The good news is, garden orb weavers are typically found outside, and rarely come indoors. They’re also unlikely to bite unless provoked and their venom is considered harmless. You may experience very mild symptoms of pain and swelling, if any at all.

However, garden orb weavers can still be an issue for around 5% of people who have arachnophobia, by triggering anxiety and distress.

Watch out for their large, sticky vertical cobwebs suspended between outdoor furniture, trees and bushes at night. These webs can be difficult to see, so if you accidentally bump into them, they’ll make a mess!

We recommend the following tips so you can keep garden orb weavers under control in your yard:

Regular yard maintenance

Garden orb weavers stay hidden away during the day when they aren’t spinning webs at night. Remove available hiding places by mowing your lawn and keeping tree branches and bushes trimmed, especially if they are close to the exterior walls of your home. Sweep up leaf litter and vegetation and keep pot plants clear. Store piles of wood away from your home.

Seal off entry points

Prevent spiders from entering your home by regularly inspecting your home, including the roof, for all potential access points including vents, gaps, cracks, crevices and holes. Then, fill them with caulk, silicone or cover with fine mesh screens.

Use anti-insect night lights

By changing your outdoor bulbs to the insect repellent variety, you’ll reduce the number of insects gathering around lights at night which attract garden orb weavers.

Reduce food sources

Like many spiders, garden orb weavers mainly eat insects, so if you have many other insects such as flies hanging around, then it’s more likely that spiders will follow. Keeping your home insect-free makes your home less appealing for spiders.

Clear away existing spider webs

Messy and sticky webs are not only an unpleasant sight, but they can also attract more spiders. Thankfully, they’re easily removed using a vacuum cleaner, broom, duster or damp cloth.

Insecticide sprays

Fast acting and ideal for spot treatment, aerosol sprays can be purchased from hardware stores and supermarkets.

Diatomaceous earth

Naturally derived and available in powdered form, diatomaceous earth can be sprinkled around the perimeter of your home to stop spiders in their tracks. However, this must be used with caution around pets.

Spider traps

With a strong adhesive surface containing a tempting bait, spider traps can be placed in problem areas. However, they may be less suitable if you have curious pets and young children.

Professional spider treatment

Sometimes, an outbreak can become difficult to control, no matter what you do. That’s why Allstate has a range of effective, tailored treatments, for spider problems of all sizes in homes and businesses. Speak to one of our friendly consultants today.

Locally operated since 1986, we’ve offered premium pest control services to clients in all suburbs of Adelaide. Available 24/7 for urgent advice, our technicians are highly trained to understand spider behaviour to provide tailored, innovative solutions for pest infestations in residential, commercial and industrial settings.

With a commitment to using nontoxic treatments which are safe for children and pets, you can count on Allstate for long-term protection against spider outbreaks all year long.

Although there are an estimated 10,000 species of spiders in Australia, these are the ones that you’re most likely to encounter in your home:

Redback spiders

Easily distinguished by their bright red stripe on their upper abdomen, redback spiders are black coloured, grow up to 15mm long and are known for their venomous bites.

White tailed spiders

Dark red to grey coloured, with a characteristic white spot on the tip of their cigar-shaped body, female white tailed spiders grow up to 20mm in length, and males up to 12mm. They are nocturnal and hunt other spiders for food, including redback, daddy long legs and black house spiders.

Huntsman spiders

Grey to brown coloured with fine hairs covering their legs, huntsman spiders can grow between 6-20cm long, depending on the species.

Daddy long legs

Brown, grey or black in colour, with extremely long and thin legs giving them a fragile looking appearance, daddy long legs spiders grow between 0.7-0.9mm long.

Brown house spider

Brown to black coloured, with a rounded shape, brown house spiders can grow up to 12mm long. Also known as cupboard spiders, you may find them hiding out in undisturbed areas indoors and outdoors.

Black house spider

Dark brown to black in colour, with a charcoal grey abdomen and white markings, the black house spider can grow between 10-15mm long and loves hiding away in dark corners of your home.

