A spider bite in Australia can range from a mild itch to a genuine emergency, and the two look very different.
The spider that bit you decides what to do next. Get it wrong, and you either waste time or make things worse.
When in doubt, call 000.
In this post, you will learn how to tell which spider bit you, what to do for a funnel-web, redback, or white-tail bite, and when to call 000.
Which Spider Bit You
- Funnel-Web Spider: Large, dark, and shiny. Looks aggressive, and often is.
- Redback Spider: Small and black, with a red stripe down its back. Common in sheds and letterboxes.
- White-Tail Spider: Grey to brown and long-bodied. Often found indoors.
If you didn’t get a clear look at it, treat the bite as a funnel-web bite until you know otherwise.
Funnel-Web Bite: Call 000 Straight Away
Large, dark, and shiny, this spider looks aggressive because it often is. This bite that needs emergency treatment, every time and is exactly the kind of scenario Business Wise First Aid Training covers hands-on in every first aid course.
What it looks like:
- Sharp Pain: Immediate, right at the bite.
- Numbness: Around the mouth or lips.
- Trouble Breathing: Along with twitching or sweating, a sign it’s getting worse.
What to do:
- Call Triple Zero: Do this first, before anything else.
- Wrap the Limb: Use a firm bandage over the bite and all the way up the limb, as tight as a sprained ankle wrap.
- Keep Them Still: Movement spreads the venom faster.
- Wait for the Ambulance: Don’t take the bandage off.
If they stop breathing normally, start CPR.
Redback Bite: Cold Pack, No Bandage
A redback bite hurts, but it’s rarely dangerous today, since antivenom has been available since 1956.
What it looks like:
- Sharp Pain: Gets worse over the next hour.
- Sweating and Swelling: Around the bite area.
- Nausea: Sometimes, in more serious bites.
What to do:
- Cold Pack: Apply one straight away for the pain.
- See a Doctor: If the pain doesn’t ease off.
- No Bandage: Slowing this venom down makes the pain worse, not better.
White-Tail Bite: Just Clean and Cool It
White-tails have a bad reputation for causing skin damage, but that’s largely a myth. Most bites are minor.
What to do:
- Clean It: Wash the bite well.
- Cold Pack: For the pain.
- Watch It: For a few days. No bandage needed.
- See a Doctor: If it gets more red or swollen instead of settling, that’s usually infection, not the bite itself.
Other Spiders (Huntsman, Wolf Spider)
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Clean It, Cool It, Watch It: Painful, but not dangerous. Same treatment as a white-tail bite.
When to Call 000, Whatever the Spider
Trouble breathing, chest pain, fast-spreading swelling, or you simply don’t know what bit them. In any of these, treat it like a funnel-web bite and get help on the way.
Learn First Aid & Be Ready for Emergencies
Business Wise First Aid Training, a Newcastle-based first aid training provider, covers envenomation response, pressure immobilisation, and CPR hands-on as part of every first aid course.
Suitable courses for spider bite:
If you have any questions about the course and training, then call or email Business Wise First Aid Training today.
