Why I Love Spiders
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I think that spiders get a raw deal.
I'm not talking about the spiders that can do you harm. I mean the spiders that just scutter around, and whose fangs are far too weak to penetrate human skin, (ie. the majority of spiders found in the UK).
Spiders are almost universally hated and feared, despite their harmless status. They get a bad press. They are the stuff of phobias. There are many children's books demonising them, and perpetuating this prejudicial view to future generations. I don't really get it.
I have always liked spiders. I like the way they manage to crawl, despite having all of those legs. How do they know the order in which to move them? How do they not trip over their legs? I know I would!
And they move so fast, especially when they sense a threat, such as a curious child approaching... Another enviable skill that a spider possesses is being able to retreat into the tiniest space. Their legs and little body are sufficiently flexible to be able to manipulate into impossible seeming places. This great combination of skills makes them very difficult to catch. And that isn't a bad thing, for the spider (or for us).
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Having a spider in your house is good. They are great house guests who don't eat your food or take up space. (This is demonstrated very well in children's book "Aaaarrgghh! Spider!" which sends a lovely, positive message about house spiders).
They keep themselves to themselves and are no trouble. Plus they pay their way by eating flies and other bugs that find their way into your house, and which may be much more of a nuisance!
I get that spiders are not very beautiful; they are usually quite dull colours, and perhaps their long, spindly legs make them look intimidating, but I don't really understand the extent of people's hatred towards them. Is it their capacity for sudden movement maybe? The way they can suddenly dart across a room from nowhere? I can see how that could perhaps give someone a fright. But given that most of them here are harmless, why do some people scream when confronted with one? Why do they phone their partners or neighbours to come and 'rescue them', by removing the offending creature? Why do they get so hysterical?
I will never understand it. To me they are no more scary than a butterfly or a ladybird. But, yes, they're not as beautiful. They are furry and beady-eyed. And they have lots of wriggly legs. So is it an aesthetic thing? Probably partly.
It undoubtedly also has a lot to do the fact that many spiders in the world are harmful, and I am lucky not to live in the part of world where deadly spiders are found. Then my view of them might be quite different.... And this is probably where their bad reputation comes from. When you see a harmless spider in your kitchen, does something in the back of your brain subconsciously project onto it an image of a tarantula or redback?
I'm glad not to be arachnophobic, I consider spiders my friends. My eight-legged, beady-eyed furry friends.
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Well...guess I can't quite go 'spider lover', but I'll go 'spider liker' just because they are so interesting. And they DO eat bugs! I snapped a pix of a spider similar to your photo in this morning's sunshine. Went out to check on it a while later and it was gone! Web and all. Found it in a corner of the eve.
Well, I do want to SEE the spiders...
Thanks for a cute and interesting hub.
Haha! I love this part: "I like the way they manage to crawl, despite having all of those legs. How do they know the order in which to move them? How do they not trip over their legs? I know I would!" - I fully agree!
It is true too that: "They keep themselves to themselves and are no trouble." They usually pick a spot where they make their web and sit there ... they're not like ants (for example) who walk around all over the place (I have nothing against ants, I was just giving an example).
And when it comes to their webs ... it's a fascinating topic. I often look at spider webs and they are very complicated. I actually asked a good buddy of mine not too long ago, when we were at the cottage: "How long would it take us to build a web like that of a spider?"
Spiders are awesome - I love them and when they pick a spot in the house, I always let them be. I'm happy to pass-by a place where I know a spider has made a web and I usually say "hi".
Great blog! Thank you and all the best.
I too love spiders. I just moved into a new home on a half acre and they are everywhere in my home. It got to the point where I had to vaccum some of them and yes I felt bad about it. Here in the US we do have some nasty ones, the recluse, the yellow house spider and the black widow but if there outside they can live anywhere they wish. I mostly have cob web spiders in the house and they are really cool looking but get sort of large. People that come over were getting creeped so they had to go. They are good house guest besides the occasional scare in the shower. Know the spiders in your area and you will be less likely to fear them, they are harmless. Better a spider infestation then a roach.
Not only do we share our love for tea, but it seems like we now share the same love for spiders, Cool!
I never been afraid of spiders and I can't really understand why people are afraid or getting quite hysterical when seeing one? Spiders don't harm anyone, at least the majority. They are very clean and catch flies.
I would understand it better if people were afraid of flies. They leave hundred and thousands of really gross bacterias wherever they go.
If I see a spider in my home I always leave it alone. And if I see someone that kills a spider just "because" I get very upset and angry. They have all the right to live its life as much as anyone else.
