EVERY Spider in Your House - and what they’re doing there (ft. @travismcenery2919 )

Ever seen a spider in your house? Wonder if there might be more? Today I'm joined by spider researcher Travis McEnery, and we're going to break down every spider you might come across in your house, and whether they are truly something to be worried about.

Here at MyWildBackyard we investigate the secrets of the natural world- secrets that can be hidden in our very own backyards! I want to share the incredible world of insects, spiders and other wildlife with you and inspire you to explore your curiosity. Get out there, and find your adventure!

For those who read the description- we've updated the channel! I'm working on adding more features to videos to better expand our conversations about the secrets we find in the natural world! Introducing the Creature Tier System! There are four rankings:
1. Staple - These are the lowest tier creatures. They are the most common species in a given habitat, and while they're not boring, they're really only exciting when you're exploring a new habitat and you haven't seen them before. Not something to write home about.
2. Neat - These are a step up from Staple. They don't make your entire day, but they are worth taking a closer look at when found. Definitely can be exciting to have a productive day finding many Neat species.
3. Wild - These are exciting to find. Whether they have interesting defensive features that offer a nice challenge in the field, are particularly cool looking, or maybe a little bit rare, Wild species aren't necessarily the MOST memorable of encounters, but they definitely make your day when you see them. An adventure featuring many Wild species will truly be memorable.
4. Gem - These are special. Usually involving extremely interesting biology and significant rarity, Gem species are animals that you really do not see every day. These species can make your whole adventure, and will be very memorable.

Creative Commons Music Tracks Used in This Video:

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

#spiders

[MyWildBackyard]

What spiders do you see in YOUR house?

[cs]

I have a symbiotic relationship with one of the spiders I found. I have a window that has a tiny gap for gnats and fruit flies to slip in, and they always chew through any seal I put in place. So I took the spider and placed it in between the screen and the glass, and she's managed to catch everything trying to come through. I even saw her with presumably a male, and she's grown tremendously since I first placed her there, leading me to believe she's expecting. Never thought I'd say, "good girl" to a spider.

Update: she's passed on :(

[xenodemon]

"There's a spider watching you right now."
*Looks over at my 3 tarantulas*

[travismcenery]

Very nicely done, Spencer. Was an absolute pleasure to work with you, and you cut it all together brilliantly. Love that huge wolfie - absolutely gorgeous spider!

[TheBlackSwordsManGat]

I love that you called the jumping spider a little cat. I've always called them 8-leggeded kittens. Moths are sky kittens.

[pines]

I had a cob web spider beside my kitchen sink one time and she was the best pest patrol ever. I hate spraying poison around the kitchen area. She kept my kitchen free from stink bugs, that for whatever reason decided to start invading there. I told anyone that came over to not mess with her or her web. She became like a pet to me and my wife and we didn’t even like spiders at the time. We would even feed her little bugs we’d find roaming around. She sure changed our view about them. Now if we ever see one we leave them be, and let them have their little slice of paradise in our home, undisturbed.

[JimBeamFiend]

I used to be afraid of spiders, but after owning my own house and dealing with flies, mosquitoes, and roaches, i welcome them in my house. I just dont want them to suprise me.

[lestatuk]

One of my favourite behaviour traits of the cellar spider is, when it feels threatened it will start to shake the web really fast. It is really impressive to see.

[BuckBlaziken]

When I was taking an arthropod biology course in college I was told “whatever you do, don’t kill cellar spiders. They’re the oldest roommates to humans and they will be more than happy to keep you safe from actual dangerous spiders”. Cellar spiders are friends not your enemies.

[pipermoonshine]

I had a roach infestation for about 6 months and I was freaked out everyday. Psychologically it was getting to me.. then one day I saw a spider...with in a week the roaches were gone.. I am sure that was not the only spider in my house.. sure enough I saw quite a few during that week and apparently the word got out to just about every spider.. "free room and bored!" man they earned their keep. I never saw a roach again.. I was so happy. I know this sounds weird but I felt so safe with those 8 legged guys hunting.. and unless you have a really bad roach infestation appear, you will never know what I mean.

[urnotreal]

one of the best videos ive watched. I have SEVERE arachnophobia. To the point where when i see the spider in the start of spider-man I have to look away from the screen. Ive been trying to get over my arachnophobia by watching yt videos on them occasionally.

This not only taught me about spiders, but made me more at ease from them. I like your channel, even though im shaking out of fear while watching videos!

[dragonstar]

I love how you encourage others to gently put them outside. Cellar spiders are also great for protecting your plants from other bugs

[melanielangham]

I am only ok with jumping spiders. I have a pet phidippus regius named Spinderella, and she is adorable.

[HerobrinesPizzaGuy]

Cellar spiders the only thing to truly appreciate "Bane of Arthropods V"

[NickThree]

That wolf spider is an absolute unit. If I found that in my house I wouldn’t sleep ever again.

[Grinzlow]

Cellar spiders are definitely underrated. Here in the UK there was our version of a house spider (as big as you'll see here) in my bathroom in one corner. In another corner was a cellar spider and like David and Goliath, a day later the cellar spider took him out, which completely surprised my uneducated self. Since then I have a new found respect for something that used to freak me out.

[CG-xbkh]

MyWildBackyard got me over arachnophobia, and Travis McEnery fed my newfound interest in spiders.
Great to see this collab, and thank you to you both!

[NUCLEARxREDACTED]

Last I saw my cellar spider, he was headed up the back wall of my bathroom. He is a hardy little fella, the fact he has survived my cats for more than 3 days is a real testament to his cunning.

[jessica_in_japan]

Here in Japan, we sometimes get the massive huntsman spiders bigger than our hands wandering into our houses. But despite the jump scare factor, they usually only wander in when there are prey insects to be found inside and then leave just as suddenly once they take care of the problem. I had one sitting outside in front of my front door staring up at the door a while ago and was like, "please, you don't want to come in, there is nothing for you." I do have tons of little jumping spiders though. Haven't seen as many recently, but at one point, I could count 7 males in my room at one time.

[valiantwarrior]

This is one of my favorite videos you’ve done, Master Spencer. I think everyone would benefit from seeing it.

Those cellar spiders appear fragile, but they are surprisingly tough when it comes to taking on other spiders. I’ve seen footage of them shooting web from a distance. Fascinating spiders. But then, they all are in their own way, and all have an important purpose in their ecosystem.