Spiders Creep To Top Of Halloween Pest Poll

You're not alone this Halloween if you dread spooky spiders more than all the ghosts, zombies and vampires combined.

According to Orkin's first-ever "Scariest Pest Halloween Poll," spiders, one of Halloween's quintessential icons, are the scariest pests of 2009.

The poll found that 30 percent of respondents picked spiders from among six spine-chilling pests. Following spiders were rodents (27 percent), cockroaches (23 percent), ticks (10 percent), flying/stinging insects (6 percent) and mosquitoes (4 percent.)

Orkin experts noted that the pests people consider the scariest aren't necessarily the most dangerous.

"Their food sources -- moths, flies, cockroaches, bees and other bugs -- are the same insects that pester us," said Ron Harrison, Orkin's technical director. "Because of that, their presence in or around our homes is a good indicator that we have a larger pest issue that needs attention."

While there are 3,500 different spider species found in the United States, few of them have potentially harmful or deadly bites. Only black widows, brown widows brown recluses and hobo spiders fall into that list, Harrison said.

Harrison also warned that homeowners should understand the risks posed by rodents, cockroaches, mosquitoes, ticks and flying/stinging insects. Although not voted the scariest, these pests are some of the world's most dangerous because of the diseases they can carry and health threats they pose, he said.