You can spot a spider outbreak easily with the following signs:

You notice more spiders around

Although the peak season for spiders is spring, some species do seek warmth and shelter inside your home and hibernate over the cooler months. Check less frequented areas, which are perfect hiding and breeding spots for spiders, including moist environments such as drains and pipes. You may also notice them emerging from hiding spots in tiny gaps and holes.

You see many spider webs

Extensive networks of spider webs within the same space is a clear (and messy!) sign of a spider outbreak. Webs are spun differently, depending on the species of spider.

Spider burrows

Some spiders, such as wolf spiders, carve out burrows within your yard, and do not spin webs. These burrows can be found within piles of vegetation, compost, leaf litter or within soil. Don’t forget to check under rocks.

Egg sacs

Spiders can lay hundreds of eggs at a time within rounded sacs, which are suspended in silken webbing.

Our pest control technicians have an extensive knowledge of spider species and behaviour, so we can identify and treat any spider outbreaks quickly.

Since we choose treatments that are approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, this means that all spider problems are handled safely, minimising risks to children and pets.

After an inspection and assessment of your property, we normally use targeted spider control insecticide sprays, applied to the perimeter of your building, as well as spider control dust, which is sprinkled inside hard-to-reach areas including gaps, voids, cracks and crevices

For severe outbreaks, this treatment may need to be reapplied, and your technician will let you know when this is necessary.

Funnel web spider

• Venomous – seek medical attention immediately if bitten
• Up to 35mm long, black or brown, with glossy and segmented looking legs
• Prefer moist, cool, sheltered habitats outside – under rocks, in rotting logs, crevices, timber rot and borer holes in trees
• Can survive up to 2 days in a swimming pool

Daddy long legs

• Brown, 7-9mm, characterised by long, thin legs
• Live in houses, garages, sheds
• Have spindly, flimsy webs that often go unnoticed

Huntsman

• Venomous but not fatal
• Can be > 160mm in size, brown, furry looking with long legs which range from 6-20cm long
• Live in tree trunks and walls, under bark or stones. Also check for them in between the hairline cracks of sandstone and granite outcrops

Most spiders are small in size, but this just means that they can hide better. Once you know what to look for, you will probably realise just how many spiders are hiding around your home. Here are some signs:

Spider webs

These come in all different shapes and sizes, depending on the species of spider. In severe infestations you’ll see extensive networks in less frequently used areas.

Spider burrows in the front or backyard

Wolf spiders are commonly found living in burrows or leaf litter in lawns and gardens.

Spiders living in gaps and cracks

Spiders can easily crawl into small spaces so be sure not to overlook these places as hiding spots.

Spiders settled in moist environments

Some spiders that live in drains, drainage pipes and toilets don’t leave cobwebs. They survive in walls, basements, sheds, attics, at the intersection between the wall and ceiling, closets and storage boxes.

Check where there are lots of insects

If you frequently see ants, woodlice and flies around your home, this is sure to attract hungry spiders.

Spider egg sacs

This is a sign that there are more spiders around. These can carry hundreds of eggs, and are sometimes seen fixed to a surface indoors or hidden within a web.

Look in dark, isolated areas, in your home and garden

Look for cobwebs and other insects in the area as well.

Look for spiders in autumn

This is the season where they leave their hiding spot to look for a mate.

Larger spider outbreaks can leave you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Fortunately, our technicians at Allstate are equipped and ready to help. Our removal method involves 4 steps:

Inspection

Our spider removal team will begin by thoroughly inspecting the spider problem in your home or business so that we can come up with a specific plan to treat it.

Spider removal and treatment

You can have peace of mind that we only use chemicals that are approved for use by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.

Depending on your situation, we may use a combination of:

• Spider control dust, which is applied to voids in the affected areas
• Spider control insecticide, which is applied to treated zones at the perimeters of the building

You will need to leave enough time for the treatments to dry before re-entering the treated areas.

Follow-up treatment

Sometimes more severe outbreaks can be difficult to treat in one visit, so we will review and replenish the treatment as needed.

You receive a report

We will give you a written report so you can understand how we treated the outbreak and future spider prevention tips.

Available for emergencies

For advice and urgent problems, contact us through the chat box on the bottom right at any time.