This morning, in my bathroom, I was faced with a dilemma.
And here are the results of the poll on what I should do about this sticky situation. It is heartening to see that the majority of voters would release the spider (which is what I did), but also rather sad that over 38% of respondents (discounting the 5% who were high while voting) would resort to violence (against either me or the spider). 
Capture it & release it outside, obv. =)
I am always catching spiders, centipedes, insects from the walls of my apartment…only to release them outside. If this occurs in winter, I turn a blind eye to the little critters…something that apalls my 23 year old daughter! I cannot believe the fallout from the goliath spider collection for science. I am FAR MORE CONCERNED about the plight of the monarch butterfly. Man is destroying one of the most fascinating spectacles of nature…the migration of the monarch…by killing off its food source, the milkweed. Piotr, please rally us to plant milkweed in our yards and gardens to stem this destruction!
If only people would learn that spiders do not run out and attack. They generally hide. And they do not mean to invade your space. If you can’t catch it at least don’t spread more fear.
Why is there not an option for placing spider in light box and taking gorgeous photos of it? Images of ventral side of abdomen would be nice.
I guess it depends. It appears to be a brown widow from the image. If I didn’t have a curious toddler running around, I’d catch it and let it go outside. But these guys in particular absolutely love getting into children’s outdoor toys and that can be problematic. They are also incredibly prolific in SC. So, I’d have to say, given that scenario, I’d squash it like a bug (because it’s really not a bug).
And I’d say this species is only one of four organisms I reserve that fate for; the other three being fire ants, mosquitoes and termites. I don’t think even black widows around our house deserve that end because they’re so reclusive that you usually don’t encounter them. But that’s just me.
Brown widows probably do not come this far North (Massachusetts). I believe that this is a harmless Cobweb spider (Steatoda triangulosa).
Then out the door with the little bugger. Good to know I relocate to MA!
Train it to eat vegetables, then gently release into the wild so that it can teach its arachnid relatives to no longer harm any other living beings?
We let our spiders stay in situ. We save a lot of money on Halloween decorations that way.
OOOh!Getta jar, quick! What has it been eating in your sink? If you feed it, will it present you with an egg sac? Another fine example of adaptation! It’s not like you HAVE to touch it–observe and learn!
“Ragno porta guadagno” is an italian proverb that stand for “Spider brings income”
Are you trying to redeem yourself here? The best thing for you to do would be to admit that your were wrong, to state that killing animals to make specimens out of them is wrong, and to promise never to it again.