Spotting a spider in your Melbourne home is unnerving, but the truth is that most of the spiders you will encounter are harmless. Only a small number are genuinely dangerous. The problem is telling them apart. A big, fast spider on the wall can be completely harmless, while a small, unassuming one tucked under the barbecue can deliver a bite that needs medical attention. Knowing which is which, and what to do if you are bitten, takes the panic out of the situation.
This guide walks through the spiders Melbourne households see most often: how to identify them by colour, markings and where they build their webs, which ones are venomous, and the correct first aid for a bite.
What Spider Is This? Start With Size, Colour and Web
Before you reach for a shoe, three clues will narrow things down fast:
- Size and shape: Is it larger than a 50-cent coin (likely a huntsman or wolf spider) or small and rounded (likely a redback, black house or garden spider)?
- Colour and markings: Solid black, black with a red stripe, grey with a white tail-tip, or brown and patterned?
- Web and location: A neat round web in the garden, a messy funnel-shaped web in a window frame, or no web at all?
Used together, these three clues will usually identify a Melbourne spider without you having to touch it. Never handle a spider to get a closer look or a better photo.
The Most Common Spiders in Melbourne
Black house spider
This is the spider people most often describe simply as a “black spider”. The black house spider (Badumna insignis) is dark grey to black, robust and velvety, and builds a messy, lacy web with a funnel-shaped retreat, usually in window frames, door corners, brickwork and around eaves. It is shy and rarely bites, but a bite can be painful and may cause nausea, sweating or localised swelling. It is not life-threatening, but it is unpleasant.
Huntsman
The huntsman is the spider most likely to make someone jump. It is large (leg span up to 15 cm), flat-bodied and grey-brown with banded legs, and is famous for scuttling sideways across walls and ceilings, or appearing from behind the sun visor in the car. Despite their size, huntsmans are shy and largely harmless. They bite only when provoked, and the bite causes mild local pain and swelling at most. They are useful housemates too, eating cockroaches and other insects.
Redback
This is the one to take seriously. The female redback (Latrodectus hasselti) is a glossy black spider with the unmistakable red or orange stripe on top of its abdomen and a pale hourglass marking underneath; the body is around 1 cm. Males are much smaller, brown, and unable to deliver a significant bite. Redbacks love dry, sheltered outdoor spots: under outdoor furniture, in letterboxes, sheds, the rims of pot plants, children’s toys left outside, and around the barbecue. The female’s bite is venomous and needs proper first aid and, often, medical review.
White-tailed spider
Reddish-grey to dark grey, with a cigar-shaped body and a distinctive whitish spot at the tip of the abdomen. White-tails don’t build a web to live in; they hunt other spiders and shelter in bedding, towels, clothing left on the floor and behind skirting boards, which is why bites often happen indoors. Despite a persistent reputation, current Australian research does not support the myth that white-tail bites cause flesh-eating ulcers. Most bites cause only mild, temporary pain and redness.
Garden orb-weaving spider
The classic web-builder, and the one you walk face-first into on the way to the bin at night. Reddish-brown to grey with a leaf-shaped, often patterned abdomen, orb-weavers spin a large, near-invisible round web between plants or across a path, rebuild it each night, and hide during the day. They are harmless; a bite is rare and no worse than a mild sting.
Melbourne Spider Identification Table
| Spider | How to identify it | Where you’ll find it | Danger level |
| Black house spider | Dark grey to black, robust, velvety; messy lacy web with a funnel retreat | Window frames, door corners, eaves, brickwork | Low – painful bite |
| Huntsman | Large, flat, grey-brown, banded legs, up to 15 cm leg span; moves sideways fast | Walls, ceilings, behind car sun visors, under bark | Low – largely harmless |
| Redback | Glossy black, pea-sized body, red/orange stripe on top, hourglass underneath | Under outdoor furniture, letterboxes, sheds, pot rims, BBQs | High – venomous |
| White-tailed spider | Reddish to dark grey, cigar-shaped body, white spot at the tail tip | Bedding, towels, clothing on the floor, behind skirting | Low – myths overstated |
| Garden orb-weaver | Reddish-brown to grey, leaf-shaped patterned abdomen; large round web | Between plants, across paths and doorways at night | Low – harmless |
If you are still unsure after checking this table, don’t take a risk with a spider you can’t confidently identify. Keep children and pets clear and book a Flick professional inspection.
