RALEIGH, N.C. — Spiders can be a source of intrigue or a source of fear, but there is a lot to learn about these creatures. A new exhibit, "Spiders: Fear to Fascination," at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science helps people gain a new understanding and respect for our fellow eight-legged friends.

What You Need To Know

  • The N.C. Museum of Natural Science is helping people get over their fear of spiders

  • The "Spiders: Fear to Fascination" exhibit explains the history and science of the critters

  • Zoologists take care of the dozens of live spiders that are part of the exhibit

  • They say there are very few harmful spiders in N.C., and they aren’t very common

Haley Attix is a big fan of spiders and is the zoologist in charge of taking care of these spiders behind the scenes.

“I just really like bugs,” Attix said. “It's cool to meet people here, kids and adults who come in, and they're really excited to see the spiders.

Here at the museum, she gets to spend her days with dozens of live spiders. Not only does she take care of the animals, she gets to share her passion with visitors.

Attix has loved these critters ever since she was a kid. Now, she’s an entomology student at N.C. State and the head spider technician at the museum’s newest exhibit. She says one of the main parts of her job is feeding the spiders and keeping their enclosures clean.

In the exhibit, people can learn about hundreds of different kinds of spiders, their history, environmental benefits and life stages.

Attix says even critters like spiders have preferences and personalities.

“But it's also interesting because people have never seen spiders from the perspective of how they behave as an animal,” Attix said. “[They think] they're just like predatorial and, you know, can be dangerous.”

Although there are a couple of venomous spiders that live in our state — black widows and brown recluse — Attix says they’re not as common as people think.

“Most spiders are not aggressive,” Attix said. “They mostly want to hide. They mostly just want to be left alone. And if it's in your house, I would say get a cup or a piece of paper under it. Take it outside. It probably didn't mean to be in your house anyway.”

On average in the United States there are only six deaths per year from spider bites, according to a medical study from the wilderness and environmental medicine website.

Attix wants people to understand spiders actually help the environment and get rid of pesky bugs like mosquitoes.

“It's been really cool to be able to change people's minds and just increase their respect for the animal,” Attix said.

The exhibit has dozens of live spiders, hundreds of preserved specimens and interactive learning displays. It is open to the public through Oct. 8.