Encounters with Huntsman Spiders: Your first clue to look out for other pests

A huntsman spider has a terrifying reputation due to their size and speed. After all, they are very large, very fast ambush hunters. However, unlike some of Australia’s other notorious spiders, huntsman spiders are not very dangerous. They rarely bite humans, and, when they do, their bites are not generally dangerous. So, if you see a huntsman spider around your house, it is not a cause for alarm.

Well, actually that is only partially true. Huntsman spiders, themselves, may be frightening, but they pose no real danger to you. Only one species is sufficiently venomous to cause danger to humans and, though it can make you sick, it is unlikely to kill you. However, since they are hunters, if you see them in your home, it means that they are finding things to eat in your home. So, consider them a warning sign of other pests. If you have a pest-free home, the huntsman spider will not have a food source, so it will not be hiding in your home.

The jump-scares that people think of with huntsman spiders are not a devious trick to try to terrify you. Instead, they are simply engaging in protective safety behaviors. Outdoors, these spiders naturally hide because they are prey animals as well as predators. Even though the size of a giant huntsman spider may seem huge in terms of spiders, they are small enough to be prey for larger animals. Of course, the huntsman’s spider size is one of the things that contributes to people being scared of them.

Another fact about huntsman spiders is that they will continue to live and hunt together until reaching sexual maturity. So, there is a good chance that if you encounter a single huntsman spider, you may actually encounter multiple of them. While that may scare you, the reality is that the huntsman spiders are handling pest control for your home. However, if you want a better way to handle pests, including the spiders, you can get rid of their food source. If Flick treats the insects in your home, it depletes the food source for the spiders. They will move on to better hunting grounds.