Common Pests

Spiders

The Whitetailed Spider * (Lampona spps.) is an Australian import and has been in New Zealand for around 100 years. It is a fine-featured spider that has a light grey/brown body, brown-stripped legs and a distinctive cream/white tip on its tail. Sometimes there are also additional creamy white marks on the abdomen. White-tails do not produce webs for catching prey. They produce a tangled web as a nest and actively hunt other spiders.

The bite of a White-tail is venomous and is painful but not usually dangerous directly, however the bite can become infected by bacteria (Mycobacterium ulcerans) which are sometimes carried by the spider. The infection can cause ulcerations and sometimes serious illness. There is dispute among scientists about the incidence of Whitetailed spider bites and whether the bites are dangerous, but necrotic ulcers are frequently treated in hospitals and the patients frequently claim to have been bitten by Whitetailed spiders. The identification of Mycobacterium ulcerans  as the cause of ulceration is extremely difficult to identify and the tests are rarely carried out.

*The Whitetailed spider is variously know as White Tail spider, Whitetail spider, White-tail spider, White Tailed spider, White-tailed spider...............

Insect and Spider Control Programme For New Zealand

DeBug provides a specific fly, insect and spider control program for Whitetailed spiders in New Zealand. We use 'people-friendly' products approved for use in hospitals and food handling areas that will provide up to 3 months protection. We suggest combining fly and insect control with control of all spiders. The removal of flying insects denies a food source to fly-catching spiders and the removal of fly-catching spiders denies food to White-tails, reducing the risk of re-infestation by Whitetailed spiders. A typical fly and spider control program will involve the treatment of the exterior of a house (or other building), interior roof voids, and interior where flies alight and spiders harbour.

Other Spiders

New Zealand is home to about 2,500 kinds of spiders, most of them harmless to people. Only some spiders are capable of biting humans. There are three species of spiders in New Zealand that should be avoided - the Katipo, the Redback and the Whitetailed Spider. The Katipo (Latrodectus katipo) a Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) belong to the same genus as the American Black Widow spider. These two are the only dangerous venomous spiders found in New Zealand. In both species it is the adult females that are capable of biting humans. Bites from both species are rare and there is safe and effective anti venom for both Redback and Katipo bites. The Katipo is a native of New Zealand and is found in close proximity to beaches in the North Island and the north of the South Island. The Redback is an import from Australia and is rarely found outside Wanaka in the South Island and New Plymouth in the North Island.

There are numerous other spiders in New Zealand, none of which are dangerous. However, many produce extensive webbing in and around buildings that can be unsightly and difficult to remove. A treatment of the internal and external areas where these spiders live and spin webs will prevent the need to remove the webbing.

Mites are also from the arachnid group. These, often microscopic, group of creatures can also cause harm to humans and other animals..