Compared to other spiders, Huntsman spiders are relatively friendly – for instance, females rarely attack males during the mating process, and Delena cancerides, 'the Communal Huntsman', are known to live peacefully in large colonies that share prey and raise offspring together.
There's not enough food inside a house for a huntsman spider, so they're best off outside." Dr Harvey said the safest method, for both people and spiders, was to use a container. He said while they can give a painful bite, they don't pose a risk to humans.
Huntsman spiders have an unfortunate reputation. One is their name. The other is a tendency to take up residency in your home or your car and scare the bejesus out of you. But they are harmless to humans and very useful in controlling mosquito and cockroach numbers.
Despite their often large and hairy appearance, huntsman spiders are not considered to be dangerous spiders. As with most spiders, they do possess venom, and a bite may cause some ill effects. However, they are quite reluctant to bite, and will usually try to run away rather than be aggressive.
Can huntsman spiders jump? Huntsman spiders have an unusual leg arrangement – they sit away from the body – which gives rise to their alternative name, giant crab spiders. Huntsman do sometimes 'jump', or more often 'fall' from a surface to escape, but it's their speed that is their real asset.
If you try to catch a huntsman and it runs towards you, it isn't attacking. It is trying to get to a safe place, away from the giant human thing looming over it. Given they have poor eyesight, sometimes they get it a little wrong and head towards us instead of away from us.
Huntsmen spiders do not – repeat NOT – have any inclination whatsoever to creep their spidery, eight-legged crawl across your face while you're sleeping.
These spiders are venomous but have very mild venom which is not considered dangerous to humans. Most are very reluctant to bite, and will attempt to run away from any threats they encounter. Contrary to popular belief, huntsman spiders do not chase people.
Use natural oils such as peppermint or citrus spray
Spiders dislike the scent of peppermint, eucalyptus oil, tea-tree, or citrus. Thus, regularly spraying them down likely entrances deters them from coming in. Simply fill a standard spray bottle with water.
To clear this up, the Huntsman spider is venomous but not at a level that is harmful to people. Even when bitten, most people simply experience a small amount of pain at the site of the Huntsman bite. The exception to this would be a person with an allergy to the venom, which can produce a more significant reaction.
Although they may be looking for potential prey, huntsman spiders will often find their way into your home during the warmer months to get away from the summer heat. Squeezing into gaps under doors and windows is natural behaviour and so makes them feel right at home.
There's really never any need to kill a huntsman spider. Huntsman spiders cannot fatally harm humans, and they typically don't even consider humans as prey. If you find one or more in your house, it is best to call pest control and get rid of them. However, this does not mean getting someone to kill the spider.
The female Huntsman (Isopeda, for example) produces a flat, oval egg sac of white papery silk, and lays up to 200 eggs. She then places it under bark or a rock, and stands guard over it, without eating, for about three weeks.
In homes – or even cars – they'll hide away in dark corners during the day and appear from dusk onwards as night-time insects emerge. You're more likely to see them in the home when it's raining or conditions are humid. Most huntsman spiders are quite docile creatures that prefer scurrying away to confrontation.
The huntsman eats a variety of insects, arthropods, small lizards and frogs. The prey is not captured in a web but actively stalked and run-down with stealth and speed. The fangs are large and powerful and hold the food item until it is immobilised by the spider's venom.
Take the spider outside, a good distance away from your home and gently set it free. DO NOT SQUASH IT as this may cause the egg sack to tear and release its contents. You don't want hundreds of little spiders invading your space. Go back home for a soothing cuppa and congratulate yourself on your bravery.
Simon Lockrey, industrial design research fellow and former vacuum cleaner design engineer: It certainly could, depending on the vacuum cleaner. If there is a clear way out, the huntsman could make its escape when the vacuum is turned off.
"Spiders go looking for milder environments in terms of heat and humidity. So inside a house it's usually good. There's usually some water around and they'll gravitate to that," he said.
The spider, which has been named Chikunia bilde, has been found on the Indonesian island of Bali and has surprised researchers with its "unusually tolerant" demeanor towards humans and other spiders.
Considered the world's most venomous spider, Brazilian wandering spiders are large, aggressive and not to be trifled with. There's actually around nine species; the two most feared are Phoneutria fera and Phoneutria nigriventer.
Sound production in mating rituals
Males of Heteropoda venatoria, one of the huntsman spiders that seems to easily find its way around the world, have recently been found to deliberately make a substrate-borne sound when they detect a chemical (pheromone) left by a nearby female of their species.
Second, they are very smart. While the different species of huntsman spiders run at different speeds, the fastest among them run at rates comparable to Olympic sprinters, while the slower among them still run at speeds similar to a reasonably fit human's running speed.
Is It Safe To Handle A Huntsman Spider? It is not advised to handle any wild or unknown spider. You should not pick them up or trample on them with your bare feet. If you threaten them by picking them up or treading on them, they will bite you.
Sinopoda scurion is a species of huntsman spider discovered in 2012 in a Laotian cave. It has a leg span of about 6 centimetres (2.4 in) and a body span of about 12 millimetres (0.47 in). It is the first recorded huntsman spider to lack eyes. Due to its dark cave habitat, it has no requirement of vision for hunting.
The female reproductive opening is located on the underside of the abdomen, near the front of the spider. It is called an epigynum and is often hardened and dark in colour. Female Badge Huntsman Spider underside. Note the reproductive opening, the epigynum.