At what size does a spider go from useful to kill it with fire?

[Terzo]

This morning as I was preparing to do my business, I noticed a spider on the inside of the toilet. I generally think spiders are nice to have around (in terms of insect control) so I got the little guy out of the toilet to prevent him being flushed away to his doom.

He was rather small, maybe around half a centimeter in height, which didn't really unnerve me. However, this got me thinking, at what size do spiders become too creepy?

I think the cutoff for me is daddy long legs. Bigger than that and spiders start making me uncomfortable. The bigger they get the worse it becomes, with "kill it with fire status" being granted to those the size of my palm or larger.

What say you?

 

[Texashiker]

I kill all spiders in my home, regardless of size.

The brown recluse is only 1/4 - 3/4 inch, and its bite will cause your skin to rot off.

 

[PottedMeat]

not by size - by species

widows - smooshed or killed with any interesting chemicals i have laying about
recluse - smooshed or killed with any interesting chemicals i have laying about

everyone else gets kicked out of the house alive

 

[Schadenfroh]

I typically extinguish all visible non-human life in my apartment.

 

[guyver01]

When it gets a mana bar

 

[HeXen]

not only do i kill spiders, i kill anything that is not my pet, friend or relative inside my house.

 

[ksheets]

I only kill them when they become directly below me on the house food-chain.

 

[Baked]

I kill everything moving inside my house. There're no good spiders, they're all fucking disgusting when they come into my castle. Raid + lighter.

 

[guyver01]

I kill everything moving inside my house.

:hmm:

no wonder you're single

 

[SP33Demon]

not by size - by species

widows - smooshed or killed with any interesting chemicals i have laying about
recluse - smooshed or killed with any interesting chemicals i have laying about

everyone else gets kicked out of the house alive

This.

 

[MotF Bane]

I typically extinguish all visible non-human life in my apartment.

This. And if I can hear it, but it isn't visible, I'll hunt it down mercilessly.

 

[Newbian]

When they are big enough where you can see them is when they are big enough to get squished.

 

[sixone]

If it's bigger than the sole of your shoe, it's time for fire.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I don't think that I've killed a spider in over a decade. I used to pull legs off of daddy longlegs for fun as a child but spiders don't bother me. There was one time that I woke up several times in the night feeling a little sick and with back pains, and when I finally got out of bed I felt groggy. Thought I might have been sick, but didn't think too much of it. Then I get into the shower and look down at my feet, which looked like meth addicts with bruised sores all around the toe regions. If I had seen the spider in my bed that caused it I would have killed it, but the only places I see them are near or inside the garage, so now I just always wear socks before going to bed.

EDIT: FWIW we get black widows here, and I see them all the time in the garage. They don't bother me so long as they keep their distance.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Probably around size 04. At 07 I find that they're completely worthless.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Probably around size 04. At 07 I find that they're completely worthless.

lol, assuming that this is some kind of RPG experience-farming reference.

 

[feralkid]

 

[lxskllr]

I don't kill any spiders that are around me. I had one drop near me on my computer table, and it running across the table was quite audible. It had about a 3" leg span. It disappeared, and for awhile I used the computer with my legs up on the chair :^D

I found him under a shoe about a week later, caught him, and put it outside. No harm came to the spider. There's spiders from other parts of the world I'd kill on sight if they were in my house. I'd also kill a recluse in my house, but otherwise I leave them alone. The only things I kill outside of the house are mosquitoes, and fuckin' deer flies. Deer flies are the spawn of satan, but fortunately, not too bright. If you only have a couple harassing you, you can raise your hand over your head. They go for the highest open skin available. When they land on you to bite, kill them with the other hand.

 

[0roo0roo]

useful

anything else dies

 

[jhansman]

Widows die. All others are transported outside in a jar or left to sink or swim as best they can. Remember, these guys are all that stands between us and the hoards of insects that would devour us if they could.

 

[BladeVenom]

I mostly try to throw them outside. They don't really bother me, but once you get to something as big as a Wolf Spider covered in baby spiders, it's a bit creepy.

 

[ussfletcher]

If its large enough to be seen by naked eye, then its certainly large enough to die.

 

[zinfamous]

I mostly try to throw them outside. They don't really bother me, but once you get to something as big as a Wolf Spider covered in baby spiders, it's a bit creepy.

Like when it's about to go airborne and land on your head?

 

[Locut0s]

None. I don't kill any of them. There are black widows here but I've never seen one to my knowledge and they really aren't that dangerous. If there were really dangerous spiders around here I might kill those otherwise I leave them all alone. Sometimes I capture them under a cup and put them outside.

Only thing I kill on sight are carpenter ants. We had a nest of them a while back and we see them every year, squish on sight. Not that killing the few that you see will mitigate the damage they do.

 

[HAL9000]

What spiders are useful?