Insects have six legs.
Spiders have eight. With the exception of a relative,
spider mites, true spiders are part of the "Good Guys"
in the home garden.
They are predators that catch other insects, at least
some of which, are pests of our ornamental plants.
Spiders kill their prey
by injecting them with a poison which generally
paralyzes them. The vast majority of spiders are not a
problem for humans because either their mouths are too
small to penetrate our skin or their venom is not
powerful enough to hurt us. This is true for most
spiders that are commonly found in the garden. From a landscape
perspective, you should leave them
alone...especially those large, colorful ones that you
see in the fall.
Of course there are a few
spiders such as the black widow or brown recluse that
can cause serious problems with their bites.
Fortunately, these do not generally inhabit the garden.
Check with your local Extension office to help you
identify any spiders in your area that are considered
dangerous to humans.
