Crawling pests
Spiders
- Stay out of treated areas inside
- 3–4 hours
- Don't clean
- 7 days
- More activity for
- Up to 4 weeks
No entry until it's dry. Drying takes 3–4 hours or longer, so don't go back into a treated area until it's dry, even if the time on this page has passed.
Get your home ready
Before we arrive
What we do on the day
- We treat the full way around the outside of the building.
- The roof space is treated from the manhole with a blower that reaches a long way, so on most homes nobody needs to climb in.
- The subfloor is treated through the vents and weep holes, and a little from the subfloor door.
- Inside, we treat along the skirting boards only. We don't move your belongings.
- We leave webs as they are.
- Whether the fence line is included depends on your booking. Ask us if you're not sure.
- If you have a fish tank, it gets covered and the pump switched off while we treat.
After treatment
- Stay out of treated internal areas for 3–4 hours
- Do not clean treated surfaces for 7 days
- Expect increased pest activity for up to 4 weeks
- External windows may show light streak marks
Common questions
Why am I still seeing spiders?
Spiders emerge from hiding and contact the treatment.
When can people and pets go back in?
Stay out of treated areas inside for 3 to 4 hours, and until it's dry. If you have a question about children, pets or health, call us and a technician will talk it through.
What areas are treated?
External perimeter, roof void (if accessible), subfloor and internal areas if included.
Do you remove spider webs?
No, we leave webs as they are. You can take old webs down yourself; just don't wipe or wash the treated surfaces for 7 days.
Do you go into my roof?
We treat the roof space from the manhole with a blower that reaches a long way, so on most homes nobody needs to climb in.
What if someone gets bitten?
Get medical help straight away for a bite from a redback, white-tailed, funnel-web or mouse spider. If you're unwell, call 000 in an emergency, or Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for health advice.
Signs you've got spiders, and which ones
- Messy, sheet-like webs around windowsills are usually black house spiders.
- A tangled web with a thick cone at the top, in a shady, sheltered spot like a shed or under stairs, may be a redback. They're shiny black, with a red or orange mark underneath.
- White-tailed spiders are grey to black with a white patch on the body, and can turn up inside, in bedding and in shoes.
- Huntsmen are large and fast, and some like to live in houses and cars. They do not build webs to catch food.
- Wolf spiders live on the ground in lawns and gardens, don't build webs, and are often out during the day.
Where spiders hide, and how they get in
Where they hide
- Redbacks: sheltered, shady spots such as sheds and under stairs.
- Black house spiders: around windowsills and under tree bark.
- Huntsmen: under bark and rocks, in crevices, and sometimes inside houses and cars.
- White-tailed spiders: under bark, logs and leaf litter outside; bedding and shoes inside.
How they get in
- Trees, shrubs and bushes growing close to doors and windows.
- Gaps under doors, and windows and wall vents with no flyscreens.
- Shoes, clothes and gear left outside.
- Spraying the garden yourself can push spiders into the house.
Keep them away
- Reduce clutter around the home exterior
- Keep bins sealed
- Remove spider webs regularly
What happens next
Booking the treatment
A house spray covers spiders inside and out, including the eaves and window frames where the webs go up.
Still have a question?
Call us and we'll help. If you're still seeing activity after the times on this page, let us know.