Spider Bites

Funnel-web and redback spiders are venomous. Bites from other common Australian spiders, such as the white-tailed spider, the black house spider and the huntsman spider, seldom cause ill effects apart from pain at the bite site, which ran be relieved by a cold compress.

Funnet-web spider

The funnel-web is a large, black or reddish brown, hairy spider found mainly in an area within a radius of 160 km from the centre of Sydney. The male is more venomous than the female, though somewhat smaller, with a body length of about 3 cm. Antivenom is available.

Signs and symptoms

• intense pain around the bite
• nausea and abdominal pain
• numbness
• muscle twitching and weakness
• excessive sweating and salivation (drooling)
• very fast pulse
• breathing difficulty
• unconsciousness

First aid treatment

1. Treat by pressure immobilisation as for snake bite to slow the absorption of venom into the bloodstream.
2. Seek urgent medical help: this venom can be life­threatening unless the person is given antivenom Promptly.

Redback spider

Signs and symptoms

• The bite hardly hurts at first but soon becomes very painful.
• After some hours there may be pain in large joints and other parts of the body, with heavy sweating.

First aid treatment

1. Apply a wrapped ice-pack or cold compress to the bite site to ease the pain. Take care that the skin does not freeze.
2. Seek medical aid quickly, but do not panic, Pressure immobilisation is unnecessary because the venom is absorbed very slowly. Casualties do not become very ill for many hours after the bite, and most do not need hospital treatment.