Why You Should Never Kill a House Spider
It’s possible that your irrational fear of spiders has made you think that a quick stomp is the best solution to keep your home safe. However, these small harmless creatures do more good for your household than you think, and they deserve a second chance. Instead of killing a spider in your house, you should learn why it’s important to protect them.
The importance of spiders in your home’s ecosystem
Most people think their homes are a sterilized bubble, isolated from the outside world, where nothing can center without your permission. However, whether you know it or not, many species look at your home as very attractive place where they can live in a perfect symbiosis.
Most spiders only want to spin their webs in a quiet corner of your basement in order to catch food without bothering anyone.
Spiders are small happy tenants that do your dirty work for you. They tend to use their webs to trap flies, mosquitos, and other insects that cause you more harm than the spiders themselves. For example, one type of spider hunts mosquitos that could be potential carriers of African diseases.
The vast majority of spiders that you’ll find in your home over your lifetime are not dangerous, unless you live in Australia. They most likely pose no threat to your home. A team of North Carolina scientists ran a study on 50 homes to classify the different types of arthropods that you might find in a normal home.
The most common spiders that you’ll find in these houses are from the Pholcidae and Teridiidae families. Both species build webs and wait patiently to try their prey. They tend not to leave their webs unless they’re hunting other spiders.
Why should you overcome your fears and let spiders live?
It’s normal to be afraid of spiders, especially because some bite and others could even be lethal. However, as those scientists demonstrated, most spiders you’ll find in your house are harmless. They may even be helping get rid of unwanted insects.
Most spiders prefer avoiding contact with humans. Once you identify the spiders you should avoid — such as the Black Widow, Tarantula, or others — know that the rest are harmless and deserve to live peacefully in their little corner of your room or garage.
If their presence disturbs you, the best you can do is carefully catch them and set them free in nature, or just right outside. Once you get over your fear, they’ll be grateful that you didn’t choose to crush them.