In February of 2012, I began tracking stories related to spiders that show up in the news. I use Google Alerts (keyword: spider) to generate a weekly digest of spider-related news. I sift through stories about comics, movies, cars, and actual spider science (which I read), to get to the real gems: people interacting with spiders. These people tend to interact with spiders in...interesting ways, such as immolating their homes, crashing vehicles, evacuating buildings, and filing lawsuits. These stories are frequently hilarious, occasionally tragic, and almost always frustrating to someone who loves and understands spiders.

While arachnophobia is a real condition (for which there is quick, effective treatment), many people act unreasonably towards spiders out of ignorance. Is it true they are all deadly monsters waiting to feast upon you and your family? Is their preferred nesting habitat on or in the human body? Is fire the only way to banish them from your home? Is that red spot on your arm a brown recluse bite, requiring immediate amputation? Is the presence of a spider in your groceries a sign of the End Times? The answer to these questions is "no", but the media outlets running these stories benefit from sensational headlines and uninformed testimonies, so ignorance prevails.

Check out my blog for updates about spiders in the news. I will highlight stories, try to dispel myths, and poke fun of the ridiculous behavior of everyone involved.