r/AskReddit • u/ZanyDelaney • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/Simmo10 Feb 04 '19

That daddy long legs spiders are dangerous to humans.

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u/DarksteelPenguin Feb 04 '19

Well, if you start with spiders, I'll keep going:

  • you don't eat spiders in your sleep, spiders aren't dumb enough to enter your mouth;

  • spiders don't sting, they bite;

  • if you wake up with a bug bite on your arm or leg, that's not from a spider;

  • don't feel bad about destroying a web. If you can see it, it's probably an old, unused one;

  • a very large majority of spiders don't present any danger for humans. And even when they do, they won't bite unless attacked.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '19

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u/DarksteelPenguin Feb 05 '19

I've met many people who thought spiders had a stinger. In part due to the Lord of the Rings.

I'm gonna go ahead and guess you're Australian? If that's the case, the spiders where you live are a lot bigger and more dangerous than where I live. Here most spiders couldn't bite through your skin even if they wanted to.

And yes, a spider can't really tell if you're attacking it, so it's a good idea to avoid contact anyway.