Learning to Appreciate Spiders
June/July 2005
Terry Krautwurst
Spiders may seem like scary creepy crawlies but they're actually
one of the Earth's most effective organic pest controls! If you're
given to arachnophobia ? a fear of the littler critters ? Mother
Earth wants you to know that only three out of hundreds of
different kinds that live in North America can actually hurt you.
They're the brown recluse, black widow and, in the Pacific
Northwest, the hobo. Our tips for avoiding this dangerous trio
are:
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- Be wary in little-used places such as basements, outbuildings,
brush piles, crawl spaces, attics and closets, and the back of that
old dresser drawer!
- Shake stored blankets, towels and clothing before you use
them.
- Wear gloves, long pants and long sleeves when you're raking
leaves or fetching firewood.
As for the rest of the continent's spider kingdom, live and let
live is the best policy. Spiders help control many pest insects in
our yards and gardens.