Black Widow Spider!

[mrbstephens]

I'm pretty darn sure that's what I found with several hundred babies around her in my daughter's playhouse today! I compared it to pics on the internet. The only difference I'm seeing is that the red spots don't form an hour glass shape. They are just red dots...three of them, but I also read that there isn't ALWAYS an hour glass shape. What do I do???? I don't really want to have to soak my daughter's playhouse in toxic pesticides. I'm actually thinking I should bring the spider (I have it in a container) to Cornell Cooperative Extension for a positive ID. Maybe they'd have some good advice for me if it is indeed a BWS. Aaaaagh! I'm so itchy thinking about it!

 

[19Dawn76]

You could post pics on here. These are some really smart people.

 

[mrbstephens]

My camera's not so good on taking pics of little things. It wouldn't come good. Especially since the only chance I'd have to getting a decent pic would be to take it out of the container which is definitely not going to happen!

 

[rizq]

Widows come in several different patterns and are not always even black. There are brown, and I read somewhere the other day even white widow spiders! I believe they all have red on them, but you are correct that it is not always an hourglass.

I killed one with the red spots and 4 or 5 with an hourglass here last year.

*shudder*

 

[mrbstephens]

They aren't common here on Long Island, but I know they are here. I'm just afraid of seeing more adults in my yard.....in my daughter's playhouse.....biting my kids!!!!

 

[shelleyd2008]

I believe the 'hourglass' shape is on the underside of the abdomen, so it would be hard to see it unless you picked it up. This, providing that you didn't smash it into a billion pieces!!

Black widows are small, and very shiny black. Other than that, I don't know.

 

[mrbstephens]

Quote:
It's alive in a clear container. I can see the abdomen and I see that there is one red spot and a kind of yellowing horizontal line. Then it has two more red dots on it's back. It is shiny black. The body is about 1/2 inch and has long pointed legs.

 

[rizq]

Quote:
Small compared to some ... I think they are big enough! YUCK!!

Being shiny and those hard-looking spindly legs makes them twice as creepy (can you tell I have a spider problem?)

 

[rizq]

Quote:
It's alive in a clear container. I can see the abdomen and I see that there is one red spot and a kind of yellowing horizontal line. Then it has two more red dots on it's back. It is shiny black. The body is about 1/2 inch and has long pointed legs.

Definitely sounds like a nasty widow spider. Spiders and snakes would be so much less confusing if every individual of a type looked the same!

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Black Widow spiders are prolific here.
I flipped our lawn chairs we use daily the other day to clean them and every darn chair and one foot stool had a Black Widow with an egg sac clinging underneath. Lucky for us that they are not aggressive.
I hated to squash them, but not a great place for them to be.
Just 2 days later, Hubby flipped a lawn chair after it had rained and danged if another Black Widow hadn't taken up there.