As the weather cools in autumn, spiders often begin making their way into our homes in search of warmth and shelter. While some people may welcome these eight-legged visitors for the natural pest control they provide, many others panic at the sight of them. In fact, according to Christine Rollard, a spider expert at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, about 40% of French people react with fear when they encounter a spider. This fear has led to a popular solution over the years: vacuuming them up.
However, this is where many of us are making a big mistake. While vacuuming a spider might seem like a quick and easy way to deal with it, it’s not as effective as you might think. In fact, you could end up making the situation worse. Here’s why you should reconsider this method, and what you can do instead to manage spiders in your home.
Why Vacuuming Spiders Isn’t the Solution
At first glance, the vacuum seems like the perfect tool to remove a spider. You turn it on, suck up the creature, and the problem is gone, right? Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Vacuuming spiders may not kill them, and even if they do die, it doesn’t guarantee that they won’t come back or that you’ve solved the issue entirely.
Some spiders do perish in the vacuum due to the powerful suction or suffocation from dust, but others manage to survive. Inside your vacuum cleaner, whether it’s a bag or a canister, a spider can find an ideal environment to thrive. They can feed on food crumbs or particles that are often left behind after vacuuming. These tiny bits of food provide sustenance, allowing the spider to survive even after being trapped inside the vacuum.
The Survival Instinct of Spiders
Even without food, spiders are incredibly resilient creatures. Swedish arachnologist Kajsa Mellbrand explains that a healthy spider can live for up to 200 days without eating, relying on its stored energy. This means that vacuuming them doesn’t guarantee their death—it may only put them in a survival state. Moreover, once inside your vacuum, the spider can escape by following the light at the end of the hose. In a matter of days or even hours, it could find its way back into your home.
Why Spiders Are Actually Beneficial
While many of us may want to remove spiders from our homes, it’s important to recognize that they play a crucial role in the ecosystem. Spiders are natural predators of common household pests such as flies, mosquitoes, and gnats. By keeping these insects in check, spiders contribute to a healthier living environment. In other words, having a few spiders around can actually reduce the presence of other unwanted bugs in your home.
Killing spiders not only removes these natural pest controllers but also disrupts the delicate balance of your indoor ecosystem. For those who still feel uneasy about sharing their space with spiders, there’s good news: you can relocate them safely and humanely without harming them or your home’s environment.
