Spiders
Spiders are among the most misunderstood creatures in our gardens and homes. Yet they play an important role in keeping insect populations in balance and supporting the birds and other wildlife around us.
Why We Should Care About Spiders
Spiders Are Part of the Habitat
Most of us remember Charlotte, the spider in Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. She was clever and caring — and she saved her friend Wilbur’s life.
That story is, of course, a fantasy. But in the real world, spiders are quiet heroes of the ecosystems where they live.
Spiders help control disease-carrying insects such as mosquitoes, flies, ticks, and fleas by eating them. Left alone, they consume large numbers of insects in and around our homes. They also serve as food for many other animals, especially birds.
Chickadees, wrens, warblers, flycatchers, thrushes, sparrows, swallows, and even hummingbirds all include spiders in their diets. Some birds feed spiders to their nestlings; others eat spider eggs. Without spiders, many familiar birds would struggle to raise their young.
Despite this, spiders inspire an outsized fear. Arachnophobia is one of the most common human fears, even though serious spider bites are extremely rare. In the United States, fewer than ten people die each year from spider bites. By comparison, far more people are injured or killed by falls from ladders or dog bites.
Spiders are not aggressive. They avoid people whenever possible. We are far more dangerous to them than they are to us.
What to do if you find a spider indoors
- Do not kill it.
- Gently capture the spider in a glass or container.
- Release it outdoors where it can continue feeding on insects.
Even when you don’t see them, spiders are quietly helping — reducing insect populations that pose far greater risks to human health than spiders ever do.