Most are quite beneficial by feeding on harmful insects and mites in and around the home, yard, garden and field. Wholesale destruction of spiders should be avoided, if possible. Some southern states not only tolerate spiders but encourage them to inhabit the house as an aid in nuisance insect control. Most spiders have 8 eyes, some only 6 and several have fewer or none. The tip of the abdomen has silk spinning glands.
Males are usually smaller than females.
Life Cycle and Habits Spiders lay eggs within a silken egg sac that is often ball-shaped and either hidden in the web or carried by the female. Spiders may produce several egg sacs, each containing several hundred eggs. One female may produce as many as 3,000 eggs in a series of several sacs over a period of time. Most spiders live either 1-2 seasons. Some spiders may overwinter as eggs, spiderlings in the egg sac, immature spiders living outside the egg sac, or as adults.