If like many people in this world you're afraid of spiders, then your natural reaction to seeing one in your home might be to squish it.
Even if you're not cursed with arachnophobia, you might squash the eight legged creepy-crawly into paste anyway just to get rid of it because having it crawling through your house might be an inconvenience you don't want.
However, you should fight that urge to squish spiders, because while many people find them scary they are actually very helpful.
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Of course we know they feed on the bugs that get unlucky enough to be trapped in their webs, and would you really want all of those flies buzzing around inside?
Even small spiders can catch plenty of bugs so letting one camp in the corner of a room with their webs isn't the worst outcome.
On top of that they also really help people out in lots of other ways, as according to IFL Science our eight-legged friends and their habit of eating bugs is a vital part of an ecosystem.
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Squishing a spider in your home may stop it bugging you today, but prepare for an influx of other bugs because it's no longer around to eat them.
Spiders also sometimes eat other spiders so you might just end up with another one coming along pretty quickly after you crush the last one.
Pretty much every house has spiders living in it and most of them prefer to keep their distance from humans, staying hidden from view most of the time and often scuttling away if you do encounter them.
They really are more scared of you than you are of them and they get rid of more annoying pests, so really what's not to love?
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Speaking of pests, some of the things they catch and kill can even carry diseases around with them, such as mosquitos.
It's very rare that a spider would actually bite you and while the vast majority of spiders are venomous, their venom is often too weak to have much of an impact on humans.
The types of spider you've really got to worry about are the Black Widow and Recluse spiders and they are quite rare, so you'll probably be fine.
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If you must put them out, then the classic method of putting a glass over them and sliding a bit of paper underneath will work just fine.
Topics: Animals
Joe Harker