Spiders provide free pest control for the bugs you really don’t want
Despite popular belief, house spiders are not dangerous and are actually super helpful house guests, says entomologist Matt Bertone.
“I know it may be hard to convince you, but let me try: Don’t kill the next spider you see in your home,” he writes.
“Why? Because spiders are an important part of nature and our indoor ecosystem.”
For the most part, Bertone says, house spiders stick to their corners and are never aggressive toward humans.
Better yet, they eat the bugs that are actually harmful to us, like blood-sucking mosquitoes, disease-spreading cockroaches, clothes-eating moths, pesky flies and earwigs.
“Some people think of spiders as insects, lumping them in with six-legged invaders like roaches or ants,” Russell Mclendon writes for Mother Nature Network.
“But they’re not insects, and they don’t want to raid our cupboards. Much like their outdoor relatives that eat crop pests, house spiders just want to quietly kill the insects that do covet our food. If anything, they’re on our side. “
Spiders are also a natural defense against garden pests like aphids, moths and beetles.
If you still suffer from arachnophobia, consider this, common house spiders like the long-legged cellar spider or “Daddy Long Legs” actually eat black widows!
Learn more about friendly house spiders in
Help your kids overcome their fear of spiders with this awesome picture book A House Spider’s Life:
Comments
6 responses to “Why You Should Never Kill a Spider in Your House or Garden”
I agree. My house is filled with daddy long legs- has been for years. I’ve always considered them my ally in the insect fight.
I did not used to kill them but catch-and-release outside. I’ve had six terrible spider bites now from inside the house! Some have even bitten me in my sleep. What else can I do? I’m done!
I burn a safe bundle and smudge/smoke up each room until it fills up with smoke. I find, insects, beetles, date beetles, spiders, DEAD for up to 6 months.
Correction: SAGE* bundle not safe
I sgree with you ..
but more house spider at home does notrefer clean house
the thin guys featured in the photo are fine, but I cannot get over my fear of their more substantial cousins. I can put them in a glass and put them out, but I cannot deal with the anxiety that comes over me if I see one and know it’s running about. Silly I know, but there it is. I would never harm one.