# Little white spiders at the base of my potted palm. Should I be worried?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-white-spiders-at-the-base-of-my-potted-palm-should-i-be-worried/311713>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 9, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-white-spiders-at-the-base-of-my-potted-palm-should-i-be-worried/311713 "2005-07-09T03:57:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-white-spiders-at-the-base-of-my-potted-palm-should-i-be-worried/311713/1 "2005-07-09T03:57:57Z")

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I was cleaning the dish under my potted palm plant when I discovered it was crawling with tiny little whitish translucent spiders. I promptly washed them down the drain, but no doubt there are millions more in the soil. Should I be worried that they will infest my apartment and/or harm my plant and/or harm _me_? How do I get rid of them in any case?

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**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-white-spiders-at-the-base-of-my-potted-palm-should-i-be-worried/311713/2 "2005-07-09T07:46:47Z")

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I think your plant has spider mites. Here’s a link:  
[http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2012.html](http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2012.html)

Hope it helps you out with the problem!

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**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-white-spiders-at-the-base-of-my-potted-palm-should-i-be-worried/311713/3 "2005-07-09T15:46:38Z")

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No, I don’t think they’re spider mites. My spiders have two-segment bodies (a small “front” segment, and a large, round “ass” segment). The link states that spider mites have single, oval bodies.

On further examiniation – I trapped a few of the buggers of various sizes – I see that my spiders really aren’t whitish. More like pale, translucent, greenish-gray.

Keep those suggestions comin’. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-white-spiders-at-the-base-of-my-potted-palm-should-i-be-worried/311713/4 "2005-07-09T18:05:27Z")

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I’m pretty sure they’re [baby tarantulas](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/insects/cactus.htm).

Okay, probably not, but I can’t be the only one who thought of that upon reading the thread title.

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**Author:** ![phee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@phee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phee)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-white-spiders-at-the-base-of-my-potted-palm-should-i-be-worried/311713/5 "2005-07-10T02:55:22Z")

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> [@bibliophage](#):
>
> I’m pretty sure they’re [baby tarantulas](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/insects/cactus.htm).

Well, I know what my nightmares will be about tonight. Thanks.