Aparently most people aren't afraid of spiders becouse they think spiders can hurt them (not anymore anyway).
It has to do with a lot of things. Even passed on in our genes. Spiders are seen as dangerous and evil creatures throughout the ages. Probably ancestors had problems with (poisenous) spiders and humans developed a kind of "warning system" that makes them back away from spiders. That makes them feel spiders are repulsive.
It has to do with the way they look - the hairy body fi and the 8 legs. Aparently humans can handle up to 6 legs but find 8 legs really freaky (see also scorpions). <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> There's only a relatively small family of 8 legged creatures and they're all "dangerous". It even has to do with the way spiders move. Some people have no problems when a spider is sitting still or playing dead (some kinds do that to fool predators and humans <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />). But those same people freak out as soon as that spider starts to wonder around. And it has to do with the way they feed. Building a web and sucking other creatures dry... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> Humans don't like that. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
Not all spiders build webs. Some just jump on prey, some ambush, some even use a lasso. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
There's nothing wrong with being afraid of spiders. It's a natural reaction. A normal reaction. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It's in human nature. Maybe it's slowly disapearing from our system now that there are less and less dangerous spiders (in the western world) but everybody is different. And everybody handles it differently. Even people who say they leave spiders alone or put them outside still have a <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />-reaction. But just control it better.
And killing or removing spiders in/from your home will only make room for more spiders. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It will leave a "gap" that will be filled by other spiders.
I'm not sure about the figures anymore but I think the average human home in West Europe and USA and South Canada is also home to about 2,000,000 spiders. Or was it 200,000?
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
I like to read about things like that. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
