Spiders eat mostly protein for their diet, and they do not like sugar. Spiders do not have a sweet tooth and instead prefer bugs, insects, and even other spiders. The only exception is they’ll suck nectar out of fruit and flowers, but they only do this when they need moisture for their bodies.
Do Spiders Like Honey?
Spiders do not like honey, in part because they do not like sweets and in part because it is too sticky for them to handle. Spiders get food in one of two ways, described here:
1. Web-Building Spiders
Most spiders get their prey because they weave a web and the prey gets stuck in the web. After this happens, the spider wraps the prey up in the web then injects venom into it to paralyze it and liquefy it.
Keep in mind that spiders do not have teeth and therefore cannot eat their food this way. While the prey is in their web, the spider also releases digestive fluids onto the prey, which liquefies its tissues. Finally, the spider simply sucks up the prey, which is done rather quickly.
2. Non Web-Building Spiders
Some spiders do not build webs but instead will stalk their prey and pounce on them when they find it.
They use their fangs to stop the prey from causing them any damage, and once the prey is essentially catatonic, spiders will eat it at that point, in much the same way that web-building spiders do.
Either way, spiders will not be attracted to honey and therefore you don’t have to get too nervous if some of it accidentally gets on your kitchen counter.
How to Keep Spiders Out of Your Sugar Bowl
There is essentially only one way spiders will be found in your sugar bowl. As we’ve already established, spiders do not like sweet things, but other pests do.
If ants happen to get into your sugar bowl, spiders will go after them because ants are on most spiders’ lists of favorite foods.
So indirectly, that sugar bowl might be causing a spider problem, but keep in mind that the spiders are likely going after the ants and nothing else. The same holds true for other insects that might get into your sugar bowl.
Can Spiders Be Fed Pure Sugar?
It is unlikely that spiders would survive if they were fed pure sugar. Not only do spiders dislike sweet things, but their bodies simply don’t need them.
Even when they suck nectar out of fruits and flowers, they are only doing it out of necessity and nothing else. If they enjoyed eating sweet things, they would eat part of the fruit or flower they were sucking on so that they could enjoy even more sweetness.
But they only suck out the nectar and leave the actual fruit or flower behind, proving that they don’t like things that taste sweet.
Why Is It a Good Thing to Find Spiders in Your Fruits?
If you bring home fresh fruit from the grocery store or farmers’ market and you discover spiders in with the fruit, don’t panic.
The truth is, there’s a good reason why they’re there – and it’s a reason you will like. When farmers pick their fruits and get them ready to send to the supermarket, they often have sprayed pesticides on them by that point.
If they’ve used a natural, non-chemical pesticide, it may actually attract spiders.
Spiders will not eat foods that have chemical pesticides on them. They prefer fresh foods and while the spiders won’t be eating your fruit, they are usually searching for the other pests who are there to do just that.
They have likely been eating the other pests that are inundating your fruit. This means that the fewer pesticides that were put on the growing crop of fruit, the more likely you might notice a spider or two mixed in with that fruit!
Conclusion
Spiders do not have a sweet tooth and therefore, they will not seek out foods such as honey or sugar. They will occasionally suck the nectar out of fruit and flowers, but they only do this when it’s necessary to rehydrate their bodies so they can live.
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.