There’s a type of pest out there that comes in many shapes and sizes, has eight legs, and chances are there are at least one or two in the room you’re reading this from right now. They’re not insects, and the clinical fear of them is one of the most common phobias in the world. Spiders have become something like a boogeyman over the years, when in reality, there is usually nothing to fear from these often-skittish arachnids. There are only a few species whose venom can harm humans.

There are over 38,000 recorded species, and it is believed that there are many more left undiscovered. They are predatory carnivores, except for the Bagheera Kiplingi. This green, jumper has an almost entirely vegetarian diet, although they cannibalize each other or steal ant larvae if they are starving, such as during a dry season. Spiders have a few traits in common: they have eight legs and either zero or an even number of eyes. The ones without eyes evolved that way to adapt to living permanently without sunlight, such as the Sinopoda scurion, a species of the huntsman that was discovered in a Laotian cave in 2012. It’s a common misconception that they all have eight eyes because some have fewer, such as the Brown Recluse, with only six. The Brown Recluse is also on the shortlist of those whose venom can seriously harm a person.

Out of the ten or so harmful ones, roughly half are widows or a close cousin to it, and deaths from bites are few and far between. These spiders avoid humans if possible and normally bite us in defense or when accidentally disturbed. That’s not to say that other species are not venomous, almost all are, but their venom is not toxic enough to be poisonous to people.

Spiders get their meals by injecting a paralytic toxin into their prey and wrapping it up with their web once the victim is immobilized. What varies among the species is their approach in how they get up close enough to bite. Web-spinning spiders use their webs to catch unsuspecting prey in the sticky silk, where they get more and more stuck as they struggle. Trapdoor spiders dig a hole and cover themselves up with the loose dirt, then lie in wait until a tasty insect wanders within their reach. Wolfs run right up to their prey fangs first, making them the stuff of nightmares.

While it’s common to hear people say that spiders are helpful and eat bugs, many homeowners don’t feel like that’s enough to allow the eight-legged intruders to live in their house. If you’ve got spiderwebs in the corners of the ceiling or have seen a few skittering across the floor (and not just in your nightmares), it’s time to call for help. If you live in the northeast Indiana region and are ready to have your home pest-free, contact Fortified Pest Control and let us handle the problem for you. Along with spiders, we can take care of roaches, ants, bed bugs, and more. Estimates are available upon request.