# Why is the killing of harmless spiders not condemned? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663 "2015-11-05T00:06:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/41 "2015-11-05T19:14:38Z")
There are _no_ harmless spiders, there are only those that haven’t tried yet, or are unable to, kill you! They all think of murder all day. They want to bite you, liquefy your precious bodily organs and fluids, and suck you up like you are a human Slurpee. They originated in a parallel universe and have seeped over into this one to take over. Have you ever seen a spider take a shit? Have you ever found even a small particle of spider shit? Of course not? That is the unseen Dark Matter that influences the entire universe. This is why we must develop interstellar travel. We must find the source of their invasion and eliminate them once, and for all time. Sure, we will have to tolerate a few more flies and other bugs, but that is the price we will have to pay. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/42 "2015-11-05T19:14:57Z")
I like spiders and I try not to kill them. it’s easy enough to relocate them outside or even just ignore them - they are killing all of the other bugs. My SO kills them with a vengeance. It makes him happy, so I let him. I might protest more but I want all centipedes dead, so I really have no moral ground to stand on. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/43 "2015-11-05T19:28:24Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > There are _no_ harmless spiders, there are only those that haven’t tried yet, or are unable to, kill you! > > They all think of murder all day… You are confusing spiders with cats. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/44 "2015-11-05T20:16:36Z")
I am curious why “harmless” is a criterion. I take it in your paradigm it’s fine to kill Cecil (the lion king; not the Dope King). ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/45 "2015-11-05T20:30:25Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You are confusing spiders with cats. Yes, but cats usually need stairs to kill you. They can’t do it on their own. Mine tries that weaving between the legs shit while I am trying to go down the stairs every morning. Spiders and Cats. They are both trying to kill you. The difference is…I know where the cat shits. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/46 "2015-11-05T20:38:49Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > I am curious why “harmless” is a criterion. > > I take it in your paradigm it’s fine to kill Cecil (the lion king; not the Dope King). Er, although I am not the OP and cannot speak for them, I think it’s fairly clear that **Velocity** specified “harmless” because they’re talking about _human behavior towards spiders accidentally encountered in the course of non-spider-related activities._ No, in the OP’s paradigm it is obviously not “fine” to deliberately seek out dangerous carnivores in protected preserves in distant countries in order to kill them for not being “harmless”. Nor is the OP advocating going to the arachnid house at your local zoo and slaughtering all the venomous spiders housed there because they’re not “harmless”, either. This thread is about whether it’s okay to kill a randomly encountered spider that you are technically unprotected from but that also cannot realistically do you any serious harm. And whether or not the answer should depend on how genuinely (if irrationally) afraid of said spider you happen to be. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/47 "2015-11-05T20:44:44Z")
They bite me while I’m sleeping like the cowards that they are. Fuck them, this guerrilla war can only have but one outcome. Not only do I kill every spider I see in my home I leave their corpses as a message to the others. Though lately they’ve gotten lighter treatment as the Boxelder Bug Jihad of '15 has begun in ernest. I wonder if I should ally with the Asian Beetles in the basement? Better the enemy you know that the one you don’t, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/48 "2015-11-05T21:44:27Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Er, although I am not the OP and cannot speak for them, I think it’s fairly clear that **Velocity** specified “harmless” because they’re talking about _human behavior towards spiders accidentally encountered in the course of non-spider-related activities._ > > No, in the OP’s paradigm it is obviously not “fine” to deliberately seek out dangerous carnivores in protected preserves in distant countries in order to kill them for not being “harmless”. Nor is the OP advocating going to the arachnid house at your local zoo and slaughtering all the venomous spiders housed there because they’re not “harmless”, either. > > This thread is about whether it’s okay to kill a randomly encountered spider that you are technically unprotected from but that also cannot realistically do you any serious harm. And whether or not the answer should depend on how genuinely (if irrationally) afraid of said spider you happen to be. The OP makes a distinction between harmless spiders (not OK to kill) and harmful spiders (OK to kill). That’s the point I’m pressing. Seems to me it should be “spiders” (perhaps ones encountered accidentally), and I am suggesting that whether or not the spider is capable of harming a human should not be a criterion. A black widow, accidentally encountered, is not more worthy of being killed, IMO, simply because it can injure us. I see Cecil touched a nerve, but my point was not about hunting; it was about the (isolated) criterion of harmfulness. It’s no more OK to kill Cecil than Dumbo or Pumbaa, e.g., simply because the lion has tooth and claw. