Black Widow, Friend or foe?

[Southern28Chick]

I was out watering down the chicken yard...it's only about 98 but the chickens act like it's 198. Anyway I was spraying water around Blind Tiny's yard and a stream hit a spider web. The spider thought it was a bug moving her web and came running out from the under part of Tiny's roof. It was a black widow. I know they're poisonous. We've have a lot of flies around lately and I'm sure the spider will take care of a lot of them but should I rehome her since she could get scared and bite me or DH if we startle her when closing up Tiny's house at night?

What do y'all think?

 

[angelmarie]

if you have small children around or pets i say get rid of it, but as far as being harmful to the chickens mine love to eat black widows

 

[MayberrySaint]

Children = foe

No children = I would consider it a friend

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Hmm... if you know she's there and would like for her to stay, you (and DH) would have to remember to be careful anytime that you were around Blind Tiny's house. If she's in the way, or you would feel better (it would me!), you could re-home her to another section of your yard or property line.

I don't think they are aggressive, mostly they would want to hide. I remember someone on here has some in her flower garden or veg. garden, she said she taps the webs and the spiders go hide until she's done. I think they posted on the thread about the carolina wolf spider.

 

[ChuckenGirl]

whats a black widow look like?

 

[FutureChickenMan]

FOE!

 

[ChuckenGirl]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
Wait a minute and I'll get a good picture of her. She's staying.

 

[wegotchickens]

Hi Southern!

I'm the one who has black widows in my garden beds. I love them! I tap the egg of the bed and they hide. I just realized why my chickens don't eat them, as they 'tap' the sides of the beds before they hop into them

Seriously, I would leave it alone and be grateful for the extra bug patrol. This is my 2nd year with them in my beds and they haven't caused any problems or bitten anyone.

I have to say, the widow's end of the strawberry bed had the biggest most perfect berries. The end without a widow had slug damage on almost every berry. I don't think she eats the slugs, I think they avoid the webs. Either way, I win. It's a lot easier to wash webs off a berry than to cut around a slug hole!

Late this summer watch for little papery balls near her web. That will be an egg case. I threw out every one I found last fall and still had plenty of widows front the egg cases I missed!
Next year I'll put egg cases in other areas of the yard where I want a bug patrol. My praying mantis cases didn't take this year (I didn't put them near the widows, not sure what happened to the mantis' though).

 

[CritterHill]

Quote:
Wait a minute and I'll get a good picture of her. She's staying.

If you are not back in 10 minutes, should we call 911?