Huntsman Spiders Invade Australian Homes Due to Weather, Experts Said

Peta Rogers, a resident of Hobart, Australia tweeted on January 27 a photo and video of huntsman spiders infestation in her friend's home, ScienceAlert reported. Her friend, who chose to remain unnamed, said that about 60 spiders were spotted in one corner of her daughter's room while there is about twice the number at the other corner.

According to Darren Saunders, a renowned arachnologist at Queensland Museum, huntsman spider infestations are also happening in other households across Australia in response to recent weather changes. He narrated that he, too, encountered it and even tried moving many spiders.

Saunders said that when he tried to get rid of the spider's nest last year by sweeping them into the drain, the spiders were just dispersed.

Huntsman Spiders Are Looking For Water

According to ABC News, Dr. Robert Raven of Queensland Museum was not surprised that huntsman spiders have started coming out. He said that the huntsman spiders go out to look for a stable bit of water during the dry seasons. He added that it is most likely that these spiders are hiding beneath the bathtub and the drain.

"Spiders lay eggs down in there, just above the water," Raven said.

He narrated that one incident happened when a woman taking a bath tried to clean out the spider, but instead, hundreds of huntsman spiders came out. The woman ran out of the house screaming in fear of the spiders.

Not Harmful At All

The recent spider invasion in Australia has been widely shared on social media and brought discomfort for people with arachnophobia. However, arachnologist Dr. Lizzie Lowe of Macquarie University said that these "beautiful" creepy critters are harmless.

She said that due to the poor eyesight of huntsman spiders, they are usually confused. She added that these spiders would never intentionally run towards a person because of their small size, and they are not highly venomous. MailOnline reported that these spiders might bite, but they will never harm anyone.

Moreover, Lowe said that the huntsman spiders are not aggressive, and they only stay up in the ceiling because they are trying to find food. These spiders are considered summer spiders as their eggs hatch during the summer season when the warm weather and rainy conditions stimulate them.

Lowe further explained that they are spotted across the country this time because some of them make two rounds of breeding.

She emphasized that these spiders do not cause harm. They would rather turn on each other than cause humans harm. These baby spiders are highly cannibalistic when hatched. So it is with their interest to dispersed to look for food and avoid being eaten by each other.

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