Your home is a jungle inhabited by 100 different species

 There are on average 100 species of creepy-crawly in every house, according to the first comprehensive census of house-dwelling arthropods. Some are part of an intricate ecosystem that relies on crumbs and nail clippings for food. Others are accidental visitors trapped in this strange and dangerous world, unbeknownst to most homeowners. The survey found 579 species, mainly insects, spiders, beetles, mites, flies and ants, in 50 detached houses in the leafy suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina. “The residents were really surprised and often horrified that we found so much, so we had to calm them down by saying it was normal,” says Matt Bertone of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, who led the survey. He says the results dispel ideas that modern homes are sterile deserts, showing instead that they teem with unseen life.