Most of us find spiders to be pretty creepy—and it’s no wonder, since they’ve become synonymous with spooky things like Halloween and scary movies. While they may appear to be scary, they’re actually helpful creatures. They play an important role in maintaining balance in both indoor and outdoor environments. Despite being unwanted guests, spiders contribute more to our lives than we realize. Here are four ways spiders are helpful:
Natural Pest Control
Spiders are mainly carnivorous, and the majority of their diet consists of insects. If you see spiders in your home, it may be an indicator that you have an insect problem. Silently in the background, spiders are actually helping you keep the problem under control. And they’re not picky. They eat house flies, mosquitoes and beetles, all of which can carry diseases. So, in a way, spiders can actually benefit your health by eliminating insects that threaten it.
Garden Protection
Beyond helping keep insect populations under control indoors, spiders do the same outside, as well. This is beneficial for gardeners and for homeowners who want to keep up their lawn’s appearance. Spiders eat aphids, beetles, caterpillars and other insects that damage plants. Web-spinning spiders often weave between shrubs and flowers, keeping insects under control on the plants themselves, while hunting spiders patrol the ground for crawling pests. Spiders help you keep your garden green and healthy without the need to use harmful pesticides.
Medical Research
Scientists have been studying spider venom for its potential uses in medicine. For example, some spider venoms contain peptides that could be helpful for various therapeutic applications. The compounds found have shown promise for helping develop medicine to relieve pain, manage chronic conditions, fight off infections and viruses, and treat neurodegenerative diseases.
Innovative Material Development
The incredible strength and elasticity of spider silk make it an attractive option to explore for various material applications. Believe it or not, spider silk has a stronger strength-to-density ratio than steel. That’s why it’s being explored for its potential to help develop bulletproof vests and other protective clothing. Due to how fine and flexible it is, spider silk also has the potential to be used for surgical sutures and medical wraps for wounds.
Spiders may look scary, especially with what we know about some species’ propensity to bite and inject venom that poses serious health risks. But on the whole, spiders are necessary for balancing the ecosystem and helpful for modern developments in science. Regardless of the ways spiders are advantageous, they can still be unnerving to have in your home, especially since they could indicate a larger insect problem. If you’re seeing spiders in your home, the Des Moines pest control experts at Pro-Staff are here to help! Contact us online or call us at (515) 279-7378 for a free quote.
