Does anyone ever see black widows? (Thousand Oaks, Burbank: apartment, house, living in)

[Kris_P_20]

We are moving to CA in january and I am aware that there is an abundance of black widows down there. ( or so I hear). I'm not too scared of them, however, I am worried about my cat because she loves to play with and eat spiders, small bugs, etc. We will be living in the burbank area in an apartment. Do you think there is a high risk for black widows? Has anyone ever had a problem with their animals? Any information or advice would be helpful.

[SoCalMomma]

I live in Thousand Oaks & yes, we do have Black Widows. Thousand Oaks is probably 30-40 miles from Burbank, but I would guess they'd have them there, too. Our area is more rural, so that is another consideration. All of the black widows we have found have been in our back yard, not in the house. So in apt. you may not ever get any. They tend to 'live' in old wood piles, in dark spaces in the garage, or in hollowed out wood, places like that. I have never seen one in the house at all. Our dog did get bitten on the foot by one (he probably stepped on it) and had a pretty bad sore from it. The vet cleaned it out real good, gave him some meds, & he is fine.

I wouldn't worry too much.

[Inthesierras]

I wouldn't worry. Keep the areas around your home swept up with no piles of things laying around. If you leave your shoes outside for long periods of time, look in them before you put them on. My dad was bit once by a black widow after leaving his boots in the garage for quite some time.

[Gidget]

I lived in Burbank for 30, and yes, there are black widows which are occasionally found in the house but mostly they do hang out in piles of stuff in the garage and outside. Never had a problem, at least that I knew of, with my many pets getting bitten by a black widow.

[roseleadfoot]

I have a cat who plays and eats flies and spiders, so far no black widows. We have lots of black widows, I think they are all over So Ca. I find them mostly in Potted plants, which when they go dry, Widows build nest inside and Under the pots. I think people have a bigger chance of being biten, than your animals.

[movingoutofCA]

We also get black widows. I have found one in my childrens toy box and in my babies stroller. We now have Terminex come. But the terminex guy told me that black widows won't kill you, they may kill a newborn or the elderly. He also said that it is better to get bit by a black widow compared to a brown recluse spider. When a black widow bites you, you feel it. It feels like someone hammered a nail into you. But you'll be okay. A recluse will bite you and you don't know it, but a few days later when you are sick as a dog you don't know why.

My husband got bit by something last year and he was so sick and his leg was so swollen and red. The doctor said he was allergic to the spider that bit him. It was really bad.

[kettlepot]

Not only does California have Black Widows, they're hoping for the big score!

One evening while I was taking my trash can out the back gate, I walked right through an exceptionally sticky spider web. Next morning I checked it out, and saw that I had barely missed getting bitten by a Black Widow. Why would a Black Widow spin a web across a gateway? Why no doubt she thought if I can land one of those big succulent fleshy creatures, my babies and I will be set for life!!

They're evolving I tell you. Don't be surprised if in a few more years humans are no longer at the top of the food chain.

Arachnophobia isn't a movie anymore!

[Roaddog]

They spin their webs under the eves of my house and drop on me when i walk under them, last year I found my neighbors cat webbed into a cocoon on my back patio.




just kidding

[Angel Bear]

Ick!!!!

I have those Transonic thingies you plug into the walls to keep them away LOL or any other things that crawl around and bite I usually try to let the spiders outside without killing them, but if they are going to bite me, then, they die!!!!!!!!!! Hee hee! Muwahhahahahah! (sorta scary that last bit coming from a vegan! LOL).

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

I lived in Ventura for 10 years and never saw one black widow. Moved to Bakerfield and saw plenty!