Redback spiders: where they hide and what to do about a bite

Redback spiders live in dry, sheltered spots close to people: sheds, wood and junk piles, under outdoor furniture, in meter boxes and outdoor toilets. Only the female’s bite is dangerous. If someone is bitten, wash the bite, apply a cold pack, do not use a pressure bandage, and call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26. See a doctor if the pain is bad or doesn’t settle within a few hours.

Redbacks are one of the spiders people around the Barossa worry about most, and with good reason when there are kids and pets about. Here’s how to recognise one, where to look around your place, and what health authorities say to do after a bite.

How to recognise a redback

The Australian Museum describes the female as about 1 cm long, with a body about the size of a large pea, black (occasionally brownish) with an orange to red stripe down the back and a red hourglass mark underneath. Males are much smaller, 3 to 4 mm, light brown with less distinct markings, and their bite isn’t considered dangerous.

The web is a giveaway too: a tangled, untidy web with a funnel-like retreat at the top and sticky vertical threads running down to the ground. It looks messy compared with the neat wheel-shaped webs of garden orb weavers.

Where redbacks hide around Barossa homes

Redbacks like being near people. They build in dry, sheltered places that don’t get disturbed much, and Barossa properties have plenty of those. Check these spots first:

• Sheds, carports and garages
• Wood piles, logs, rocks and junk piles
• Under outdoor chairs and tables
• Meter boxes
• Outdoor toilets and dense shrubs
• The underside of anything that's been left sitting still for a while

How bites happen

Redbacks aren’t aggressive. According to the Australian Museum, people get bitten when a hand or other body part goes straight into a web, and bites happen frequently, particularly over the summer months. That’s why so many bites happen while clearing out a shed, picking up firewood or putting on gloves or boots that were left outside.

Redback bite first aid

Health authorities agree on the steps. From healthdirect and the NSW Poisons Information Centre:

• Wash the bite with soap and water and keep it clean.
• Use a cold pack for about 15 minutes to ease the pain.
• Do not apply a pressure bandage. That’s for funnel-web and mouse spider bites, not redbacks.
• Call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice.
• See a doctor if there's a lot of pain or the bite doesn't settle within a few hours. Go to hospital if the pain is severe, and call 000 in an emergency.

According to healthdirect, symptoms can include pain where the spider bit, sweating, headache and muscle weakness or spasms. The Australian Museum notes that more than 250 people receive redback antivenom each year, and no deaths have occurred since it was introduced. This is general information, not medical advice, so always follow what the Poisons Information Centre or your doctor tells you.

Keeping redbacks away from your place

• Wear gloves when handling firewood, pots, bricks or anything stored in the shed.
• Shake out boots, gloves and clothes that have been left outside.
• Keep wood piles and junk away from the house, the kids' play area and the back door.
• Check under outdoor furniture and play equipment every few weeks over summer, and knock down any webs you find with a long-handled broom.
• Keep the shed tidy. A cleared floor and walls give redbacks fewer places to settle.

If you keep finding them, a professional treatment is the most reliable fix. Our spider control covers redbacks as well as the webbing spiders around the eaves, with sheds, garages, fences and outdoor areas treated along with the house. Professional products are applied to label directions, and we’ll explain what you need to know about kids and pets on the day.

Call Garry on 0403 018 325 for a free quote anywhere across the Barossa, including Nuriootpa, Tanunda and Angaston.