Black Widow control in/around coop?

[nicolelo34]

I’ve found 3 black widows within just a few days. Is there any sort of insecticide or home remedies that I could use or try to keep them away? Two have been in the nesting box and one right where I open the door to the coop. I hate spiders in general, but a black widow makes me want to torch it all!

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I’ve found 3 black widows within just a few days. Is there any sort of insecticide or home remedies that I could use or try to keep them away? Two have been in the nesting box and one right where I open the door to the coop. I hate spiders in general, but a black widow makes me want to torch it all!

I know I'd definitely be wearing leather gloves in there for starters.
ducks and peafowl love to eat spiders. I wonder why the chickens aren't eating them?

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

You might need to call an exterminator before they infest your home too.

 

[333113]

Well, the good news is, they aren't brown recluse spiders.
The bad news is, the spiders will still be around even if you torch your coop.

Spiders don't follow chickens, they just move into any likely accomodations. Black widows, like brown recluses, are relatively shy night hunters, so they will be up and about at work mostly when you are not there.

That's also why chickens are not such good eliminators of this kind of spider. Chickens happily eat many spiders, but chickens are mostly asleep when this spider type is active.

I can't recommend bug spray, but I do recommend knocking out their web structures. In my experience, a few days of having to rebuild everything usually convinces spiders to move elsewhere.
A dose of water is also an effective deterrent.

Then you will want to look out that they don't move on to your garage or your toolshed, for example!

 

[aart]

Widows like dark damp places.
Used to have them on the undersides of my pond filter pit covers.
Just keep squishing them and their egg sacks.

 

[The Happster]

I wonder why the chickens aren't eating them

They're smart, that's why.