Is it ok to kill spiders?

[irok]

I say yes, because the last time I killed one it was because I was bare foot in my bedroom and one bit me, it hurt and so I stomped the crap out of it in a fit of rage, hurt for a bit but I think the copious amount of stomping was probably more to blame then the spider itself.

I personally have no problem with spiders in general , except for the fact every time I see one its more of a eventually they will do something to incur my wrath so we might as well get it over with quickly, and when I kill them I don't want it to be a slow death from nerve gases so much as instantly removed from existence by the finger of god and that's all the mercy I've got.

 

[generals3]

So just recently I had a spider the size of a tennis ball chilling next to my toilet roll.


And i smashed him with a shoe, then felt very guilty afterwards. He didnt mean me any harm, he had no concept that i will inevitably use the toilet role, and encroach on his territory. He was an innocent, caught in the crossfire.

Theyve got their role in the ecosystem, they eat flies, I get it that their helpful but dear christ just the sight of them fills me with bloodlust. Proof to me there is no intelligent designer, otherwise theyd just be circular smiley faces with legs.

I should probably add that i live in england where there arent any venomous spiders that might kill you.


Anyway, my question is, is it right to murder spiders just because we dont like the way they look?

edit: I dont know how to add a poll to an existing thread, could anyone help me there?

Thing is, while the spiders may not be venomous they can still bite (which is harmless but annoying). For me it's simple, a spider inside the house = dead. Except those house spiders (tiny body and long legs) because they don't look as disgusting and tend to just chill around.

 

[stormeris]

Except those house spiders (tiny body and long legs) because they don't look as disgusting and tend to just chill around.

If by that you mean a harvestman, or Daddy Long-legs as they are usually called. Well, they're not even spiders actually. They're opiliones, they're arachnids, but are COMPLETELY, 100% harmless, they have NO venom at all. They don't even have fangs like the spiders, their 'fangs'are actually grasping claws

 

[Alcamonic]

Spiders are total bros. They're just like me, somewhat introvert and kill bugs (although I don't eat the bugs, well maybe in my sleep).
But if they go beyond a certain size or look threatening I will capture them and "set them free" (aka throw them outside to die in the cold... OH GOD I'M A MONSTER!).

General rule of thumb, larger leg-span than 2 cm = bye bye.

I will edit in Daddy longlegs (they're called Harvestmen? what the fuck?), they're total bros and I do for some reason express no fear towards them. I don't kill/remove them regardless of size, but if they become larger than a cat we will need to have a talk.

 

[NathLines]

Kill spiders? I get annoying-ass bugs in my room all the time. I'd much rather have 1 completely silent spider in my room than a bunch of wasps, loud-ass flies, big-ass moths and giant-ass hornets that sound like small helicopters.

If I find one in my room I usually try to feed it. If I find one in my bathtub, I extract him and put that soldier back in the field.

Also, I think I became kind of biased when I decided to read through all of the Spiderman comics.

 

[ISearchForTraps]

Spiders kill flies and other insects, so it's important to not kill them. If it's a nuisance, just put it outside, MOST Spiders are harmless anyway.

 

[DSK-]

This made me remember watching this last year, still makes me laugh:


OP: I don't mind spiders, but I hate them being in my room. Anywhere is fine, bar my room.

 

[captainballsack]

Is it human? No? Then I'll kill it because it suits me. My ancestors didn't spend 20,000 years struggling their way up to the top of the food chain for me to pussy out about killing something that could threaten me.

One could say that you're a pussy for being so afraid of something unbelievably smaller than you are. Last time I checked, it took a lot more courage to pick up a spider and place him outside.

Of course, I don't do that though; I scream and kill them because, yes, I am a complete baby when it comes to spiders.

 

[senobit]

I catch spiders and let them go - same as bees.

Wasps, flys, slugs(fuck knows where there coming from - I live in a 4th floor flat) and ants all get killed

 

[Legion]

Except those house spiders (tiny body and long legs) because they don't look as disgusting and tend to just chill around.

If by that you mean a harvestman, or Daddy Long-legs as they are usually called. Well, they're not even spiders actually. They're opiliones, they're arachnids, but are COMPLETELY, 100% harmless, they have NO venom at all. They don't even have fangs like the spiders, their 'fangs'are actually grasping claws

Maybe they have different names in other countries but in the UK:

Spoiler: This is a harvestman:

Spoiler: This is a daddy long legs:

Interestingly enough when I googled daddy long legs pictures of harvestman came up, so I guess the names do vary place to place.

I suspect however that the person you responded to actually meant these spiders:

Spoiler

They are very common in homes in the UK, and I suspect in a lot of other countries without more dangerous types.

 

[stormeris]

Except those house spiders (tiny body and long legs) because they don't look as disgusting and tend to just chill around.

If by that you mean a harvestman, or Daddy Long-legs as they are usually called. Well, they're not even spiders actually. They're opiliones, they're arachnids, but are COMPLETELY, 100% harmless, they have NO venom at all. They don't even have fangs like the spiders, their 'fangs'are actually grasping claws

Maybe they have different names in other countries but in the UK:

Spoiler: This is a harvestman:

Spoiler: This is a daddy long legs:

Interestingly enough when I googled daddy long legs pictures of harvestman came up, so I guess the names do vary place to place.

I suspect however that the person you responded to actually meant these spiders:

Spoiler

Interesting,
That looks like a crane fly if my biology knowledge serves me right, and ehm... A cellar spider?
Never knew they were also called Daddy Long-legs.
I guess you learn something new every day, huh.
Though, if i recall correctly Cellar Spiders are known to prey on extremely deadly spiders like the redbacks or black widows. Which is another reason not to kill these magnificent creatures. Of course Cellar spiders ARE venomous, but very little, heck their venom weak on insects.

