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A dew-strung web across the bed at dawn, or a tiny jumping spider swivelling to watch you from a leaf — spiders unsettle a lot of people, but in the veggie patch they're one of the best things you can have.
What they actually do
Every spider is a predator, and pests are the menu. Web-builders like the garden orb-weaver trap flying trouble — moths (whose caterpillars chew your brassicas), whiteflies, flies and mosquitoes. Hunters like jumping spiders and wolf spiders stalk aphids, caterpillars and beetles across the leaves. A patch full of spiders is a patch with fewer pests.
The catch
Almost none for the garden. The usual worry is a bite — but garden spiders are shy and harmless to you; just don't reach blindly into webs or dark corners, and wear gloves when you're rummaging. (Redbacks like dry, sheltered nooks — worth knowing, but they're not out on your plants.)
What to do
Leave them to it. They work the night shift for free. And never blanket-spray — the first thing you'd kill is your best free pest control.
Not sure whether the bug you've spotted is friend or foe? Our Garden Trouble Calendar shows the pests and diseases that are actually active in your area right now — everything else is usually one of the good guys.
Image: Graham Wise, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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