Very cute and beautiful hub. Thanks!
Sannel
Hi Moon Daisy
I'm an admirer rather than a lover of spiders. Their webs are incredible and one of the most beautiful sights when coated in early morning dew.
Amber:)
Hi, I don't actually mind the orb spiders, they are quite pretty, they are the ones that make those lovely webs outside, like your photo, but its those horrible black or brown hairy olympic sprinters that I can't stand! lol they always seem to come at me! wherever I go, they seem to be there! ugh! I think its the fact that they have eight eyes! eight eyes! arghhh! mutant horrible things! lol
AliciaC, hello fellow spider lover! Yes they are very interesting indeed. I'm glad you like the photo, but I can't take the credit for it. It was a beautiful photo that I found on Flickr. I have tried to take my own but my current camera just makes the spiders look too small and doesn't pick up the amazing detail. If I do manage to take a good one I will post it here. Thanks for your comment.
Frogyfish, I think it's good enough to be a spider liker! And the eating bugs part is useful, (although I'm not so impressed with our current spider's bug-eating skills! He might need to put a bit more effort in, lol).
Your spider photo sounds lovely, well done. I can't take the credit for the one in this hub, but I'll keep trying until I get a good one. They sure are industrious the way they can shut one web down and build another so quickly and so beautifully. (Really shows you that the whole "if at first you don't succeed.. saying is very appropriate for the spider).
Thank you for your kind words, and I'm glad you enjoy seeing spiders.
Thanks for your comment Mr Happy (and such a great, happy name. :L) Yes, I have often wondered how spiders manage to co-ordinate themselves. I would make a really rubbish spider!
I agree that they are a lot less trouble than ants, and at least with spiders you know that if you see one, it doesn't mean that hundreds of others will soon follow. Wow, yes it would take us an age to build something anywhere near as complicated.
It's nice that you let them be and say 'hi'. Very spider-friendly of you. I'd like to think that they appreciate it! Thanks for your kind words.
Joe Stump, that is a very spidery house! Yes, I think if I lived somewhere with poisonous spiders I would probably be at least a bit freaked out by them, just in case they were biting ones. I can understand that some of your guests might have had a problem with the spiders, spider lovers are few and far-between!
Thanks for your very interesting comment, and good luck in your new house.
Hi SanneL,
I'm glad you also like both tea and spiders! :)
I agree, I'd much rather have a spider in the house than a fly. I consider them to be a lot cleaner and friendlier. And spiders just mind their own business and do their own thing, while flies are always buzzing and flitting around you getting in your way.
I know a few people who just squash a spider when they see them and I let them know I'm not happy about it. (But they don't care!) Maybe we should start a campaign?!
Thanks for your very kind comments.
Hi Amber,
I'm glad that you're an admirer of spiders. There is a lot to admire, and I agree that their webs are truly incredible and lovely to look at. I don't know how they do it.
Thank you for your comment.
Hi Nell,
I haven't heard people differentiate between the spiders that they like before, so that's an interesting comment. I thought people usually either liked them or hated them (a bit like Marmite!)
And you've taught me something very interesting, as I didn't know that the ones that make those webs are called orb spiders. So thank you for that.
I know what you mean about the olympic sprinters, they do move mighty fast, and you made me laugh with your spider paranoia! It's those 8 eyes - they're all following you...
Thanks a lot for your comment.
Hi, well, some do have six, but I still feel as though they are mutants! ha ha
Moon Daisy,
I like spiders too, because I know they are beneficial for the environment. One thing, I think most spiders are probably not harmful. Good hub!
Nell, I didn't know that some have six eyes. I love learning new things about spiders!
Thanks for your comment arusho, and I'm really glad you like spiders too!
I love spiders, too! They impress me due to their ability to crawl and make a web!
Spiders get a lot of bad press, in every sense. Your hub should redress the balance. Nice work, I do prefer the first image you used though, as its cute.
Another very nice hub, Moon. I'm not a lover of spiders, but they do have a fascination, function and beauty when you see their webs with morning dew. Blessings, Debby
Jen, thanks for your comment, yes they are very impressive indeed!
Penny Circle, they do get bad press, and undeserved I think. Thanks! And yes that is one cuddly spider.
Thanks for your comment Debby. I find them completely fascinating. Their webs are beautiful but completely unfathomable to us humans, when you see how intricate, ordered and precise they are. I'd like to know how a spider's mind works!
AliciaC Level 7 Commenter 8 months ago
I'm glad to meet another spider lover! I think that spiders are very interesting creatures and I enjoy observing them. The spider in your second photo is beautiful.