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/49 "2015-11-05T21:55:13Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > What about killing a sparrow, squirrel or chipmunk? Same logic. If one of those gets into my home, killing them as a means of removing them is going to remain an open possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/50 "2015-11-05T21:57:47Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > I see Cecil touched a nerve, but my point was not about hunting; it was about the (isolated) criterion of harmfulness. It’s no more OK to kill Cecil than Dumbo or Pumbaa, e.g., simply because the lion has tooth and claw. If something is deemed harmful, an argument can be made for self-defense, which potentially muddies the morality of the issue a bit. I think the OP is trying to avoid that path and is asking a question about a scenario where the only motivation for killing a spider is fear and/or dislike, without any other potential mitigating factor. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/51 "2015-11-05T22:02:22Z")
I leave spiders be outdoors. If I see one scuttling around the kitchen I’ll usually try to trap and release it outdoors (in good weather). The ones weaving webs on plants in my basement light garden, lurking about the toilet or crawling up my arm in the office (and laying eggs to give rise to hundreds of tiny offspring) are annoying and subject to sudden extinction. Any alien creatures that invade my home and make a nuisance of themselves are living on borrowed time. Except amphibians. And even then, green tree frogs, I would appreciate it if you didn’t suddenly drop from the ceiling onto me while I’m watching TV. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/52 "2015-11-05T22:04:25Z")
One of my co-workers steps on every spider she sees. I’m a spider-saver myself, so it’s kind of depressing some days to see her “handiwork” – smooshed spiders in various places on the floor. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/53 "2015-11-06T00:09:17Z")
No debate, here. Off to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/54 "2015-11-06T00:33:13Z")
I kill any nuisance that I can get away with. What’s anyone going to do about it? That I don’t know but until I am stopped, the killing of annoying spiders will continue. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/55 "2015-11-06T00:37:13Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > (Sigh: had to skip watching a recent episode of Miss Fisher Mysteries, because it involved spiders and spider-venom. Bummer, as I love that show!) Interestingly, that show featured the Sydney funnel web spider. That was the first time I’d ever heard of one, and the OP here is the second. Don’t feel too bad though. Miss Fisher is also apparently terrified of spiders despite being nearly fearless otherwise. Also, it wasn’t the best episode. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/56 "2015-11-06T03:25:14Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > I’m with you there. Gosh, there is nothing worse when a cricket is in your house, and you are trying to get some sleep, but you continue to hear this loud chirping sound. I can’t sleep until they are gone! > > Strange thing is, outside, it has the opposite effect on me. Outdoors, I love to hear their sound on a nice summer night, and when camping out, they actually help me to go to sleep faster. But indoors, in my house, what nerve they have, it is on, and they will be dead before the night is out if I have my way, provided I can find them and get to them. But they also seem to chirp differently outside, in response to one another. It’s not just one long chirp for hours on end. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/57 "2015-11-06T05:49:08Z")
> [@HeXen](#): > > I kill any nuisance that I can get away with. What’s anyone going to do about it? _::Backs away slowly::_ ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/58 "2015-11-06T10:08:47Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > If something is deemed harmful, an argument can be made for self-defense, which potentially muddies the morality of the issue a bit. I think the OP is trying to avoid that path and is asking a question about a scenario where the only motivation for killing a spider is fear and/or dislike, without any other potential mitigating factor. Deciding which spider–or any other arthropod–we get to kill in self-defense is not a workable criterion. Next thing you know we’ll be saying it’s ok to kill bedbugs. (Reminder to self: My garage and house perimeter need another permethrin hit before the resident critters decide to come in out of the cold. Harmless or not.) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/59 "2015-11-06T14:10:12Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > Next thing you know we’ll be saying it’s ok to kill bedbugs. [Some would go much further when it comes to bedbugs.](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/woman-apologizes-fire-started-efforts-kill-bedbugs-35017762) ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/60 "2015-11-06T14:30:16Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Interestingly, that show featured the Sydney funnel web spider. That was the first time I’d ever heard of one, and the OP here is the second. > > Don’t feel too bad though. **Miss Fisher is also apparently terrified of spiders despite being nearly fearless otherwise.** Also, it wasn’t the best episode. If I’m right, Miss Fisher is told of as being born English, resident in England – so she’s an extreme arachnophobe, and the daft woman goes to live in _Australia_ !? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663.md?page=4)