Are Spiders in Your Home Good?

Author: Emma Grace Crumbley, Entomologist

Spiders come in all shapes and sizes… of homes, that is. But is it such a bad thing to have spiders hanging around? Maybe there's room at your home for an arachnid or two! 

Pros

The biggest argument for keeping spiders around your home is their excellent hunting abilities. Spiders come in two forms: web-building spiders and hunting spiders, and both are highly skilled at catching small insect prey. By keeping spiders around your home, you are actually performing your own DIY pest control. The spiders you let reside nearby take care of mosquitoes, gnats, flies, roaches, earwigs, silverfish, and other pests. 

Aside from a few important species, most spiders are not dangerous to people or pets. Spiders typically don't bite humans unless threatened, and they are only threatened when cornered or agitated. 

There's also an appeal to nature, to the fact that spiders are organisms just like us and have lives to live like we do. Why not let them live it up at our place? 

Cons

Well, remember those "few important species"? This is where they become a problem. Black widow and brown recluse spiders are two venomous spider species in the United States that require medical attention if they bite you. Both species are usually found in sheltered, undisturbed spaces in and around the home, though black widows build webs while brown recluses free roam for food. If you find these spiders in your home, I highly recommend relocating or controlling them as safely as possible.

Other reasons to remove spiders and spider webs from the home may simply be aesthetic. Spider webs are fun for Halloween, but year-round, they can give a home an "unkept" appearance. Additionally, web-building spiders eat a wide variety of insects, and all the unsavory bits remain in the web. 

From the Entomologist

In my entomological opinion, I think that web-building spiders can be nice to keep around the house. Sure, their webs may not look appealing outside of October, but web-building spiders are excellent hunters of tiny pests like mosquitoes and flies. Also, web-building spiders tend to stay in their webs, so I don't have to worry about where the spider is around my home. Hunting spiders, on the other hand, are probably best suited for the great outdoors. Though they don't mean to be a bother, it's too easy for one of these spiders to wander somewhere it's not supposed to, feel threatened, and potentially bite me.  

Ultimately, your home's ecosystem is up to you. You don't have to evict an eight-legged roommate unless you want to… or unless they stop paying rent. 

Spidey Senses Tingling?

Don't let spiders bug you! Call Mosquito Squad today to learn about Squad Home Shield and stop spiders in their tracks. Services vary by location; call today for a free quote.