White tail spiders eat other spiders. Their favorite prey is the black house spider, but they also hunt other wandering spiders and a few insects. They do not eat nectar or plants.
What White Tail Spiders Eat
- Black house spiders (their main target)
- Other spiders, including redback-type and garden spiders
- Occasionally small insects and other arthropods
How They Hunt
The white tail spider (Lampona species) does not build a web to catch prey. It hunts at night. It walks into another spider’s web, or finds the spider in its retreat, and bites it. Then it feeds the same way other spiders do, by digesting the prey with enzymes and drinking the liquid.
Where They Live
White tail spiders are native to Australia and have also become established in New Zealand. They hide under bark, rocks and leaf litter outdoors, and wander into houses, where they hide in bedding, clothes, shoes and corners.
Is Their Bite Dangerous?
A popular story says white tail spider bites cause flesh-eating ulcers. Medical research has not supported that claim. Most bites cause brief pain, redness or itching. Wash the bite with soap and water and apply a cold pack. See a doctor if a bite looks infected, keeps getting worse, or you feel unwell. Don’t use these spiders as a reason to panic, since they only bite when squashed against skin.
Keeping Them Out of the House
- Seal gaps around doors and windows
- Shake out shoes and clothes left on the floor
- Clear leaf litter and wood piles from the house walls
- Reduce black house spiders and insects, which draw white tails in
Bottom Line
White tail spiders are spider hunters, not plant feeders. They eat mostly black house spiders and rarely cause serious harm to people.
Related reading: what redback spiders eat, what daddy long legs eat and what to feed a house spider.
