# 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:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/61 "2015-11-06T14:54:47Z")
I recall an old saying, which I think I heard from my mother: _If you wish to live and thrive, Let a spider run alive._ ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/62 "2015-11-06T21:30:04Z")
David Quammen, in his collection of essays “Flight of the Iguana,” wrote of wanting to get rid of a black widow spider that was in his home. He wrestled with the morality for a while, and, at very least, got down to her level on a table top and stared into her eyes for a while, getting to know her as an individual. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/63 "2015-11-06T22:01:37Z")
I do not interfere with spiders in nature. That is their domain and where they belong, diligently fulfilling their role in the biosphere. But there are some perks to being at the peak of the food chain. And one of those things is not having to share my residence with unwanted, multi-legged guests. Spiders, flies, crickets, mosquitos, beetles, etc., will be forcibly evicted from my residence. They were not invited and are thus committing criminal trespass. Consider me the Dr. Kevorkian of the insect world. If you enter my ‘treatment room’, your suicide will be ‘assisted’. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/64 "2015-11-06T23:01:38Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Why is it not condemned? Because we’re not Buddhists or Hindus, I guess. We don’t believe we’re grinding Granma in the dirt when we squish a spider. Nah, for get that “peaceful Buddhist” nonsense. I never saw such violence until I moved here. Plus there’s no shortage of spider squishers in Thailand. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/65 "2015-11-07T00:13:57Z")
I’ll kill just about anything that isn’t a human. With insects and spiders I don’t put a lot of thought into it, it’s usually just a whim. I’ll kill anything if gets in the house, but even outside, if they get close enough for me to kill them, I might try. ---
**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 7, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/66 "2015-11-07T01:04:26Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > 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_ !? No, I think she was born in Melbourne and returns to Melbourne at the beginning of the series. Maybe she’s only afraid of Sydney spiders? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/67 "2015-11-07T05:36:40Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > David Quammen, in his collection of essays “Flight of the Iguana,” wrote of wanting to get rid of a black widow spider that was in his home. He wrestled with the morality for a while, and, at very least, got down to her level on a table top and stared into her eyes for a while, getting to know her as an individual. That spider kills beings she likes enough to fuck. Sorry, I’m not really concerned about the morality of a preemptive strike to prevent a life threatening incident and won’t award the holy crown of ‘deep thinking’ to those that are. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/68 "2015-11-07T07:08:49Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > No, I think she was born in Melbourne and returns to Melbourne at the beginning of the series. Maybe she’s only afraid of Sydney spiders? I may well be wrong. My only acquaintance with the character is via one of the books – begins with her in Britain, then she sails to Australia and gets involved with a mystery. Nothing arachnid-related in that one, at least as far as I got in the book – I found that neither the author nor the sleuth were my cup of tea. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/69 "2015-11-07T07:14:41Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > People kill harmless spiders all the time (I’m not referring to black widows, brown recluses or Sydney funnel-web spiders, but harmless ones) for no other reason other than that the spiders cause fear and distress. And this sentiment is often widely supported (i.e., the meme, _“A spider? Nuke it from orbit!”_) > But is it really justifiable to kill something simply because it causes fear? > The killing of wolves (if for no good reason) is condemned. Same for sharks. What if someone were afraid of butterflies? (I do know someone with a phobia of butterflies, by the way.) Wouldn’t they be condemned for killing butterflies? > So all said and done, why should the killing of harmless spiders (for no purpose other than fear) be condoned? Interestingly, political left-wingers and right-wingers alike both seem likely to fear and kill spiders. The truth goes back hundreds and hundreds of millions of years ago when our ancestors battled the ancestors of the spiders in the primordial ocean. Reacting with instinctive fear and revulsion to the multi-eyed spindly legged forms of life is part of our pre-reptile brain. I’ve transcended that fear through meditation