Why Do Spiders Stay In Corners? (Three main reasons)
Why do spiders stay in corners?
Everyone knows them, some are afraid of them, and others dislike them. They are the spiders, which get lost in our apartment or house and then usually sit in a corner of the room. And they do so because they can only build a web there because that doesn’t work on a smooth wall.
Most of the spiders that come to our house or apartment are harmless spiders with few exceptions. Some house spiders are also called angle spiders. “And the name says it all”.
Spiders like to be cornered, alone in a corner, quiet with nothing and no one to bother them, for a moment I thought I was describing myself…
House spiders usually build webs and for that they need an “angle”, that is, a three-dimensional space with at least two edges between which they can stretch their web.
There are other species that belong to the field spiders that sometimes also sit in corners, even outside. They seek protection there. The corner looks like a hiding place. In addition, such species often put protective nets in the corners.
The corners are a very comfortable and safe place for spiders
Apart from the fact that corners are an ideal place for weaving webs, spiders choose these places for other convenient reasons as well. For example, a spider can remain stately in a corner for a long time.
Although spiders can easily walk and stand on completely vertical surfaces parallel to their legs, a surface with a certain angle of inclination perpendicular to their legs makes the work of wall attachment much easier.
According to studies, spiders can generate forces with their legs and this, along with thousands of tiny hairs, creates multiple points of contact between the spider and the surface, allowing them to grip easily.
This makes a surface with angles of inclination with the corners of a house an appropriate place for a spider to cling to much more securely. In these places, spiders find three points of support, two side walls and the roof.
Obviously this applies to spiders large enough to touch at least two of the surfaces with their legs.
Corners are one of the spider’s favorite places to create its webs
Spider webs spoil aesthetics and cleanliness.
Also, it is not pleasant to see other pests, and it may not be hygienic.
The main conditions for spider webs are:
- There is a scaffolding for spider webs
- There is something to feed
- A place where the net is hard to break
It seems that the outdoors are often made by hooking on plants or ledges.
If it is indoors, it is the corner of the ceiling. Also, the image is that it is built in an old building or an uninhabited house, but spider webs can be made regardless of whether people live or build a new one.
All spiders weave webs
For many people, when talking about spiders, the first thing that comes to mind is that these creatures are simply natural little silk-spinners. In fact, not all spiders spend time creating webs.
As a way for them to obtain food, many spiders weave unexpectedly complex and strong spider webs. They trap insects and other prey with spider webs, and then they can have a full meal. However, other types of spiders capture food in “outdated” ways. Take Wolf spiders as an example. They dig holes in the ground to catch prey. In winter, they use rocks and form a funnel-shaped wire mesh to reinforce their pits and openly capture prey for food.
Tarantulas also use their feet to prey. They shoot silk threads like Spider-Man, so that they can stick to the smooth ground. Running crabspiders are named after their carapace. They lie motionless on the ground and play dead, waiting for insects to pass by to obtain food.
The corners are support points for spider webs
In nature or outdoor environments, spiders use elements such as tree branches as a frame to weave their webs, this is something they can replicate inside a house such as in a corner.
It is the only place in the house where a kind of frame is formed by the same surfaces, and its location is strategic, a corner is the highest point of the house, this way it can catch flies and insects at the same time the spider is kept away from people.
What does it mean when there are a lot of spiders in the house?
If there are many spiders in a house, it means there are also many insects. Spiders crawl to where they can find food and shelter from the cold.
Those houses that prevent insects from crawling and flying with window and door bars also prevent their eight-legged predators from entering.
Because as useful as spiders are, they also leave unpleasant footprints. Wherever insects live and eat, they deposit their droppings in the form of small, dark globules.
In addition, owners often become upset by sucked insects, webs, or stripped leathers. But some simply don’t like the spiders themselves.
Why are spiders mostly in the bathroom?
Have you noticed that occasionally spiders appear only in the bathroom of your house? this is something I have noticed personally, some harmless spiders are always in the bathroom of the house, it is as if they have chosen this place to live, but why?
Well, at first sight this makes sense, the bathroom is the most uninhabited place in the house, its use is sporadic, apart from this, spiders like humid, warm and dark environments, the bathroom meets all these characteristics.
A place like the bathroom is almost always kept in the dark or in semi-darkness, of course, that depends on the type of home, but this is almost always usual.
I had also read, that spiders appear in house bathrooms because they have access to the pipes, but this theory doesn’t make much sense to me.
Why are spiders always in the same place?
Most spiders have a fixed territory that they rarely leave. They live where their web is, that is, their home.
If a spider likes a nice place (for most spiders it is a warm place where there is food), it will probably stay there. Then they usually begin to build a web and wait for prey. If they don’t catch anything there for a long time, they move on.
Some spiders also wander (e.g., male spiders looking for mates), or even attack other spiders of the same species in their webs and drive them away to take over the territory of the other spider (e.g., Tegenaria atrica, the large house spider).
Why do spiders stay in one place for so long?
Being calm and immobile is a natural behavior for spiders since it is part of their predatory behavior. All spiders are carnivores and feed mostly on live prey, usually insects.
They use two hunting methods, the passive one being one of the most used, for this method they need to be immobile for long periods of time in a patient way.
Staying still and waiting for their prey to get close enough is a very effective tactic for the spider.
How do you get spiders out of the corner?
Spiders dislike citrus odors, so you can spray juice from the peel of a citrus tree or use citrus-scented cleaners and spray them with a spreader in the corners of your house.
Atmospheric vinegar can also be very effective, fill a spray bottle with half water and half white vinegar, and spray it on the corners, cracks, and crevices of your house. Avoid varnished surfaces as the vinegar may damage the finish.
Another more direct way to get rid of a spider in a corner without having to kill it, no matter if it is dangerous or not: If you dislike spiders, there are solutions for you.
For example, if you find a spider in a corner of the bathtub, you can put a glass upside down and then slide a sheet of paper under it. If the glass closes with the spider, it can be taken outside and released there in the wild.