Spiders get a bad rap for the way most of them look and for the way they are portrayed as dangerous to humans.
But are spiders really as bad as some people think and are they as venomous or poisonous as some people believe them to be?
“Should you kill spiders?” is a question that comes up a lot when writing about spiders so I wanted to address that question in this article today.
Hopefully, your perception of spiders will change after reading this article because you will learn how spiders actually help the environment and why you should let them be.
Let’s get started!
Should You Kill Spiders?
You should not kill spiders unless absolutely necessary. While spiders may seem like they are terrifying and extremely dangerous, most are harmless to humans.
Instead, spiders are more helpful to humans than they are hurtful.
Only about 0.1% of spiders found around the world are actually venomous enough to pose a threat to a human.
This means that the majority of the spiders you encounter in your daily life are pretty harmless to you.
Common house spiders do have venom but they are small and don’t store enough venom to pose any significant threat to an average human.
Should You Kill Venomous Spiders?
While most spiders you encounter will be harmless to you, there are a few that you may wonder about and whether you should kill them. These are the venomous or poisonous spiders.
While most spiders are harmless, there are some species that can be dangerous to humans.
Some spiders that can be dangerous to humans include black widows, brown widows, funnel web spiders, recluses, sand spiders, and wolf spiders – among others.
These spiders pack enough venom to do harm to humans and even kill them in some cases where anti-venom is not immediately available.
Since these spiders are more dangerous than other spiders, should you kill dangerous spiders?
The answer is tough because it just depends on you and the situation. When at all possible, it is best to catch spiders and release them outside.
But if you feel that you have to kill a venomous spider because you just don’t want to take any chances, then you should kill the spider quickly so it doesn’t suffer.
While it seems gruesome, the quickest way would be to squish a spider and kill it instantly. Just keep in mind that spiders have hard exoskeletons and will be a little tougher to squish than insects.
Just try to stay away from chemicals that could cause you harm and make the spider suffer. If you do use chemicals, ensure you use them as safely as possible and pay attention to labels and warnings.
If you insist on using chemicals to kill a spider, use something that is meant to be specifically used for spiders. Most insect sprays are not meant to kill spiders.
Although some insect sprays will kill spiders, it is best to use a spray that is specifically meant for killing spiders – like the Raid Max Spider & Scorpion Killer (Amazon) aerosol spray.
We get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Should You Kill Spiders in Your House?
You should leave spiders alone that are in your house unless they are impeding your daily activity. If you have a spider living in the corning of your ceiling, you should leave the spider alone.
If you have a spider living in any corners of your house, not roaming the floors of your home, and not getting in the way of your life (getting in clothes, crawling on you, etc.) you should definitely let them be.
When you encounter a spider in your house, the first step should be to determine what type of spider it is to determine if it even poses a threat to you or your household.
If you identify it as a common house spider or any other spider that is not dangerous to humans, you should let it be since it doesn’t pose a threat to you.
If you or one of your loved ones struggle with arachnophobia, then it is understandable that you don’t want to hear anything about leaving a spider alive in your house.
I understand! If you are one of the people that suffer from this phobia, then you aren’t going to be comfortable with any spider in your house.
For those that suffer from arachnophobia, I would suggest being proactive instead of reactive. Get things for your home that will repel spiders so you don’t have to worry about having to kill them in the first place.
Are Spiders in the House Good or Bad?
Spiders are good for your house because spiders eat insects. Insects can be lurking in your house without you knowing and can sneak in through cracks, crevices, and when doors are opened.
Spiders help keep insects away from your home by catching and trapping them, typically without you even knowing about their existence.
Most spiders in your house will avoid you and all humans. Spiders tend to be found in areas of homes that are less frequented by humans, such as crawl spaces, basements, and vents.
Insects find their way into these areas as well, usually without your knowledge. Spiders catch these insects and keep them from infesting your home.
Spiders catch and eat all types of insects that may enter your home including roaches, earwigs, flies, moths, and sometimes even ants.
So, the answer to the question of whether spiders are good or bad for your home just depends on you and if you’d rather live with insects or spiders.
If you think insects are bad, then spiders are good for your home but if you don’t mind insects, spiders may be bad for your home.
Just depends on which side of the fence you are on and what you can tolerate.
Why You Shouldn’t Kill Spiders
You shouldn’t kill spiders because most pose very little threat to humans and they are good for the environment by keeping the insect population from taking over the world.
Spiders eat insects, that is a simple fact. But what most people don’t know is that there are over 49,000 known species of spiders with an estimated worldwide number of spiders in the quadrillions.
That sounds like a lot right?!
However, there are an estimated 10 quintillion insects alive at any given time in the world.
Without spiders here to help keep the insect population down around your home, your garden, and outer buildings – you would notice a heavier insect presence.
With this heavier insect presence, most of us would agree that we would much rather have the spiders around to control the insect population instead of dealing with many more insects.
What Would Happen If Spiders Didn’t Exist?
If spiders didn’t exist, the insect population would grow out of control. In turn, this would be detrimental to humans and the way we live.
Without spiders helping control the insect population, insects would decimate all major crops humans rely on for food.
This would force humans to figure out new ways to combat insects and grow food sources – or would force farmers to just spray heavier chemicals on the crops that could also be dangerous to humans.
It may sound far-fetched – but without spiders – the way humans live would be extremely different than the way of life as we currently know it.
Recap
I hope that you have learned in this article that not all spiders are bad spiders.
You shouldn’t kill a spider unless you feel it is absolutely necessary. The best course of action is to catch a spider and release it outside.
You shouldn’t kill spiders because they help control the insect population in and around your house and help keep crops from being taken over by insects.
While there are some venomous spiders in the world, the majority of spiders are harmless to humans and should be left alone when possible.
If you enjoyed this article and want to read more like it, give our Spiders vs Humans section a try and see which articles you find interesting there!