Which Melbourne Spiders Are Actually Dangerous?
Of the thousands of spider species in Australia, only a handful are medically significant. In practice, Melbourne households need to be cautious of the below:
- Redback: Common across Melbourne, venomous, and responsible for most spider bites that need treatment. Antivenom exists, and there have been no confirmed deaths from a redback bite since it was introduced in the 1950s, but a bite still warrants care.
- Victorian funnel-web and mouse spiders: Far less commonly encountered inside suburban homes than the redback, but their bites are potentially life-threatening and must be treated as an emergency. These are dark, robust, ground-dwelling spiders often found near burrows.
Everything else above, black house, huntsman, white-tail and garden spiders, can bite but is not dangerous to a healthy adult. Reactions are always more serious in babies, young children, the elderly and anyone with a heart condition or allergy, so err on the side of caution for vulnerable people.
Spider Bite First Aid: What to Do
The single most important rule: first aid depends on the spider. Getting it wrong can make things worse, so match the treatment to the species.
Funnel-web or mouse spider bite (or any large dark spider with severe symptoms) – emergency:
- Call 000 immediately.
- Apply a pressure immobilisation bandage: bandage firmly over the bite and up the limb, then splint it to keep it still.
- Keep the person calm and as still as possible.
- Begin CPR if they collapse and stop breathing.
Redback, white-tail or any other spider bite:
- Do NOT apply a pressure bandage, for a redback this increases pain without helping.
- Wash the bitten area with soap and water.
- Apply a cold pack (wrapped in cloth) for up to 15 minutes to ease the pain, reapplying as needed.
- Seek medical advice if pain is severe or spreading, and for any bite to a child, an elderly person or someone unwell.
Poisons advice: For expert help with any bite, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26. For a life-threatening emergency, always call 000. This guide is general information, not a substitute for medical advice.
When to Call Flick for Professional Spider Control
A single spider is easy to relocate outdoors. Recurring webs, redbacks around the home, or spiders appearing faster than you can clear them are signs of a larger population that DIY sprays rarely fix. A professional inspection identifies the species, finds the harbourage points, and treats the areas where spiders actually live and breed.
Flick has been protecting Melbourne homes and businesses for more than 105 years. Our spider control in Melbourne technicians use targeted, family- and pet-safe treatments, and can set up year-round cover through a residential pest control plan so spiders don’t come back. For more on the species we treat, see our spider pest solutions guide.
Not sure what you are dealing with? Book a spider inspection or call (03) 8580 7001 to speak with a Melbourne technician.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the small black spider in my window frame?
Most likely a black house spider – dark, robust, and the maker of the messy, lacy web in the corner. It is shy and not dangerous, though a bite can be painful.
Q. Are huntsman spiders dangerous?
No. Huntsmans look alarming because of their size and speed, but they are shy, bite only when provoked, and cause no more than mild local pain. They also help by eating other insects.
Q. How do I know if it’s a redback?
Look for a glossy black, pea-sized body with a red or orange stripe on top of the abdomen. If in doubt, don’t touch it – treat any red-marked black spider as a redback and keep children and pets away.
Q. Do white-tail spider bites really cause flesh-eating ulcers?
No. This is a well-known myth. Current Australian research does not link white-tail bites to tissue necrosis; most cause only mild, short-lived pain and redness.
Q. When should I call a professional?
If you are seeing redbacks around the home, spiders keep returning after you clear them, or you have young children or pets and want peace of mind, a professional inspection and treatment is the reliable fix.
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