The calendar is replete with odd holidays (Plan Your Epitaph Day?) and week-long celebrations. For example, this week is dedicated to our eight-legged friends, the spiders. It's National Be Kind To Spiders Week!

Unlike KOOL 96.5's Nate Bird (sissy), I'm not afraid of spiders. In fact, they fascinate me. This is after I was bitten by a Brown Recluse Spider at the age of 13, and I still have a dead spot about the size of a quarter on my left leg.

Spiders aren't evil. They aren't out to hurt us, and in fact, they do provide several valuable service:

  • Spiders help control the over populations of other pest’s such as aphids, mosquitoes and cockroaches.
  • Having spiders in the home eliminates the need to buy pesticides.
  • The venom of some spiders is currently being studied by scientists for potential to relieve arthritis.
  • The ingestion of spiders is believed to bring good luck in Thailand and South America.
  • Spiders significantly prevent the onset of some diseases by eliminating or reducing the populations of other disease carrying pests.

The Magic Valley is home to some pretty impressive spiders: Black Widows, Daring Jumping Spiders, Wolf Spiders, and the awesome, aggressive house spider, better known as the venomous Hobo Spider. If it's one of these arachnids, definitely be nice to it.

I had a Hobo Spider attack my slipper a few weeks ago. With my foot in it. They can be REALLY aggressive.

So through the 7th of April please be kind to spiders. Remember, there are a lot more of them than there are of us.

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