Australian Garden Spiders

Australian Garden Spiders

Gardens and bush lands are the perfect places for a number of spider species to thrive. With cities billowing and most urban spaces in ever-expanding mode, a number of these species that used to be considered to be “wild” are now being found very close to human habitation. In many cases, they also get into homes and live and breed there. There are literally hundreds of spider species in Australia, but here is a peek at some of the ones that are commonly found in gardens and forestland in Australia:

Flower Spiders or Crab Spiders

These are very colourful creatures and they camouflage extremely well in petals of different flowers. This helps them hide from any potential predators and effectively conceals them from any possible prey. They feed on all types of nectar-feeding insects such as bees.

Garden orb-weaving spiders

These creatures are very common in yards during the summer. They also build their elaborate webs during the evening & before daylight and will generally eat & then hide in the web right through day. They are very non-aggressive & low risk to humans. However, if you walk into their web at night, it can cause a lot of panic, especially if a spider is right on your face.

Banded Garden Spider/Banded Argiope

These are generally seen right in the middle of their orb web, and their legs will be together in pairs. In the autumn months, they are found across Australia. These are very often mistaken for another species called the St Andrews Cross spider. The latter is found only in the east. These spiders are totally harmless.

Tent-web spiders

These creatures are very closely related to the orb-web spiders & are commonly called Tent spiders/Tent-building spiders. The tent-shaped webs are made of non-sticky & closely woven threads. These distinctive webs aren’t very easily recognized as an orb-web because they are all woven on a horizontal-pane and have a network of supporting-threads right above them. These spiders generally live in colonies. With some exceptions they are very small spiders.

Long-spinnered bark/ 2-tailed spiders

These long and grey-brown spiders are found on trees, largely those that have rough barks. They have 2 long spinners which can sometimes be as long as their abdomen. Their long legs also make them very fast runners and they have an almost heart-shaped abdomen. They are camouflaged very well on the bark of trees and move with a very jerky rigid movement.

Long-fanged 6-eyed spiders/ Cell spiders

These spiders have 6 eyes and are very sinister looking with 2 large fangs. They spend the entire day under rocks or stones that have been warmed by the sun’s rays. They live in a silken-cell that the female spider also lays her eggs in. This spider is a very fast runner, is aggressive and is found living near buildings. They have a very sharp sting.

Lynx spiders

They live in low herbage and in the grass. These spiders can run very fast & pounce on their prey just like cats do. This is exactly why they are called lynx spiders. They do not actively build webs but are very good at hunting prey. They breed in large numbers and are a very colourful species of spiders that prefer running around in the sunshine in the grass and on plants. These spiders will generally not head indoors.

Prowling spiders

These are essentially nocturnal spiders and live on the ground. They are cryptic in nature which means they prefer to be camouflaged or conceal themselves.  In most cases, this species of spiders tend to hide & guard their eggs in a retreat like a sac that they weave under stones or any other debris. In the daytime, they may be found in vegetation as well. They have very powerful fangs that can penetrate human skin very easily and their bite can hurt for upto an hour.

Dealing with the Pests

It goes without saying that spiders are not really something you would like to have lurking in your garden or in the landscaping. Though most of these spiders are not really poisonous unlike the funnel spider or the funnel web spiders, since you can’t be too sure, it is best to call in the experts at Emblem Pest Services to tackle the problem. Spiders tend to breed very fast and can also move very quickly from one place to the other.

This also means that before you know it, there could be spider webs or funnel webs all over your garden and at times can harm you and your family. We focus on complete customer satisfaction & ensure that all the spider infestations are eliminated completely & that they do not return. For effective and lasting spider and all other insect control in Penrith and the surrounding suburbs, contact Emblem Pest Services 1800 244 778.