The population of these spiders is currently abundant, and many people are grateful for this because spiders control the populations of other pesky insects, like mosquitoes, which spread diseases, like zika. Their numbers could be affected by things like pesticide use and habitat loss, which holds true for most species, but there is one other human action that interestingly affects them. The use of artificial light can throw their activity cycles off. This artificial light brings them more food, like the moths you may have seen circling lights, but it can also make them think that night is day or vice versa. They are usually active at night, and if they confusingly start hunting during the day, they become more vulnerable to predators that eat them.
