They are essential to our ecosystem; they are our friends, not our enemies so we need to find a way to learn to live alongside them. They really are more scared of you than you are of them and would much rather run away. Even the big spiders such as tarantulas don't want to hurt you.
Researchers believe causes might include: A traumatic past experience with a spider. Childhood exposure to a parent's arachnophobia. You may develop arachnophobia if you felt the anxieties of one of your parent's reactions to spiders.
Often, a combination of counseling and medication may be used to treat arachnophobia. Relaxation techniques such as meditation also can be helpful in the treatment of arachnophobia. As with other phobias, arachnophobia can be treated with exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
They may give you the creeps, but spiders are really just more of a nuisance than a health hazard. In fact, having a few spiders around your home can be advantageous as they will help to keep away harmful pests and disease-carrying insects like ticks, fleas, and cockroaches.
Spiders aren't usually drawn to beds but may sometimes crawl across them. If you frequently find spiders in your bedding, they may have webs close by, such as under or behind the bed or even in the gap between the box spring and bed frame.
Experts warn that squashing a wolf spider may not be enough of a blow to kill all of her young. Or as pest control company Terminix puts it, if the spider you stomp on happens to be a female, the impact could release hundreds of spiderlings in your home.
It's easy to keep spiders away using natural products. These eight-legged creatures hate the smell of citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges. They also don't like peppermint oils, tea tree oils, eucalyptus, and vinegar. Using any of these around your home will keep spiders away.
Spiders really don't like strong scents such as citrus, peppermint, tea-tree, lavender, rose or cinnamon. Add 15 to 20 drops of your chosen essential oil or a couple of capfuls of Zoflora fragrance to a spray bottle filled with water, and spritz around the house.
Before entering your shed or basement, make a little noise to scare spiders off. Remember, they are truly more afraid of us than we are of them!
Urban spiders fatter
“The spiders are probably larger in the urban areas as a result of more food, warmer temperatures (that is, the urban heat island effect) and a relaxation of predation,” Elizabeth says.
Spiders are antisocial and try their best to avoid human contact. More often than not, when a spider bites a person, it's because they felt threatened and had no other course of action.
An estimated 5 per cent of Australians have arachnophobia, but there are plenty of others happy to get close to the creepy crawlies.
What should you do if you find a spider? Do not panic. Most of Australia's estimated 10,000 spider species are not venomous. In fact, spiders are likely doing you a favour by keeping your house clean of other insects.
LED lights are bright and provide space for insects to crawl and hide easily. However, the color and intensity of the light matter a lot. Usually, LED strip lights and LED lighted mirrors may run cooler than other lighting options. But it emits bright light and attracts spiders and bugs easily.
Vinegar: Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray it directly onto any spiders you see. Vinegar contains acetic acid which burns the spider upon contact.
Essential oils such as eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, and rose oil effectively kill spiders and other bugs. The aroma from the oils will keep future spiders from finding their way in too. A bonus is that these oils all smell great, so your house will smell quite delightful too.
Animals which feed directly on spiders include birds, reptiles, mammals and many arthropods, including other spiders, centipedes, scorpions and even some insects.
Many natural repellents can be used to deter spiders from sleeping areas. Let's take a look at a few: Essential oils such as peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus oil have been found to be effective in keeping spiders away. Citrus peels like those of oranges or lemons can also be used for this purpose.
Feeling guilt towards killing spiders is perfectly rational despite their initial seemingly worthless qualities that send shivers down the spines of many. Next time a spider crawls on your bedroom ceiling, attempting to capture it in a cup and letting it out into the world may be a better option.
Spider bites are usually harmless, and spiders don't usually bite unless threatened. Spider bites can cause redness, pain and swelling, or you might not notice them at all. Many other bug bites and skin sores cause redness, pain and swelling.
Some spiders have life spans of less than a year, while others may live for up to twenty years. However, spiders face many dangers that reduce their chances of reaching a ripe old age. Spiders and their eggs and young are food for many animals.
In Australia they are only found in the southeastern part of the country, from South Australia to Queensland via Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. You won't find them in the dry and arid zones. On the other hand, huntsman and wolf-spiders are found all over the country.
Sydney funnel-web spider.