ants, bees and black widows

[GardeNerd]

The chickens will eat the black widow spiders. Around here we have lots of both Black Widows and Brown Widows. The later is more poisonious! I have seen the chickens eat them when they find them, but none of my chickens have appeared to have been bitten yet.

I squish and smear the egg sacks til there is nothing left when I find them. I worry much more about my kids with the black widows than the chickens. Chickens don't stick hands in dark little spaces. And Brown widows seem to like to outdoor play equipment and plastic things like under the lid of the trash can. The chickens are now part of the pest management of the black widows; I hope any I don't find the chickens do.

 

[ellieroo]

We have large sized black widows and the bantys eat with relish! In fact they have learned the call "spider get it now" and they come running! We also have large wandering hobo spiders these take a committee but job gets done. However did not know that hens are mice eaters they love finding nests of tiny mice,Yuck!