Complex Numbers

Does Whatever A Spider Can

How about some love for our cuddly, eight-legged friends?

https://theconversation.com/should-i-kill-spiders-in-my-home-an-entomologist-exp...

Should I kill spiders in my home? An entomologist explains why not to

I know it may be hard to convince you, but let me try: Don’t kill the next spider you see in your home.

Of course not! Make your partner do it.

Why? Because spiders are an important part of nature and our indoor ecosystem – as well as being fellow organisms in their own right.

Poison ivy is a "fellow organism" too. Argument fails.

Some species even enjoy the great indoors, where they happily live out their lives and make more spiders.

Usually right above your bed.

And they may be providing services like eating pests – some even eat other spiders.

But other spiders are fellow organisms in their own right!

My colleagues and I conducted a visual survey of 50 North Carolina homes to inventory just which arthropods live under our roofs. Every single house we visited was home to spiders.

Whew! Fortunately, I live in Virginia.

Although they are generalist predators, apt to eat anything they can catch, spiders regularly capture nuisance pests and even disease-carrying insects – for example, mosquitoes.

But mosquitoes are fellow orga- you know what, I can't keep typing this with a straight face.

But if you can stomach it, it’s OK to have spiders in your home. In fact, it’s normal. And frankly, even if you don’t see them, they’ll still be there. So consider a live-and-let-live approach to the next spider you encounter.

That's hard to do when you swallow dozens of them in your sleep, or when they crawl into your nose and die in your snot, or...

Okay, the sleep-eating thing is false. Not sure about the nose thing.

But seriously, though, I'm not an arachnophobe; I just like messing with those who are. Spiders and I have an arrangement. Outside spiders are my friends. I've had them build webs around my deck and I love watching them. Inside spiders stay out of sight, or they become outside spiders.

I'd probably feel different about it if I lived in Australia, where rumor has it their chief prey is kangaroo. And when suddenly confronted with a huge fucking spider, I channel my inner little girl just like everyone else who is sane. But once I get over the initial reaction, they really are kind of cool.