Are you an arachnophobe? On a scale of one to 10, the fear of spiders is certainly towards the top of the list for most people, and, rightly or wrongly, Australia has a reputation for housing some of the most dangerous spiders on the planet. You may not be too comfortable around these eight-legged creatures and may be constantly on the lookout for evidence. So, you may be more than a little concerned if you've just moved into a new house with a dusty, web-filled cellar. What can you do to address this challenge?

Should You Be Worried?

While there are many thousands of different spider species across Australia, only a few of them are known to be particularly hazardous to the human being. Still, most healthy individuals will survive a bite from one of these creatures, and deaths are extremely rare, if not unheard of. This may be comforting to you, but you're still not ready to dive into your basement to see what's living there and would rather have some more details before you become so bold.

Understanding the Issue

Usually, a spider will run away from you rather than stand its ground, so you just need to be careful that you do not scare it inadvertently. If you do see a spider in a restricted area, you should probably wait until it emerges before taking any action at all. Even then, try not to kill it unless you feel that you absolutely need to. The vast majority of spiders are doing you a service by looking after other unwanted bugs and you could be inadvertently causing more of a problem.

How to Remove

If you come across a spider and feel confident that it is not dangerous, you can try to remove it by covering it with a glass jar and sliding some paper underneath. You will then be able to remove it to the outside without coming into contact at all.

The Bad Guys

Typically, funnel webs and redbacks are the most pervasive, potentially poisonous spiders in Australia. They are fairly easy to identify, with the funnel web having a glossy appearance and a blue to black colour and the redback sporting the attribute that bears its name. The first category can be quite large, while the female redback is very small and is the one to be avoided at all costs.

Over to the Experts

If you're simply too cautious and would rather stay away from spiders altogether, bring in a spider extermination service as soon as possible, to help you clear out your cellar.

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