The internet has been left reeling this week after a man shared the results of a year-old bug trap underneath his desk.
On Sunday, Will from Colorado shared the terrifying picture of the bug trap with users on Reddit, posting it on the website's r/WTF forum, where it has received over 23,000 upvotes and more than 1,400 comments.
Alongside the image, the Redditor wrote: "I checked the bug trap under my desk for the first time," and shared the picture of a bug trap jammed-full with dead spiders.
The U.S. is home to around 3,500 species of spider, and most of these are not dangerous to humans or pets. Only two species of spider in the U.S. can cause harm to humans—the black widow and the brown recluse.
While around 3-15 percent of the population is reported to suffer arachnophobia (a fear of spiders), the eight-legged creatures are an incredibly important part of our ecosystem.
Spiders are natural controllers of insect pests and play a significant part in keeping populations of many different insects under control. This in turn prevents our homes, yards, and crops from becoming overrun with pests.
Spiders at also an important food source for birds and other small mammals, especially during winter and spring.
Will told Newsweek: "That bug trap was there for probably a little over a year. In fact, I didn't even place it there. I moved into the room about a year ago when my previous roommate who lived in it moved out of the house. As I moved in, he mentioned that there was a bug trap, but I honestly completely forgot about it. Then this past weekend I had some spare time, so I decided to clean my room."
When he cleaned underneath the desk, he remembered the bug trap was still sitting there.
"I got down, looked in it and audibly exclaimed 'what the f***!' I had never seen so many dead spiders in one spot," he said. "I'm not usually squeamish around bugs but I straight up could not look at this trap without fully cringing and tensing my body."
The initial reaction was one shared by many online after the picture started to gain viral attention on Reddit.
One commenter asked: "How much do you wish you would've never checked it?" while another Redditor wrote: "The proper response is to quietly and orderly exit the building and the burn the place down."
"The trap I have in my CRAWL SPACE has nowhere near this amount," shared another reply, and "You have an infestation buddy." But others were quick to point out that most homes are likely to have a substantial amount of spiders.
"People here don't realize how many spiders are actually in your house," said another Redditor.
In fact, if you're reading this at home, experts suggest that there is probably a spider within your reach right now. On average, 61.84 spiders can be found per home, with the global average spider density standing around 131 spiders per square meter.
After gaining thousands of responses on the post, the bug-trap ordeal at least gave the internet a point of discussion. But Will said that if he had known how many spiders were dying in the trap, he would have prevented it.
"I swear I'm not usually a spider killer," he said. "I would've gotten rid of the trap way sooner had I noticed that spiders were dying in it."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more
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