Copyright 1997 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Most people are aware that spiders are very beneficial because they eat insects, still there is much confusion and unwarranted fear of the potential harm spiders might do to people.
Spiders rank just behind bees and wasps as the most feared arthropod.
Of the more than 3,000 kinds of spiders in the United States, about 60 species have been implicated as causing medically significant bites to people. Many spiders are not capable of breaking the skin with their fangs while other species contain venom that causes no reaction. Spiders are usually very timid and will only bite in self-defense if mishandled, cornered, or injured. Even when they bite, spiders do not always inject venom. The severity of the reaction to a spider bite will differ among individuals.