and I let spiders live in my shoes if they aren’t a widow or a recluse which we have around here. Gotta to be careful but we can have peace. ---
**Author:** ![guitario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@guitario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitario)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/70 "2015-11-07T22:16:12Z")
What I don’t understand is how Australians are capable of seeing a fully grown Huntsman spider scurry up the wall, and leave the damn thing there while they happily continue watching TV, eating their meal, having sex - whatever. The logic of this is absolutely unfathomable! They say the Huntsman spider doesn’t bother them because they take care of all the mozzies, flies and cockroaches during the summer. Call me insane, but if I witnessed a spider, which could grow up to 10-12 inches, anywhere in my field of vision - I would not be able to rest until that thing is dead. I don’t even know how I would kill the thing without a flamethrower or a large hungry dog… but to leave it alone??? It’s not right, it really isn’t - yet many Aussies I’ve spoken to say they don’t really mind. How on earth do arachnophobics lead a normal life over there? Don’t give me the ‘they’re harmless’ line - give me a black widow any day of the week. It’s mental. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/71 "2015-11-07T23:05:29Z")
**Why is the killing of harmless spiders not condemned?** If looks could kill it would’ve been us instead of him. ---
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/72 "2015-11-08T01:01:27Z")
> [@guitario](#): > > What I don’t understand is how Australians are capable of seeing a fully grown Huntsman spider scurry up the wall, and leave the damn thing there while they happily continue watching TV, eating their meal, having sex - whatever. The logic of this is absolutely unfathomable! > > They say the Huntsman spider doesn’t bother them because they take care of all the mozzies, flies and cockroaches during the summer. > > Call me insane, but if I witnessed a spider, which could grow up to 10-12 inches, anywhere in my field of vision - I would not be able to rest until that thing is dead. I don’t even know how I would kill the thing without a flamethrower or a large hungry dog… but to leave it alone??? It’s not right, it really isn’t - yet many Aussies I’ve spoken to say they don’t really mind. > > How on earth do arachnophobics lead a normal life over there? > > Don’t give me the ‘they’re harmless’ line - give me a black widow any day of the week. > > It’s mental. You said it, it’s mental. Just a mental thing like anything else. I don’t get how people that live in the 120F rainforest can just walk around said forest completely naked and not get eaten alive by insects, poisoned or other…must be a mental thing but if my bare feet step on a bee i’m disabled for the day lol. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/73 "2015-11-08T01:32:21Z")
What about all the organisms inhabiting your skin? Should you never wash again? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/74 "2015-11-10T11:18:40Z")
There’s a spider sitting in its web about 2 or 3 feet from my head. It’s been there for quite a while, not sure how long, but weeks at least. The web is between the ceiling, a wall and the top of a lamp. There’s another web in a similar location a few feet away from the first. It’s no longer occupied, but was not too long ago. I suppose I should clear it out, but I’m not a very good housekeeper. So obviously I don’t have a problem with spiders. Unless they drop from the ceiling onto my desk while I’m sitting at it. But even then I just get it off me or the desk. I don’t hunt it down and kill it. Nor do I have a problem with bees. Recently I found a bee in my car as I was about drive off. I coaxed it out before doing so. Not because I was afraid of being stung, but rather because I would be taking it too far away from its nest. Ants, on the other hand … ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663/75 "2015-11-29T14:36:51Z")
I don’t think this guy will be a convert to spider pacifism anytime soon: [Man’s screams over spider prompt neighbours to report ‘domestic’ incident to Sydney police](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-27/police-respond-to-domestic-after-man-screams-over-spider/6979724) Excerpt: \*\*The Harbourside LAC posted a rough transcript of the conversation to their Facebook page. “Come on mate, people clearly heard you yelling you were going to kill her and furniture getting thrown around the unit. Come on mate, what have you done to her,” police said. According to the post, the man became “very sheepish” and replied: “It was a spider.” Police: “Sorry?” Male: “It was a spider, a really big one!” Police: “What about the woman screaming?” Male: “Yeah sorry, that was me. I really, really hate spiders.”\*\* [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-killing-of-harmless-spiders-not-condemned/736663.md?page=3)