A Tauranga Technician’s Guide to White-Tail Spiders, Since Feb 2006
The short answer: white-tails do not build webs. They come inside hunting other spiders. Clear the webs around your house and you take away their food, which is the most effective thing you can do yourself.
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Trusted Local Feedback
“Karl was super responsive and got the job done promptly. Great service, very competitive price, and it’s worked a treat — no more white tails in the house, dead or alive! Highly recommend, thanks Karl.
— Tania Brackenridge, Papamoa Beach“We’d never called in for help with spiders before, but Karl at Tauranga Pest Control made it simple from start to finish. Better yet, the unwanted feature-walls of spiders are now a thing of the past!
— Marie R, Tauriko🔍 What a White-tail Looks Like
White-tails came from Australia and have been in New Zealand for well over a century. They move around at night and hide during the day in places like bedding, towels, clothes left on the floor, shoes and curtains.
⚠️ Are White-tail Bites Dangerous?
A bite hurts, a bit like a bee sting, and usually leaves a red, itchy or swollen patch that settles over a few days. The old story that white-tail bites cause flesh-eating ulcers has not held up: an Australian study of 130 confirmed bites found none. Wash the bite, use a cold pack, and see your doctor if it gets worse, spreads, or you feel unwell.
🛠️ How to Keep White-tails Out
1. Clear the Webs Outside
Brush or vacuum the webs of other spiders off eaves, window frames, fences and around outdoor lights. No web spiders means no food for white-tails.
2. Keep Clothes, Towels and Bedding Off the Floor
Most bites happen when a spider is trapped against skin in clothing or bedding.
3. Shake Out Shoes, Gardening Gloves and Anything That Has Been on the Floor or the Line
4. Vacuum Regularly
behind furniture, along skirting boards and in wardrobes. Empty the vacuum outside.
5. Seal the Gaps
Fit door seals and fix gaps around windows and pipes.
6. Turn Off Outside Lights You Do Not Need
Lights bring insects, insects bring web spiders, and web spiders bring white-tails.
⚠️ Does Fly Spray Work on White-tails?
Sprayed directly, yes. But white-tails wander and do not sit in a web, so a spray on one surface does little about the next one that walks in. Dealing with the web spiders around the outside of the house works better and lasts longer.
🏡 When to Call a Professional
- You are finding white-tails inside regularly.
- The webs are back within a few weeks of clearing them.
- Someone in the house has been bitten more than once.
- You want the outside of the house treated so it stays clear.
If that is you, have a look at our professional spider control service, or call for a free estimate.
❓ Not Sure What You Have Got?
Our free What’s My Pest picture guide shows the common Bay of Plenty pests, what you can do yourself, and when to call us.
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