Spiders are always criminalized for their “bug” look, along with how dangerous they can be but I can safely assure you dear reader (unless you are from Australia) spiders aren’t as dangerous nor are they the pests you think they are. Spiders are wonderful arachnids that do a lot and can make your life a lot better especially during the hotter months. Although they are a very common fear in America, about 15% of the population has arachnophobia, and truly they’re not as scary as most may think. 

I think it’s very important to address one of the biggest concerns about spiders—which is if they are poisonous.

Spiders aren’t poisonous, they are venomous, the difference being that venom has to be injected with hostile intent while poison is effective by coming in contact with or eating the poison. For example, plants, mushrooms, and some frogs are poisonous on contact but some snakes and spiders are venomous after provocation.  Now the vast majority of spiders are venomous but the venom they contain can barely do any damage to you. You are more likely to need medical attention from an allergic reaction than from the bite. Spiders would rather run away than have to bite you anyways which is why they seem to crawl everywhere so quickly as you approach or make sudden movements. Another thing is that there are around 50,000 species of spiders but only about 25 have venom capable of causing humans ailments or worse. A species that I saw on a list of most venomous spiders was the wolf spider, this makes absolutely no sense to me at all. A wolf spider’s venom doesn’t harm humans at all; only the bite itself can cause mild discomfort due to its size. I caught a wolf spider at my home and it was running from me instead of trying to attack me, of course after I caught it I left it outside. It was also not that bad to deal with. Most people should be looking out for these three spiders in Maryland, Hobo Spider, Black Widow, and the Brown Recluse. These three spiders are the only spiders that can pose a real threat to you and every other spider you see will be practically harmless

Spiders can’t really harm you but they can help you! Spiders eat common insect pests around the house. This can range from the common housefly to mosquitos that happened to find their way in your home. I get that the looks of a spider can be really creepy but I can only hope you can learn to view spiders as cute and beneficial. One source of a really cute spider is “Lucas the Spider” you can find videos of this eight-legged arachnid for free on YouTube so I recommend watching a video or two. Spiders aren’t so bad and help you out more than you think, maybe they look a little creepy sometimes but I urge you to give them a chance.