Is every big black spider on the Coast a funnel-web?

No. The Australian Museum says mouse spiders, trapdoor spiders and even black house spiders are often mistaken for funnel-webs. You can't safely tell by looking, so treat any bite from a big black spider as an emergency.

Do you cover Gosford, Wyong and the peninsula?

Yes. See Gosford, Wyong, Woy Woy and Umina for what's different in each.

Pest control Central Coast: funnel-webs, bees, termites

If someone is bitten by a big black spider

Treat it as a medical emergency and call 000 straight away, without waiting for symptoms. healthdirect's funnel-web first aid is to lie the person down, keep them still, wrap an elasticated bandage firmly over the bite and then the whole limb without cutting off circulation, and splint it. The Poisons Information Centre is on 13 11 26.

What's different on the Coast

The north end of the funnel-web's range

The Australian Museum puts the Sydney funnel-web's main range from the Central Coast south to the Georges River. Males leave their burrows to find females, mostly over summer and autumn, on humid nights.

Mosquito traps at Empire Bay and Wyong

NSW Health found Gan Gan virus in mosquitoes at Empire Bay on 5 February 2025 and Stratford virus at Halekulani on 18 February 2025. In early February 2026 it rated numbers at its Gosford and Wyong traps as medium.

Ticks where the bush starts

NSW Health says ticks favour bushland, long grass and humid spots along the east coast. NSW Health Pathology says the paralysis tick is most likely to be met as an adult, its most dangerous stage, from September to December.

Fire ants

Report a suspected fire ant nest to the NSW Biosecurity Helpline and don't try to treat it. A photo or short video helps them identify it.

Funnel-webs around the house

In gardens, funnel-webs dig silk-lined burrows in cool, damp shelter: rockeries, dense shrubs, logs and leaf litter. Wandering males need dark, moist cover by dawn, which is how they end up in shoes, washing on the floor and swimming pools. The Australian Museum suggests checking clothing, shoes and bedding.

Never try to pick one up or catch it. A pest business can treat burrows and the edges of the house; ask what that can and can't do about males wandering in from nearby bush.

Bees: a swarm on the fence, or a colony in the wall?

A swarm is a round or oval mass of bees resting while it looks for a new nest site. Swarming bees are usually placid if nobody disturbs them, and a local beekeeper is usually the first call.

Bees streaming in and out of a gap in a wall or roof have already moved in, and that's a job for a pest business. In NSW, anyone who keeps European honey bees must register as a beekeeper, even with a single hive.

Buying a place on the Coast

A building inspection won't tell you whether termites are still active, so buyers need the timber pest half as well. Our Central Coast pre-purchase pest inspections page covers timing around cooling-off and auctions.

Before you agree to a spider or general treatment

What's the full name of the product you'll use?
Can I see its safety data sheet? (In NSW, the pest controller must provide it if you ask.)
Where will it go: burrows, rockeries, the house edges, inside?
What do we do with fish tanks, bird cages and pets beforehand?
When can the kids go back out on the lawn?

If it were our house on the Central Coast

We'd learn the funnel-web first aid before summer, keep shoes inside at night, and book a termite inspection if it's been a while. For anything you can see, tap it with your postcode.

Want someone to look at it?

Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.

What have you seen?