Why I don’t hate spiders…

(well…at least as much as I used to.)

By Andrea Richardson, Royal Pest Solutions, Intern

Have you ever NOT been paying
attention while walking and WHAM, there is a spider web in your face?  Yeah, me too.

I remember when I was a young girl, I was in my basement and a spider was crawling all over my arm without me knowing, oh but when I found out… I freaked out! Even the tiniest of spiders scare me. I hate the fact that they can drop down on me, crawl on me with their creepy legs, and make webs wherever they please.
Growing up I always hated them.  I’m still not crazy about them now but I have a better understanding of why they are on this planet.

Spiders help out with the balance of the ecosystem.

If we got rid of all the spiders in the world, there would be an excessive amount of insects like flies. Each spider, on average, eats about 2,000 insects a year.
If all the spiders are gone, then many of these other insects will destroy of our crops. Spiders also are an important part of the diet for birds and lizards. So in a way, if you’re a bird-watcher…you should also be a “spider-thanker!”

For the most part, spiders aren’t dangerous like many stories and movies would have you believe. You shouldn’t be afraid of spiders.

For example, take a look at the Black Widow spider. In 2013, there were 1,866 black widow bites reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, but only 14 of these bites resulted in severe symptoms. None resulted in death¹.

Spiders who live in homes help keep unwanted insects out of your house. So the next time you see one, instead of killing it you might want to give this some thought? Would you rather have a bunch of insects coming into your home and flying around everywhere or have the spiders catch them and eat them them for dinner?

With a little education, I got over my hatred of spiders and so can you! But I still get freaked out getting a face-full of spider web.

Spider Facts:

• All Spiders have 8 legs which makes them arthropods.
• Most spiders have 4 sets of eyes.Spiders eat more insects than bats and birds combined.
• The color of blood of a spider is light blue.
• Spiders do not have teeth.
• Spiders do not have muscles, they use hydraulic power to move their limbs.
• There are about 40,000 species of spiders in the world.
• When making a new web, they will roll up the old one into a ball. Many spiders will eat it.
• It is a myth that the average person will swallow any spiders in their sleep.

Do you have a PEST QUESTION??? Email Royal Pest at [email protected]