Is it ok to kill spiders?

[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.

 

[Worgen]

Are you a Jayne or something? why do you feel guilty about killing a bug? Surely this isn't the first one you've killed. Is it immoral? No, I don't think so. If it is, then a I am a horrible horrible person because I've killed hundreds

Your sister would be horribly disapointed in you Sweetie Belle.

 

[Legion]

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.

That is the same species as far as I can tell, having googled the name you gave, it is the one I was thinking of at least.

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.

Who knew these forums could be so educational.

According to the wiki entry for the spider that Generals and I were talking about, it is referred to as a daddy long-legs, and so is the harvestman and Crane flys. Which explains the confusion I guess.

It is also indeed a cellar spider, and apparently exists pretty much all over the world, although in the UK at least we don't have any venomous spiders for them to eat, so they tend to stick to small flying insects.

Your sister would be horribly disapointed in you Sweetie Belle.

Spoiler

I thought I'd seen everything when it came to the crazy stuff MLP fans come up with, but this... how does one even get the idea for this?

 

[RJ 17]

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.

That's just it, though: you weren't encroaching on his territory...he was encroaching on your territory. By laying siege to and annexing your toilet paper roll, he left his own territory (the outside world) to invade yours (your home).

Personally I kill spiders on sight, but that's because I live in the American Midwest where there are a number of dangerous, venomous spiders (the Brown Recluse being the most famous/dangerous around here). I've got a rule though, and it stems from what I mentioned above: if they're in my house, they're on my turf. I don't want the little buggers crawling all around because this is where I sleep...and if you don't think spiders crawl all over you while you sleep well then you're either lucky or just plain wrong. I've woken up numerous times with spider bites on my hands and such. So yeah, any spider I see crawling on my wall is an act of war in my book, and as such I will engage the enemy without hesitation. On the other hand, however, I don't mess with spiders at all if I'm outside. Fair is fair, and now the tables have turned. When I'm outside, I'm on their turf so I leave them alone completely, and in fact avoid them as much as possible and do my best not to mess up their webs.

If only spiders were cute . Buuuuuut they aren't so.. KILL IT WITH FIRE!

OT: i like how people are afraid of small , almost harmless insects but Giant animal that can kill us we want to pet and play with .

For starters, they're not insects, they're arachnids.

"Just Being A Dick" aside, I don't know where you get off saying "almost harmless". I don't know if you live in an area of the world where - like the OP - there aren't really any dangerous spiders, but deadly things come in small packages my friend. I'd show a pic of a Brown Recluse bite buuuuuuut to keep from grossing out the entire thread I think I'll just tell you to google it so you can see it for yourself if you REALLY want to. Suffice to say it causes Necrosis, which melts a giant hole in your flesh. Also I'd imagine our forum friends in Australia would disagree with your "almost harmless" statement as well.

Spoiler

Of course it's not okay to kill them, you unfeeling brutes! Spiderbros have your back! They're just trying to help you!

Seriously though, fuck spiders.

Spoiler: Your post reminded me of this little story arc:

 

[YingDerpington]

Being an Australian I do the one thing we all universally do, kill the ones that pose a threat (motherfucking red-backs in your shoes are the worst thing ever). Luckily most of our seriously nasty ones are easily recognisable. Funnel Webs, Red Backs, Trap Door Spiders, Mouse Spiders, White-Tails, some species of Tarantula, Recluse Spiders, Garden Orb Weavers and Wolf Spiders. The huntsman are actually some of the least likely to be a threat despite being large enough to eat tiny birds, and only about 2 or 3 of the bad spiders will venture inside a house let alone live inside them. I used to have a huntsman around my place and the pest problem went down significantly.

Basically, it isn't wrong to kill a spider if it's dangerous, if it's harmless then you don't have much to worry about and should make an effort to either leave them alone or take them outside. When I was younger I thought every spider was a danger and had to be killed if it was in my room but I've since discovered they are amazing for keeping the other pests away.

 

[shrekfan246]

Not going to say it' wrong, but I wouldn't do it. I have 2 spiders that live in my shower. The steam doesn't seem to bother them. I call them Ronnie and Reggie.

I've got something of an agreement with the spiders in the bathroom; So long as they don't crawl down into the tub or around me while I'm using the facilities, I let them alone because I don't really mind the "cellar"-type spiders, the slow ones with the long spindly legs and long, thin bodies. The spiders that get in the living room are a different story though. I hate those fat, hairy, fast buggers that look like Death personified which skitter all over the place popping up when and where you least expect it when you weren't paying attention.

Though in all fairness, it's mostly because for about two weeks out of the year this time of year tens of the bastards per day find their way inside and get all over the walls and curtains and crawl through all of my things. I'm not sure I can even count the number I've squashed in the last week and a half.

 

[SoranMBane]

As okay as it is to kill any harmless or non-aggressive animal whose only crimes are existing and looking different from you. Which is to say, not at all okay, unless you're killing the spider for food and not out of irrational fear or malice.

And believe me, I do understand the fear. I used to be arachnophobic, and I've killed my share of spiders in the past. But after taking the effort to educate myself and break free of my phobia, I now can't bring myself to think of spiders as anything but the beautiful, fantastic creature that they are, and I feel guilty for every single innocent animal I've killed.

So just don't kill spiders, okay? Most of them are 100% harmless to humans if you don't have some sort of rare allergy, and even when it comes to the "deadly" ones, their actual danger to humans is usually overblown. If there's a spider in your house that you feel uncomfortable having around, it's generally just as easy to scoop it up in a container and take it outside. Even then, I'd only do that with very large spiders or spiders that have planted themselves in inconvenient areas, since having a few spiders hanging around the house can be good for keeping the populations of actually harmful pests under control.

 

[Xaio30]

I live by the policy that they may stay if they pay rent.

Not a single fucker has payed so far = Invaders must die.

 

[LegendaryVKickr]

It is always ok. As an arachnophobic, I may be slightly biased when I say this, but I think it's never acceptable to let them live. Think of all those legs, crawling on you while you sleep...all those eyes watching you. There you go, now you feel disgusted and creeped out, not guilty. Imagine if you had let it live, it could have done that!!

Done what? Harmlessly walk on me as I slept? Stare me to death? I get phobia's and fears, but saying common house spiders are harmful is just silly. I find spiders fascinating to watch and learn about.


Also, the jumping spider is downright adorable, google it (it isn't scary in any way) and tell me it isn't.

Sorry, but I'm going to choose to not google something that terrifies me and gives me heeby-jeebies when I see it. I'll take your word for it, I guess.

 

[II2]

I've killed intrusive mammals; mice and a raccoon. Mice are easy with traps and fragile size. The raccoon I did with a heavy shovel with a long reach, once I cornered it. Fucking mess. At least I got a decent night sleep afterwards, no more nocturnal bumping and scratching.

This is all to say that spiders don't bother me; in both senses. I'll kill them if they bother me in any way, but generally I let most of the small ones run around with impunity. I call them my little custodians.