Evidence of spiders doesn't mean the house isn't clean

In Australia our urban population is mainly spread along a hundred kilometre wide coastal fringe, predominately on the eastern and southern sides of the continent.

Our preferred housing is often in areas which were developed for the first time in the last 10 to 50 years, often on recently cleared land.

This means that there are many houses which are built close to remnant bushland, open space, rural land or national park and therefore close to native species of plant, animal, reptile, insect et cetera. In such areas it would be hard to find a house without a resident spider or two.

So when did it become a sign of uncleanliness to house the odd spider?

The answer is easy - when you have pest inspection services to sell.

According to the Herald-Sun on Thursday:

Archicentre which conducts pre-purchase inspections on behalf of potential homebuyers found many homeowners who had little understanding of the need to keep their homes clean and well-maintained had no one but themselves to blame.

The figures show:
TRACES of rats or mice in 46 per cent of homes.
SPIDERS in 58 per cent of homes.
COCKROACHES in 15 per cent of homes.
POSSUMS in 13 per cent of homes and
SILVERFISH in 5 per cent of homes.
TERMITES were found in 12 per cent of homes.

Shame on you, Archicentre.

Living in a town built on reclaimed marsh and sand as I do, Daddy Long Legs and Tarantulas under the eaves (along with frogs and lizards at ground level) are the first line of defence against all those mosquitos, sandflies, midges and other flying biters that can make life a misery.

Daddy Long Legs from Google Images