Arachnophobia – the fear of spiders.
An estimated 9 million American adults have a fear of spiders. I know I do! Of all the bugs and insects out there, spiders scare me the most by far. Just looking at a picture of a spider causes my anxiety to kick in. (writing this blog is causing some major spider related stress!) Strangely enough, even some entomologists fear spiders. American Entomologist published a paper in which they surveyed 41 entomologists that willingly admitted to having some aversion to spiders. One participant was quoted as saying “I would rather pick up a handful of maggots than have to get close enough to a spider to kill it.” Some people said their quick, jerky movements were the reason that spiders freaked them out. That may be part of it but for me it’s those eyes. UGH!
You can read the full article here.
Believe it or not there are some positive things about spiders, I promise! Below are some of the ways that spiders can actually help indoors.
- Spiders eat pests. They feed on earwigs, mosquitoes, flies and more. If left to their own devices in your home, they will actually provide pest control for you.
- Spiders kill other spiders. When spiders encounter one another it usually results in a fight with the winner eating the loser. You may see a shift from several smaller spiders to fewer larger ones. While that may not seem like a positive, the larger cellar spiders are known to kill black widows. That makes them a friend in my book.
- Spiders help stop the spread of disease. Spiders eat the other pests that can transmit disease to humans. These include mosquitoes, roaches and flies.
Even though I have listed some positive things that spiders can do most of us still want to keep them out of our homes. Here are some things you can do to control spiders.
- Caulk and block points of entry. This will stop spiders as well as their food sources from entering in the first place.
- Keep debris, plants and mulch from touching your homes structure.
- Store things in plastic tubs with tight lids. Cardboard boxes attract pests which in turn attract spiders.
- Store firewood outdoors and away from the home.
- Use a residual insecticide around the perimeter of your home and around doors and windows.
If you are having a problem with spiders Rapid Pest Solutions can help. And remember, no matter what, be thankful that we don’t have to deal with the Camel Spider! YIKES!
