Do You Have Spiders?

That's a dumb question; everyone has spiders, because spiders cover nearly all corners of the world.
And everyone has different types in different regions, and no matter where you live, some are dangerous.
Black widows, brown recluses, hobo spiders, you name it -- they're out there, and they're dangerous.

Why am I bringing this up?
Well, for one thing I just want to talk about spiders, because even though they scare the noots offa me, i love them.
I want people to remember that the earth was theirs before it was ours, and that in the grand scheme of balance and nature, arachnids are crucial to the ecosystem.
They serve as food for other animals, while also controlling species of other creatures, and so does each creature do for all other life.
I don't want to ever hear someone say "i hate" when referring to spiders or any animal, because we shouldn't have any room in our hearts for hatred of any animal.
Fear is fine, but hatred is uncalled for, IMO.
But while i encourage respect of all things living, i also seek to educate a little.

Spiders are important elements in our lives, whether we know it or not.
Now that Spring is here, i have noticed a very powerful rise in spiders in my home.
I've seen six sac spiders in less than a week, half of which i tried to save.
Unfortunately, i have a bit of bad luck with sac spiders running amuck in my home, so the rest get eliminated.
Among them are common house spiders, which i remove when they branch out to far (and by "i" i mean my mom, because i'm too pussy to kill spiders and risk touching their webs).
These spiders are less of a bother in comparison to the many wolf spiders that surround my home, inside and out, during the warmer months.
When in the house, i will kill them on sight -- on my own too, because i'm almost always the one who finds them, and am almost always alone.
Each time it happens i desperately wish to let them live, but i know i would regret it if i let them go, and that or its future offspring ended up biting and harming someone.
Okay, so here's your next question; why would i want a wolf spider to live?
Wolf spider = threat, right?
Well of course -- they have a decent amount of venom.
But while the bite of a wolf spider is painful, can cause some damage if untreated and is definitely worthy of a trip to the hospital, it's sub-par in comparison to its main enemy.

Where i live, the ominous brown recluse is native.
For those of you who don't know, the brown recluse spider is about the size of a wolf spider (assuming you've even seen those), smooth and brown/tan and known to have a pattern on its back similar to that of the shape of a fiddle.
They get their names from their habitation in small, dark and cool areas such as basements and other dark places.
People tend to find them in shoes they haven't bothered with in a while, or hiding in the closet to the side.
And while the recluse isn't an overly aggressive spider, they do bite, and their venom has horrendous effects on its victim.
Feel free to look up the side effects, but i wouldn't recommend a google image search!
Trust me.
If you live in a place where brown recluse spiders are native, please make sure you check old clothing and shoes thoroughly before wearing or interacting with the items, and inspect your closets and other dark areas if you plan to be working on something around that place.

In living with wolf spiders, i've noticed something; i see no recluses.
Which makes sense, because they're reclusive, but there is a mighty benefit to having wolf spiders.
As it so happens, wolf spiders eat brown recluses!
Their presence, then, keeps recluses away from my house -- as far as i know.
So that's why, aside from my ethics and morale, i hate having to kill wolf spiders when i see them scuttling across my kitchen floor.
The last one i saw i couldn't bring myself to strike in time, and it ran under the fridge.
Secretly, i wasn't overly sad that it got away.
If i was truly meant to kill it, i suppose i would have.
Wolf spiders would rather run from you than attack you, and won't bite unless handled and provoked.
And by the way, wolf spiders hunt on foot, which is why if you have them, it may seem like they're everywhere in some cases.
They chase their prey, whereas the recluse stays hidden and waits for food.

Now my initial point.
Sorry for explaining so much beforehand, but i feel it was possibly informative.

If you have a lethal or less friendly type of spider in your home, look up possible ways to keep them away.
There's no "universal" remedy for spiders of any kind, but there might be ways to keep certain pests away.
Also see if you can learn about other animals, insects or even rival spiders that bring more good than harm, that you may be able to attract as a means of fighting off your less-than-ideal squatting spider.

Since last year, it's blown my mind how just a little knowledge about the world we live in can change the way we view it.
Perhaps you've also heard of the house centipede, or the "hundred-legger."
Ever seen a bizarre creepy crawly that's greyish with striped, seemingly "millions" of legs and is faster than a bat out of hell run across the floor, or outside?
If you have, no doubt it's scared you senseless and invoked a primal instinct to eliminate it on the spot.
I used to respond the same way to them, as to me they appeared to be like something from hell itself, and their speed made it scarier.
So i looked them up, and learned that they aren't actually so bad at all.
They're called house centipedes, because they like to hunt in human houses.
Prey like roaches, spiders and other things they hunt tend to be abundant in houses, hence why they hunt here.
They kill much of what we don't like as it is, and they do possess a mild venom, but are not lethal.
House centipedes only bite when being overly handled, and i doubt many people would dare pick them up anyway.
I've handled them a few brief times, but only to move them out of the way so as not to harm them.
They're skittish and shy, and prefer to come out at night when we're away and it's good and quiet.
When they notice us, they run as far as they can, as fast as they can.
Now that i know what they are i love them to my core, and even find them cute!
Who knows, i might make an OC inspired by them

So, to sum up:

Educate yourself,
Be alert,
Give the things you fear a chance, and above all,
Respect and love the world you live in, and remember that there's beauty in places we are often to afraid to look.


Thanks for reading if you did, hope this helps or inspires someone!