Been finding Black Widows on my patio lately

[Miramonti]

Fortunately my girlfriend watches a lot of National Geographic and recognized their messy webs. She also learned they are nocturnal and to find them in their webs at night, so last night we did some black widow hunting.

This is the 4th one we've killed this week, two last night.

Also found this dude calmly sitting on top of the hottub watching us the whole time.


Update 8/05: Tonight's catch, found in a cinder block here. Needless to say we're getting a little paranoid. :frown:

I happen to be thru with the dish too, so its getting taken down and the cinder blocks taken away soon.

 

[BoomerD]

We have a lot of widows here too...nasty bitches...

 

[Miramonti]

I'm a little worried for the two dogs too, they're always very curious. That widow was right on a flower pot.

 

[MagicConch]

How interesting. A pest control guy to my house just yesterday claiming of a recent black widow outbreak. I thought he was full of it.

 

[BoomerD]

The problem with pest control is that unless they can actually spray the spider, it doesn't really do any good. Apparently there are no residual pesticides that work for spiders, (or flying insects like wasps...which we have by the bazillions) so it's mostly a scam if they claim to be able to control black widows long term.

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: MagicConch
How interesting. A pest control guy to my house just yesterday claiming of a recent black widow outbreak. I thought he was full of it.

I'm in NM, where are you? I've been here a couple years and hadn't seen any before, altho can't say I was really in tune for what to look for.

 

[No1ustad]

what city?

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
The problem with pest control is that unless they can actually spray the spider, it doesn't really do any good. Apparently there are no residual pesticides that work for spiders, (or flying insects like wasps...which we have by the bazillions) so it's mostly a scam if they claim to be able to control black widows long term.

I hate to use much spray but its not going to stop me here. I tried to get around all the nooks they might might be hiding, altho their webs are the best giveaway - they look like a complete mess. I wouldn't call them poorly engineered tho, they are pretty darn effective, just not pretty.

 

[Miramonti]

.

 

[Marinski]

pest control kills what the spiders eat. If theres no food for the spiders they will leave and find somewhere else with more food.

 

[imported_weadjust]

I killed three last week. One was on the storm door by the handle. Location North Mississippi.

 

[sandmanwake]

Get a pet duck. It'll eat the spiders and provide you with eggs.

 

[Akhen]

Same thing been happening with me, they are freaking everywhere.

 

[WildHorse]

They're plentiful here too.

Hourglass on the big females is usually red, but sometimes orange.

They like wood.

So clear out any wood piles, old unused wood stuff.

 

[effee]

Aren't they extremely posionous too?

 

[WildHorse]

Originally posted by: effee
Aren't they extremely posionous too?

only the ones waiting under your bed

 

[Rubycon]

Second "dude" is a katydid. Makes a raspy noise and its speed is proportionate to the ambient temperature. If you pick them up by their wings be careful as they will hock up tar like spit (like grasshoppers) and spit it on you. (disgusting but not really harmful)

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: effee
Aren't they extremely posionous too?

Poisonous? Yes.
Extremely? Nah...

To clarify. Thier venom is very, very toxic.. but since they are such small creatures, they don't produce very much of it. A healthy adult will want to get treatment, because being sick sucks, but there are very few cases where actual death occurs from a BW bite.

Children can be very susceptible, however.

 

[sao123]

Black widows in the south... brown recluses in the north...
everywhere you go theres something poisonous waiting to bite you...

 

[fralexandr]

I heard that the people who actually die from black widow bites have an 'allergic' reaction to the poison. The poison isn't strong enough to kill a healthy adult human, but it probably wouldn't be pleasant to experience. That being said, I do not condone the killing of other life forms. I would just leave them alone, unless you have pets or small children. They won't hunt you down or something, your bigger than their normal prey.

 

[potato28]

Originally posted by: sao123
Black widows in the south... brown recluses in the north...
everywhere you go theres something poisonous waiting to bite you...

Really? I only have to worry about those damn pesky raccoons...

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Second "dude" is a katydid. Makes a raspy noise and its speed is proportionate to the ambient temperature. If you pick them up by their wings be careful as they will hock up tar like spit (like grasshoppers) and spit it on you. (disgusting but not really harmful)

And the fun (and very rude) part is when the critter wipes its mouth with its leg, and then wipes it off on your finger.

Imagine if that was our best defense too. Wars would just be lots of guys lining up, slobbering all over their faces, and then wiping it off onto the opposing side.

"Can't....take it.....anymore. So much gooey. Gooey drool. It's terrible. Please, send my watch home. *cough* Home to my mother. But clean it off first." *gasp*

Originally posted by: potato28

Originally posted by: sao123
Black widows in the south... brown recluses in the north...
everywhere you go theres something poisonous waiting to bite you...

Really? I only have to worry about those damn pesky raccoons...

Rabies.


Oh, and we have shrews here (eastern PA). Their saliva contains mild venom.
Escape from venomous arachnids, and enter the realm of venomous mammals.

One of my cats caught and ate three of those things before he finally got the idea that shrews weren't good news - each time he got a fever and just laid on the stairs for a few hours, a spot he'd only ever lay on when he wasn't feeling well.

 

[ballmode]

OMG KILL IT!

 

[bunker]

When we lived in Georgia and had a house built the garage was infested with them when we moved in. Took 2 smoke bombs to get rid of them all.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: sao123
Black widows in the south... brown recluses in the north...
everywhere you go theres something poisonous waiting to bite you...

Yet people are not dying by the train load daily. What does that tell you?