Beware-black widows like cardboard

[elf]

I know black widow spiders are beneficial and seldom bite, but if you have kids around your garden, teach them to identify them. They seem to like to hide under cardboard mulch. Saw one today when I lifted a piece, and it reminded me of the year when I mulched the whole garden (different location) with cardboard and hundreds or maybe thousands hatched under there. They didn't bite, but I started really watching my hands, instead of just grabbing tomatoes by feel. Another year I did get a severely serious mysterious bite or sting from something in the garden. Could have been one, I guess.

 

[hoodat]

I know black widow spiders are beneficial and seldom bite, but if you have kids around your garden, teach them to identify them. They seem to like to hide under cardboard mulch. Saw one today when I lifted a piece, and it reminded me of the year when I mulched the whole garden (different location) with cardboard and hundreds or maybe thousands hatched under there. They didn't bite, but I started really watching my hands, instead of just grabbing tomatoes by feel. Another year I did get a severely serious mysterious bite or sting from something in the garden. Could have been one, I guess.

If you have a garden shed that's also a favorite spot for them. They like dry places with low light where there isn't a lot of activity.Unless you have an allergic reaction their bite isn't as bad as their press would have you think. I've been bitten several times and it's no worse than a bee sting, certainly not as bad as a scorpion.

 

[vfem]

I always seem to find them in my shoes in the wash room! I have to bang my sneakers on the wall before I put them on my feet. I've had at least 2 fall out of a shoe this year....

*SQUISH*

 

[digitS']

We have them in the basement along the sill. They seem to be down there in that cold location thru the winter, also. They never show up anywhere else but they are down there just like in the last home where we lived. Nearly 25 years of sharing a house with black widows, I've yet to find them anywhere else and it takes a close look to find them there.

Cardboard lying on the ground you say, Elf? Somehow that makes some sense with living along the sill of the house. "Dry places with low light" ? Yeah, that seems likely, also. Sneakers in the laundryroom, Vfem? Yikes! Glad I don't have to put up with that!

Hobo spiders are far more common here. Or at least, one comes across them commonly. Sometimes, they come across the person like running over them in the bed during the night!

Dang ! There seems nothing much that can be done about real chance encounters. And, the smaller, immature Hobo is supposed to have more toxic venom than the larger ones! It is good to have some kind of idea about habitat but the Hobo will just turn up anywhere! Maybe that's how he got his name.

They are in Europe and the Pacific Northwest. Oddly enuf, they don't even range down into northern California but are on into western Montana.

Yep. Give me a friendly and harmless Harvestman any old day. I always try to leave him alone in the garden and appreciate him being there.

Steve.

 

[journey11]

I've never seen a black widow before, although I figure they'd like my old farmhouse.

We have lots of those huge, brown, wolf spiders around here. When I was a kid I used to catch them! They are not poisonous, but they can JUMP!

ETA: This can be the official arachniphobia thread. I'm sure we'll all dream about spiders tonight!

 

[curly_kate]

I used to be deathly afraid of spiders, but have had to come to terms with them, living in an old farmhouse. I've discovered that I feel much better when I can google them and find out what they are, because most of the time they are harmless. We get a lot of grass spiders around here:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/12943.

Big & freaky looking, but harmless. We also get these: http://bugguide.net/node/view/171734. I've never seen them inside, so they don't bother me at all.

 

[Northernrose]

I haven't seen many black widows since moving to our new house, but we've got huge wolf spiders! Some of the biggest I've seen! Here's tonight's "visitors" I found IN the house!

A huge hissing beetle
A medium sized wolf spider.

 

[elf]

Well, after an hour of googling spiders, originally to see Digit's hobo spiders, I now see why so many people fear spiders. I used to think they were silly, but Holey Moley! I may now join their ranks. I thought the female blk. widow and brown recluse were the only poisonous spiders. Seems there's a slew of the little buggers that you don't want to roll over onto. I may be afraid of my shoes for the rest of my life!I once nearly passed out from the sting of a scorpion in the fingertip of my glove, but hadn't thought of also spiders in there.The male blk. widow can also bite, though not likely, but he looks nothing like the female and is not even blk. Then there's a brown widow. The wolf spider I thought was harmless can bite. Even the beautiful garden spider. The list goes on - and most of them look alike. My biggest fear may now be of a bite from our area's brown recluse- the images of body parts rotting off out-grossed any zombie/ghoul movie I've seen. Well, I couldn't live "up Nawth" cuz ya'll have to freeze your behinds off, but at least you don't have to have amputations from spiders in your beds. Check the map; you're safe - I read that the brown recluse is often blamed for the bite of the hobo spider,who cannot do near the damage.The brown recluse is reclusive, but he is becoming increasingly common.

 

[vfem]

Ok, thanks for the heart attack with the pictures... going to cry in the corner now!!

 

[Ladyhawke1]

I always seem to find them in my shoes in the wash room! I have to bang my sneakers on the wall before I put them on my feet. I've had at least 2 fall out of a shoe this year....

*SQUISH*

OMG! You scare the holy !@#$%^&*%$#@! out of me!