that are dry, such as sheltered areas like:
Barbecues (check underneath)
Clothes that are left outside, such as shoes and gloves and bike helmets
Children's cubby houses, sandpits and play equipment
Outdoor toilets and woodpiles.
Outdoor furniture
Drums and old barrels.
Letterboxes
Garden Sheds
Identification of a Redback Spider
Female redback spiders are recognised by their black bodies and distinctive red stripe on the abdomen and measure about 1cm long. They are bigger than the male and are more aggressive. Most serious bites are from the female, with the main symptom is severe and persistent pain - which can last hours to days.
Males usually are light brown with white markings and much smaller than their female counterparts; they lack the distinctive red stripe. It is rare to be bitten by a male redback due to the size of its fangs.
Identifying A Redback Spider's Web
Redback spiders are more active throughout the warmer months, particularly in the late afternoons and evenings. Leaf litter and debris due to the way they are constructed and where they are constructed. Unlike most other spider webs, which are orbed-shaped and suspended between two anchors, the redback spider's web is a gum-footed tangled web created between two flat objects and irregular in shape. Webs are typically found in dark, dry and warm places. It's common to see a redback spider web between the ground and a pot plant or outdoor furniture, under barbecues and in letterboxes. Web strands are incredibly strong, strong enough to support the redback spider and strong enough to trap prey which can even include lizards and snakes.
What season of the year are Redback Spiders most active?
Redback spiders are more active throughout the warmer months, particularly in the late afternoons and evenings.
How dangerous are Redback Spiders?
A bite from a redback spider has been known to put people into hospital; in severe cases, a bite can cause death. A bite from a redback spider is nowadays seldom life-threatening due to available antivenom. However, young children and older people are more vulnerable to a Redback's Spider venom, and medical attention should be sought if they are bitten. Initially, a Redback Spider bite may not feel more than a pinprick, but if the spider has envenomated, the victim will soon experience intense pain with it radiating away from the bite site. A Redback Spider's bite can cause nausea, excessive sweating and vomiting hours after the initial bite. If you or you suspect a family member has been bitten, please seek medical attention immediately.
Eliminating Spiders
Eliminating spiders from an area for a long period of time is almost impossible. Spiders do not congregate in a single large nest, so the population cannot be destroyed by targeting one site. New spiders will quickly recolonise an area if the inhabitants are killed off. By ensuring your pest control is up to date means Redback Spiders do not have an opportunity to move in. Our general pest control service has been designed with Redback Spiders in mind. We will target areas such as under eaves, around weep holes and outdoor areas to ensure your home is an unhabitable place for redbacks.
Contact us
So if you have started to see Redback Spiders around the home or want to be preemptive in preventing them from becoming a pest. Call Results Home Services now for a quote and don't forget to ask us about our great pest control and termite inspection packages. We service all of Brisbane.
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