# I have a spider living in my window **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 13, 2013, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171 "2013-02-13T12:38:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wonder9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c57346/32.png) [@wonder9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonder9)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171/21 "2013-02-14T13:00:55Z")
> [@lynne-42](#): > > I’m with you, **wonder9**. Not sure why people feel compelled to express death wishes for spiders on every thread which is about how great they are. I love watching all my resident spiders. > > Spiders basically break down into two groups - the so-called ‘primitives’, which include tarantulas, our Australian funnel-webs, trapdoors and such like. They can live 20-30 years. All the rest, including all the web builders, and referred to as ‘moderns’. So yours is a modern and most live at most 2 years. Orb weavers often live less than a year. They can survive a long time without food - I’ve had exactly the same experience as you with them in screens. They will also take very small prey if they have to - but always live prey. > > I suspect she may be the American common house spider, [Parasteatoda tepidariorum - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasteatoda_tepidariorum) > > If so, they are great to watch for lots of reasons. We have them here in Oz as well. > > Isn’t it much more fun to enjoy spiders rather than just kill them, given the pleasure is free and the spider is harmless? Thanks Lynn. That spider doesn’t look _quite_ like the one in my window but close. I periodically open the window to see if it wants to leave—but it doesn’t—or if something tasty will come in—which sometimes happens, I suppose, since I occasionally see tiny desiccated corpses in the web. Messy web, looks like layers of gauze rather than intricate webbing like the orb weaver. The temperature has been down in the teens and the window faces north so I’m impressed that it has weathered that kind of cold. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171/22 "2013-02-14T13:55:17Z")
I used to have a paralyzing fear of spiders. I forced myself to get over it and now I have no problem picking up any spider that’s in my house and gently placing her outside if its warm or in the basement if its cold. I would leave her alone but the cats would hurt it. Those jumping spiders are kinda adorable. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171/23 "2013-02-14T13:58:00Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > Those jumping spiders are kinda adorable. 🙂 They’re fun to play with, too. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171/24 "2013-02-14T14:06:16Z")
I love spiders, they’re so cool. That Huntsman is gorgeous! ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171/25 "2013-02-14T17:29:49Z")
Neat spider but I think I’d have trouble sharing space with it. I sat on my deck one sunny day and watched a spider spin a perfect web the size of a dinner plate. What a marvel! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171/26 "2013-02-14T19:46:51Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > When I lived in Australia I often had one or two Huntsman spiders living in the house. We mutually left each other alone. In return, I never had an insect problem of any kind and never had to use bug spray. Of course, it was unnerving the first time to watch a spider with a [leg-span the size of your hand](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_ksBBZpgbUY/UMTrjUDG60I/AAAAAAAAA24/YXr4fIi1Cao/s1600/huntsman-spider.jpg) walk along the wall near the ceiling in search of prey, at night, with only the light from the TV set. Fuck no! I may very possibly have a chance to go to Australia this coming year…I don’t think I’m going to take it. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171/27 "2013-02-14T20:27:32Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Fuck no! > > I may very possibly have a chance to go to Australia this coming year…I don’t think I’m going to take it. And you’re in Florida, of all places! Home of the IHBAK-ER (Insanely Huge Bugs of All Kinds - Especially Roaches\*). Looks like you would have built up a tolerance by now. \*yeah, y’all call 'em “palmetto bugs”, but that’s just a nice way of saying roach. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171/28 "2013-02-14T20:41:37Z")
If I’d ever seen a spider as big as that Huntsman, I’d still be running. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171/29 "2013-02-14T23:32:47Z")
Huntsmans are harmless, and docile. Sure, they’re big and hairy (and fast) and if you’re an arachnophobe like me they can make you jump, but if you keep out of their way they don’t really bother you. If I can tolerate one sitting on my computer monitor for three days, then you can handle visiting Australia. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-spider-living-in-my-window/650171.md?page=1)