‘Redbacks galore’: Melville residents find Piney Lakes playground infested with venomous spiders

Melville residents discovered an “infestation” of redback spiders on children’s playground equipment at the Piney Lakes Preserve.

A resident reported that when she took her child to the Piney Lakes playground on Tuesday, she found “plenty of redbacks” inside the playground equipment.

“I just took my daughter to the Piney Lakes playground and one of the playground equipment had lots of redback in it,” a post on the Melville City Facebook group site read.

“It’s an igloo-style design and has holes with colored glass. Almost every hole was red on the back.”

“I tried to club them all to death, but many more escaped, some even had nests full of babies.”

The anonymous poster was concerned that local children were unknowingly exposed to poisonous spiders and said the issue was immediately reported to the Melville City council.

“This is a real danger for kids who have no idea redbacks are poisonous, sticking their fingers in,” the post said.

Bites from female redbacks can be dangerous; If not treated with an antidote, it can cause severe pain, illness, and potential death.

Other members of the Facebook group joined the poster in highlighting the seriousness of redback bites and urging them to report the problem to the city of Melville.

Redback spiders are identified by their black color with a red stripe on the upper abdomen. They often build their webs in dry, sheltered areas such as corrugated fences, under garden furniture and in indoor playground equipment.

They are most active in Western Australia during the summer months, which is the mating season.