In your home. In your car. At your desk. During this time of year, it seems spiders are everywhere. Petra Sierwald, a specialist in spiders and millipedes and the associate curator of the Field Museum's Integrative Research Center, said that might be because in the fall many females are full of eggs and are bigger, thus easier to notice.

Should we be afraid?

Sierwald urges people to keep the eeks to a minimum: There is no reason to fear spiders. "All spiders are harmless in comparison to driving a car, crossing the road, etc.," she wrote in an email. Plus, spiders keep populations of insects in check like cockroaches, silverfish and mites. Without spiders, another critter would have to do that job.

OK, then, what should one do about spiders in the house?

One way to keep the spider population down in your home is to keep the house clean, Sierwald said — no crumbs, no pet food left lying out; in other words, no nutrition for household insects. If flies, mites and cockroaches can't find anything to eat and don't take up residence, spiders won't have anything to eat, either. If a person is really freaked out by the appearance of spiders, Sierwald said, then take the eight-leggers outside, though she said they'll probably just find their way back in. It's better, instead, to just get used to them and let them do their job.

What are some common types?

There are about 800 spider species in Illinois, Sierwald said. Allen Lawrance, living invertebrate specialist for the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, describes some of the more common types seen in this area.