COEUR d’ALENE — When I walked into my kitchen Thursday morning, eyes bleary with sleep, I was greeted by an alarming sight.

Adrenaline shocked the sleep right out of my system as I spied a large, tan, hairy spider in my sink.

Paralyzed by fear and excessive heart palpitations, I watched as it felt its way around the dishes in its stainless steel environment, with what looked like tiny paws or “boxing gloves.” It was rather beautiful and completely unaware of me, but I could see its fangs and my fight-or-flight instinct provoked me to grab the first weapon I could find and commit spider homicide.

I was covered with a sheen of sweat by this time. As I steadied myself, I thought, ‘Why did I just do that?’ Why was I so afraid of something that wasn’t even really a threat? I wasn’t successful in squashing it, but I most likely sentenced that creature to a watery death.

Edward John Bechinski, professor of entomology at University of Idaho, said not to panic. What I encountered was an adult male who was looking for love and a cool place.

“They’re just escaping the heat,” Bechinski said. “They’re seeking a better habitat and just accidentally wander inside.”

He said about August into September people can expect to see more of these uninvited guests because they are maturing and have “reproduction on the mind.”

Bechinski also said my visitor was most likely a hobo spider or a funnel-web-weaving relative. This thought plus my arachnophobia caused my skin to crawl.

“It’s nothing to freak out about,” he said. “Every single Idaho home at sometime during the year has a hobo spider crawling in it.” He said that they are common, but if hobos really were that dangerous, “people would be suffering all these bites, and that’s not the case.”

Hobos can be difficult to identify because they may look a lot like others in the Agelenidae (funnel weaver) family. Their venom may cause ulcerous wounds, so people should play it safe in their company. However, Bechinski said that many times the spiders are blamed for bites, but unless you actually see the eight-legged perpetrators escaping the scene of dermal violation, it might not be a spider at all. Other biting bugs, rashes and skin irritations could be the culprit.

So, why are we so afraid of these critters?

“Spiders have a nasty reputation because when they tickle, they feel creepy,” said North Idaho College psychology instructor Kristina Klassen. She said the fear of arachnids is a learned behavior, and attributes it to past associations. She reminded me that not everyone is afraid of spiders.

“You have people who are terrified of clowns, elevators, the color purple,” she said. “If it were natural, everybody would be afraid of spiders. The fact that not everyone is tells you something else is going on.”

Klassen said their looks, and horror movies, don’t help their case.

“You have how ugly they are, these odd, angular things,” she said. “We react differently to round things than to angular things.”

Bechinski said they really are more afraid of us than we are of them.

“If it was charging you, it was entirely accidental,” he said.

He said part of the reason we detest spiders is their way of eating.

“They have food habits that people find disgusting,” he said. “They chase down their food, pounce on it...it’s such a non-human way of gathering food.”

OK, so why do they always end up in our sinks and bathtubs?

“They wander along the ledge and slip in,” he said. “It’s too slick for them to get out.”

According to University of Idaho’s “Homeowner Guide to Spiders Around the Home and Yard” by Bechinski, Dennis Schotzko and Craig Baird, hobos aren’t very good climbers, so it makes sense that they become trapped in the porcelain prisons until an unsuspecting human finds them.

However creepy and loathsome, spiders do have their place in the web of life. They keep the insect population in check, and the venom and silk of some species have been found to have medical benefits.

Plus, you have to admit, their webs are almost mystical in their beauty. Some cultures see spiders as good luck. According to some American Indian legends, the dreamcatcher was formed from a spider’s web, and the spider represented a trickster or figure of wisdom.

A good, guilt-free way to rid yourself of a spider is to get a clear cup and a stiff piece of paper. Without agitating it, place the mouth of the cup over it and slide the paper between the rim of the cup and the surface. Keep it carefully covered and gently release it outside.

Bechinski said the arachnids enter from outside, so caulking floors and windows can help secure against them. Destroying webs and eliminating potential meals (smaller insects) can also deter them from taking up residence in your home.

“Every single spider is a predator,” he said. “It has to have something to feed on.”

Spider traps and spraying house foundations with insecticide can also be useful. But if you use the traps, be prepared for what you might find.

“Get some spider traps, they’d be fun,” Bechinski said. “You’d be surprised by the amount of nocturnal activity in your home.”

It really is simple that we can coexist with spiders. They might give us the willies, but they belong here as much as we do.

And I don’t really care to know what they do in my house while I’m sleeping, just as long as they have the decency to depart before I wake up.