I had a couple of small spiders set up camp in my jade plant and my instinct (being arachnophobic) was to kill them. The only thing that stopped me was thinking it might be helpful to have them around to eat anything that might harm my plant. They webbed up the plant some, but being really tiny spiders it's not terribly noticeable and so long as I don't think about it too much, they don't bother me.

Jeni

I guess it comes down to what you are willing to sacrifice: aesthetic value or plant health. A lot of spiders will definitely keep pest control at maximum efficiency. If their webs are overrunning a plant, it could lower the plant's photosynthetic efficiency, among other things. Of, course, there isn't a guarantee the spiders will eat the pests one might have. I would say, overall, their being around is a great help in controlling the most common pests. Even spider mites can be controlled by some of the smaller spiders. Ladybird beetles (ladybugs) will take care of aphids no problem! They are their main food source!Personally, I can't stand seeing webs connecting the spines of a cactus! Ichh!

If they're forming large webs in the plant, I kick 'em out, but if they're teeny spiders and are keeping things reasonable, I'll sometimes let them be. I'm no spider person at allll, and not fond of the jumping spiders. I personally prefer if they make webs between the pots, even though I don't like reaching down and accidentally sticking my hand in a web. What I don't let them do is have/lay their kids in my plants. :)

I have a huge jumping spider outside on my plants right now that's been following me, atleast I beleive so LOL... everytime I go out there, it's right there watching me and jumping out, scaring me half to death. And it's huge!!

Anyways, if they're tiny (and I mean REALLY tiny!!), I find it no bother..but if they're a certain size, I find a way to shake them off (outside of course)...spiders can do their jobs on some other plant far away, and especailly not inside. I have to deal with them daily because i have huge fields all around my apartments covered in weeds that of course attract spiders more then usual, and certain species creep me out...so those go no matter what...

I say it's up to you...whether you think they're helping or just being a pain...get a small paint brush and sweep the webs away, that's what I do.

-fpt

I think spiders are the cutest things on earth! Except black widows o_o i like to feed them random bugs i find :P i have 3 large funnel web spider and plenty of jumping spiders around my yard ... id rather have my plant happy than me happy so i leave them

What does everyone find most creepy about spiders? I can't stand the long, thin legs and tiny bodies, like house spiders. I have a ton of those around in my basement, and they always come in for winter! I found a few that were nearly 3 inches long with the leg span. Fangs are another thing, however, a nice, big tarantula doesn't freak me out, just because they are so hairy and stocky! If anything, they are cute!

If I could find the spider, I'd move it. Right now one bothersome one's web has now covered the entire top of an echeveria and half of the one next to it. I think I'll get a brush out and get rid of the web. If the spider comes out of hiding, all the better. I'll move it to the roses.

Penny,

Just blast the web off with a spray of the hose.

Jeff who likes spiders in and out (unfortunately, my wife doesn't and the cats kill any they can get to).

I'll take spiders any day over earwigs. Earwigs are loathesome and creepy little b@stards. And we have a ton of them...big ones, too...

We have tons of spider webs all over,not just on the plants,but on everything else as well,like on the fascia boards on the house,over the doors etc.Funny thing is i rarely see a spider,think they work at night!!LOL

Anyways,i just keep a few pieces of sticks around the plants and just use them to remove the webs,unfortunately they are back the next day.

I do like the webs the orb spiders make and they are good spiders for the gardens,so unless those are draping down where i would walk into them,i leave them alone.
Kathi

I love spiders, never harm them. Of course, I love every living thing, except mosquitoes, wasps, and flies. But will only kill mosquitoes without compunction. If the fly or wasp is inside and easy to capture, will do that before resorting to deadly force.

Christopher

I don't much like spider mites and then are known to make webs. I have a hard time telling their web from a beneficial web.

Know your spiders. My opinion, live and let live except for the black widow and brown recluse. I do not suffer them to live. I've never known anyone who was bit by the black widow but I do know of someone who died from the recluse. Know what you have and deal with the dangerous ones and leave the others to have there space.

You're right, those recluses have some nasty venom! Pictures of that stuff are horrifying. Here in WI, they, along with black widows, are found. I've also heard of massive infestations of the recluse in IL. They don't seem to mind the winters a lot, as long as they have a nice home to infest!

If I could find the spiders, I'd move them. There seems to be a lot of very small nice little brown spiders around that area of the house, so I suppose they all came from the same egg case. Maybe when they get a little bigger, I'll be able to see them, or go out there at night and catch them. They are in hanging baskets.

Several years back these huge red spiders showed up. Just one at first. One night it made a web from a tree on one side of the yard to the other side of the yard to the garage. When I walked out of the house in the morning and down the sidewalk to go to work I walked smack into it. It covered from below my shoulders up. Scared me half to death. That's how I discovered it. Every year more and more showed up. They killed a tree in one neighbor's yard. Why he didn't spray it I have no clue. I started killing them the first time I'd see one no matter how small. The smallest ones would make webs 3 feet across. I had to remove the trees in the yard because they got a fungus and with that the spiders disappeared. Still gives me nightmares.

Sounds like you have some Tertagnathas. I believe your spider's identity could be any one out of about 10 species. There are no other spiders in the world that form such communities.

As for getting rid of them, I'd say that might take you a lifetime, as a colony of your size could have about 1,000,000 individuals.

Like I said before, fangs freak me out, and these guys' chelicerae went back for seconds!