SPIDER numbers are soaring in Bendigo according to the region's pest controllers, who can barely keep up with arachnid-related bookings.
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They attributed the spider surge in part to a wet spring, increasing the number of insects for spiders to feed on.
Bendigo pest controller Daryl Hallam said spider activity had not been this high for years.
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Mr Hallam speculated that a combination of the wet weather and people's thriving post-lockdown gardens had created perfect conditions for spider food, ie insects.
He said it was possible webbing spiders would even have a second breeding run this season, because conditions were so good.
Mr Hallam said one commercial property he'd been called to had a new shed, just months old, already totally covered in spiders.
Likewise, ExtermaBug owner Stephen Wilson said the Bendigo business was nearly booked out to after Christmas with spider extermination jobs.
Mr Wilson said he was seeing everything from black house spiders, to redbacks and frequently whitetails.
He said spider extermination calls often increased as the weather heated up for summer, but this year was unique.
Mr Wilson said spiders were most likely to be hiding in the eaves of houses, around sheds or on the inside of garage roller doors. Inside, he said they were often behind furniture such as bookcases.
Mr Hallam said spiders' moving habits - catching the wind with their webs, called aerial ballooning - meant people's fences and clothesline were often covered in September and October.
He said anywhere where light was visible outside a house attracted spiders, because it also attracted insects.
Mr Hallam said to minimise spiders people could try an external yellow light instead of blue-toned, which was less attractive to insects.
Keeping a tidy yard was another way to minimise spider habitat, he said.
Inside, Mr Hallam said avoiding leaving clothes on the floor reduced the risk of roving whitetails hiding inside.
Flash back: Locust swarms land in Bendigo | 2010
Department of Health and Human Services information states huntsman, as well as redback, whitetailed, Victorian funnelweb and black house spiders are common in south eastern Australia.
Only the Sydney funnelweb and redback spiders are known to have killed anyone in Australia. No redback deaths have been recorded in Victoria since antivenom was first made in 1956.
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