Many would agree that they don’t like creepy, crawly things of any kind. There’s something about tiny creatures with multiple legs that leaves some people shuttering! And when they suddenly disappear somewhere in your home, well, all heck breaks loose. Spiders are not exempt from the latter, that’s for sure. But before you kill or remove harmless spiders from your home, entomologist Matt Bertone has some interesting information on why house spiders can actually be a good thing after all.
For one, Matt states that house spiders consume disease-spreading insects such as mosquitos. “There’s even a species of jumping spider[s] that prefers to eat blood-filled mosquitoes in African homes,” he says. It turns out that the so-called pesky house spider in the corner of your living room may actually be benefiting your health! Who would have thought?
While there are obviously reasonable concerns with having poisonous spiders in your home – especially black widows and recluse spiders — know that most of them are completely harmless. Interestingly, the venom of certain spiders may even be beneficial in terms of acting as a painkiller and treating both muscular dystrophy and strokes. This isn’t to say you should use spider venom for these purposes. Rather, the point is, even venomous spiders have their place in our world.
But, don’t think that it’s abnormal to have spiders inside of your home. After doing a survey of 50 homes in North Carolina, Matt and his team found that each one contained spiders – most commonly cellar and cobweb spiders. That said, know that having spiders in your home isn’t an indicator that your home is filthy or that it isn’t properly sealed from the elements. Even newer homes are known to have spiders here and there.
Overall, seeing spiders from the perspective that they can actually be beneficial for us can allow us to accept that their lives matter, too. So, next time you see a harmless spider in your home, rest assured that they rarely will see you as a threat. But, if you must remove a spider from your home for any reason, there are many ways for approaching this from simply sweeping them out of the house to getting a sheet of paper to catch them.
For fun facts regarding spiders, check out the video below! This video will further explain why spiders are important and even safe in most instances.