 

[MeisterKleister]

My attitude changed a over time.
When I was very young I killed them a lot. When I was around 9 or so I stopped killing them, because I was taught that they are useful animals and they do indeed eat animals that I can stand even less, like flies and mosquitoes. Ever since I was around 16 years old and I learned about how brains, minds and nervous systems work and what suffering means, I basically stopped having any remorse for killing spiders or insects, since from what we understand about brains and nervous systems, it is extremely unlikely that they are even capable of feeling pain or any emotions on any significant level. So there is no reason to feel bad about killing them if it's for the purpose of keeping your house free of spiders or their webs, in my opinion, though I am against seeking out spiders just to kill them.

I once let a spider have its spider net in front of my window, because I thought it's useful to reduce the number of mosquitoes in the summer. One day, a few months later, I noticed that there were tiny black dots at the ceiling in the corners of my room. Turns out they're little dead baby spiders. They made small nets but didn't catch anything and died.
So having spiders around has the benefit of reducing the number of annoying flying insects, but the disadvantage of having annoying webs and, well, spiders around.
When I find a big spider in my house and I think it's responsible for or going to spin annoying spiderwebs in the corners of the room, I'll probably kill it. But I'm often indifferent, and sometimes I just pick them up and carry them outside. Although I have to carry them far, because they have an excellent sense of orientation and often end up showing up again in the house one day later.

I live in Germany where the biggest spiders are a bit smaller than a tennis ball and they're all harmless.

 

[Nimcha]

I actually quite like spiders. I don't see many of them, living in the city.

I usually prefer to leave them alone, but my girlfriend is irrationally and hilariously scared of them so I have removed quite a few from the premises so far

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

Well, there's no point in putting them outside, since most species will just die out there. There's usually a reason that they try to hang out indoors. They were born that way. If you were going to put them outside, you might as well just kill them. Otherwise, leave them alone.

I usually ignore them unless they get too big. Those little dot ones? Ehh, hardly going to bother me. However, one with the body size of a quarter running on a string of web right by my head as I'm playing a game. FUCK NO, SQUISH, BURN, DEATH!

 

[Dandark]

I hate spiders, they freak me out and im terrified of them. If I know one is in the room with me then I can't function in there until I see it being gotten rid off, i'll be a nervous wreck constantly looking around for it until it's gone.

Luckily the only ones I usually get in my house are the small ones that we call "Daddy long legs"(Not sure if this is what they are usually called or not) which just have long but thin legs with hardly any body. They still creep me out a bit anyway though so I usaully get some toilet paper or tissue or something, pick them up and flush them down the toilet. I do sometimes feel bad for doing it but they creep me out too much.

An actual spider though im too scared to go near, if I myself had to deal with it then I would get a big book or something to crush it. It makes me feel guilty but they terrify me.

 

[suitepee7]

i live in the UK, here spider are generally small and non-dangerous, so i usually take them outside or leave them be. i generally try not to hurt or kill any animals i come across, unless its already dying and i'll put it out of its misery

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

i live in the UK, here spider are generally small and non-dangerous, so i usually take them outside or leave them be. i generally try not to hurt or kill any animals i come across, unless its already dying and i'll put it out of its misery

I found a butterfly that appeared to be dying along the road once. The poor thing couldn't get up because everytime it did, a car would fly past blowing it over. I let down my jacket sleeve, tried to let it grab on, and walked around town with the thing resting on my arm. Ten minutes later it flew away. My brother said that I shouldn't be surprised to see a butterfly shrine dedicated to the human that saved their butterfly king in a tree somewhere.

 

[Whispering Cynic]

I don't mind spiders, I let some of them stay to kill off any pests that might get inside (one of them is quite proficient at catching mosquitoes, that I very much apreciate), others I'll just grab and carry outside. As long as spiders in my area remain smaller than a regular puppy, we'll get along just fine.

Spiders have never wronged me, I see no reason to kill them when I can just carry them outside in my hand.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

If they are in my home.....then they get splattered. Im just guarding my territory after all? Plus its a boyfriends duty to his girlfriend. But the big ones with the fat bodies are the worst, in my mind i imagine them exploding every where. Shivers. Thats not so bad, though cockroaches are worse, way worse. When i was on holiday to Florida i had an epic 10 minute battle with a 4 inch cockroach. First one i ever saw, girlfriend wanted me to kill it. It was in a bathroom so it was running into cupboards and behind things. Then i whacked it. It was still i went to finish it off, it ran at me. I finally killed it for good. Grabbed my girlfriend and went to a bar. lol.

I can kill spiders all day and never feel bad. But cockroaches? They really get under my skin. Ewwwww.

 

[generals3]

Except those house spiders (tiny body and long legs) because they don't look as disgusting and tend to just chill around.

If by that you mean a harvestman, or Daddy Long-legs as they are usually called. Well, they're not even spiders actually. They're opiliones, they're arachnids, but are COMPLETELY, 100% harmless, they have NO venom at all. They don't even have fangs like the spiders, their 'fangs'are actually grasping claws

Maybe they have different names in other countries but in the UK:

Spoiler: This is a harvestman:

Spoiler: This is a daddy long legs:

Interestingly enough when I googled daddy long legs pictures of harvestman came up, so I guess the names do vary place to place.

I suspect however that the person you responded to actually meant these spiders:

Spoiler

They are very common in homes in the UK, and I suspect in a lot of other countries without more dangerous types.

I actually meant these:

Spoiler

(apparently called Pholcus phalangioides)
Didn't know the correct name and i've always called them house spiders because they are the ones usually nesting around in my house.