Black Widows

[Moselle]

As we "installed" our tractor on Wed., we killed a couple black widows, and yesterday my dd said she found one by the house. Then my neighbor called and said they are having a real problem with them behind their shed. I'm assuming that a chicken would just eat them, but I am worried about my young kids and the baby.

Besides cleaning out any old wood and keeping the grass mowed and neat, is there anything else we can do to get rid of them? My neighbor would rather avoid heavy chemicals due to her pets and small children, if possible.

Dh said we should advertise a showdown between the black widows and brown recluses and see if they obliterate each other.

 

[Dawn419]

Found this link with some good information on them...Black Widow Spiders.

I've only seen two of them in the 20 years that I've lived in TN and try not to think about how many I don't see. LOL

Hope this is some help!

Dawn

 

[talos321]

Black Widows shouldn't be that big of a problem. They are hardly ever seen by most people as they hide in dark spots. In dark closets, under rocks, in wood piles. There isn't anything you really can do to get rid of them totally. Just be preventative and wear gloves when reaching for things in a dark closet or carry a flashlight to check there or when handling wood that has sat for a while. Also cutting down on hiding places helps. If you have lots of larger stones you can move those further off or get rid of them to eliminate some of their hiding places. I always use gloves in these circumstances and flip the board, rock, hay bale over near the edge to check.

I think that most BW bites occur when people slip on shoes that have been sitting in the closet all winter and slip their feet on top of the spider and it bites the invader crushing it.

 

[Moselle]

Thank you both. I'm almost over my heebe-geebe's. Wearing gloves makes a huge difference! And sneakers and socks. They sure make me feel safer!

 

[AussieSharon]

Come to Virginia. The black widow capital of the world! In the past week I have killed more than a dozen! A good way to get rid of them is to cut off their food supply. Spray for bugs around your home, shed etc.

I was bitten by a black widow on my foot about 12 years ago and talk about the MOST painful experience. I'd give birth again before going through a black widow bite.

 

[seminolewind]

We have black widows all over, too, esp under the window sills. Chemical or not, I would spray them. If I don't use chemical, I wait till I see egg sacks and smash them. The black widow only lives till the fall or so, but eliminating the egg sacs eliminates next year's batch

 

[Mom 2em All]

I was bit by an assumed black widow last 4th of July. I put my arm into the sleeve of an isolation gown and it instantly felt like someone broke it..the burning was so bad-when I looked, there were two tiny pinpricks- like a spider bite.
I can barely remember that night, fever, chills, delirium- the hospital the next day and they admitted me. I spent the next six days there, and had to have surgery to remove a 3 by 7 inch abscess originating at the bite. The nurse in the ER took one look at my arm and said, "black widow bite". It was an awful experience, and the hole in my arm was big enough to put your fist in. Now I have a terrible scar and because of my job (I am a veterinary technician) everyone assumes that something like a dog got me good.

Here it was after surgery:

 

[Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies]

Spray - do what ever you have if you have an abundance of them. they will bite your kids and dog if disturbed by them.
Keep other bugs under control.
cut weeds and trim hedges, get rid of dark spots.
I sprinkled my lawn with Seven dust, and I keep fly strips up in the coops.
I also use DE.

 

[nicks chicks 1]

make sure you check inside your shoes and boots befor you put them on god forbid one be lurking there just reading about this gives me heebeejeebees

 

[chickenwoods]

Is that bug poison spray harmful to chickens??