Identification
- Colour
Black or brown - Size
About 40 cm long - Also known as
Black rats, Ship rats, Old English rats, Alexandrine rats, House rats. - Description
Have large ears and eyes, a pointed snout, a slender body, and tails that are often longer than the rest of their body and drag behind them.
General Facts
Dock spiders, also called fishing or wharf spiders, like to live in waterfront properties near lakes, ponds, marshes, reservoirs, rivers, streams, and woods. Swimming pools, boathouses, and boats may also become infested. Able to feed on prey almost five times their size, dock spiders have been reported to eat aquatic insects, small fish, tadpoles, and frogs. When weaving their own tent-like nests – or nursery webs – they like to build in tall grasses, between rocks, or under docks.
For many people, the size and fierce appearance of a dock spider alone are enough to cause alarm and stress. Dock spiders can also bite when trapped inside clothing, held, or sat or stepped on. Whilst not fatal, the bites are painful, similar to bee stings. These pests also reproduce at an alarming rate, laying up to 1,000 eggs at a time, so it is important to act quickly if you suspect an infestation. To avoid painful bites, it is best to contact a professional pest control service to remove these pests and their nursery webs effectively.
Limit standing water on property, Keep plants around the shore trimmed, Clear away debris like rock or wood piles