To Keep A Handy Spider in the House?

[SmidgenofaPigeon]

I have a lovely one, called Marigold.

I rescued him out of the bath when he was only little (after shouting at DH not to flush him down ) when he was only little. Pretended to put him out in the corridor of our flats but secretly let him back in. Didn’t see him for a few weeks but but yesterday I noticed he’d grown into a lovely big spider living in the corner of the bathroom. So he can stay up there and catch some flies, and everybody is happy.

Do you keep a handy spider around?

I do... I keep the thin grey ones with long legs as they eat big black ones 🕷

I do not remove spiders from the house except to stop the cats from eating them. 100% would rather have spiders than flies.

Ooh I like those funny spiders! I think they’re harvest spiders?

I love spiders in the house.

Less flies and a tasty snack for the cat

Don't mind the cobwebs as long as they don't get out of hand.

Yes, no problem with sharing my home with spiders - but, like a pp, I have two cats that see them as a tasty snack.

I don't mind sharing at all, as long as they're not too big.
My kids aren't crazy about them, but have been taught never to kill.

@CheddarGorge

I do... I keep the thin grey ones with long legs as they eat big black ones 🕷

This 100%! I am utterly TERRIFIED of spiders, but realised a couple of years ago that the big spindly ones feast on the big hairy scary mofo's. So now, they are allowed to free range round the house on the strict understanding that:

1. They do their job.
2. They don't come near me.
3. If their webs get too large, they will be tidied away.

There's currently a spindly spider threesome out dogging in the hallway corner and a mini nursery in the study.

One big house spider did get into bed with me once though. I just peeled back the covers and there he was, larger than life and twice as hairy. Wasn’t what I meant when I told him he could share my bedroom 😂

Yes, I've got a couple of the skinny, long legged ones around at the moment in the kitchen.

I have quite a few woodlice running around my kitchen and, I maybe wrong, but I'm pretty sure these spiders sort of disembowel them and leave the remaining shell on the floor because I'm always having to sweep up bits of dead woodlouse from underneath the spiders' little webs.

Not so keen on the big hairy ones, which I pick up in a glass. kept especially for that purpose, and put in the garden.

I let them all stay. They don't cause problems. I do apologise to the disco spiders when I have to remove their webs but mostly, we coexist with equanimity.

My cat doesn't eat them, she tries to play with them and gets upset when they end up squished, prodding them forlornly. She never eats any wildlife though. She likes to bring in mice and birds and just lets them go whilst lazily watching them run/fly. In fact, she goes to sleep and I have to come and release them.

@SmidgenofaPigeon they're not harvestmen they're called Cellar Spiders :)

Ooh good to know @CheddarGorge. we don’t get them up here but always used to have them living behind the sink when we lived on ground floor. Funny things!

I don't mind sharing with a spider. Our resident spider (leggsy mcleggsyface) is very considerate. He comes out from under one chair and runs to under the other. He doesn't try to come to close to me or sit near me.

Plus he eats any other tiny insects that might come in.

It's quite a good deal I think!

We get lots of bugs in the summer, so I am happy to coexist with the spiders.

We have 2 or 3 spiders in the house. Much rather have them than flies or mozzies.

Not having any pets at the moment means I become rather attached to the spiders in my house. There was a small one that I said hello to one night, and was sad that in the morning a cellar spider (the daddy long legs ones) had killed it, or one of the same species. I was not happy, and it's one reason I'm not so keen on the cellar spiders. Saying that, I'm happy to coexist with anything provided it doesn't try and 1) harm me, and 2) damage the house, so the CSs are allowed to stay.

I didn't realise the spindley leg ones so ate the big brown ones! I have noticed over the last few years I've found more spindle legs and had less big brown ones , which is a shame, I like the big brown ones!
I find it weirdly comforting in the late evening when I'm watching TV to see a big brown one dart across the room... I always say hello to them!

My dad has a pond especially for frogs/toads too. He’s a gardener, and It’s the only slug and snail repellent he’ll ever need! I’ll definitely do the same if I ever have a garden.

I love them, and talk to them Even managed to train a very greedy dog to leave them alone

Yes, we leave the cellar spiders alone, and we had a false widow in the kitchen last year. It was there for a few months. I have video of it catching wasps, wrapping them up and stashing them in the corner. So fascinating to watch.

Yeah I always greet a spider too! And name them

It would be an never ending battle if I tried to rid our house of spiders so I just accept that they live here too.
Big victorian house with spiders of all shapes and sizes - when we had the box sashes replaced we realised how many live inside the walls.
We have bumble bees in the loft, regular ladybird visitors and the odd butterfly.
After a while you just get used to them.

Placemarking because the spider love is making me very happy.
Unfortunately I don't see many in my house (3 giant breed dogs may be the reason for this!)

Bob is a big spider who lives under the bath.
We usually see each other around 10.30pm when I go in to clean my teeth. I greet him, he nods in reply that bit may be wishful thinking and then after a minute or so he pops back home again.
I like to think that he enjoys our little evening repartee and again.

Another who has an entente cordiale with the cellar spiders here

I'm hideously phobic about the classic house spiders - like, shaking, can't go in a room with one. So I allow my spindly friends to share my home. They can do as they like, but will be gently relocated if they appear directly over my bed or dd's bed.

They seem to be proliferating a bit too much lately, though, they're kinda everywhere. Don't know what to do as don't want to kill them and think they'd die outside. I did read though that they eat each other if there are too many for an environment to sustain, so maybe they'll self-regulate