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Old 08-24-2012, 12:07 PM
 
36 posts, read 173,420 times
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I think this kind of query must have been posted before but still here it goes...

I live in NWA and have for sometime and never witnessed a black widow until now. In my kicthen, in a corner near the floor. It was very black, I have seen alot of spiders but this was very black and had a very bloody red spot on its tummy (i think?). I dont know whether the red spot was a hour glass shaped or not coz that much inspection was already freaking me out... Especially coz I have toddlers in my home who were very interested in this spider.

Anyhow, I killed it and tossed it.. After googling this description, all I can find out isits a black widow and verg venomous... Is it very common here? And should I be spraying my home every week?

Thanks, these questions never really concerned me until I had toddlers.
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Old 08-24-2012, 12:44 PM
 
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I've never seen a black widow, but I will say that this summer's weather seemed to cause a lot of bugs to flourish, and so I've really tried to keep up with spraying and even using pesticide in the yard.
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Old 08-24-2012, 01:32 PM
 
Location: Little Rock AR USA
2,457 posts, read 7,342,897 times
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It's a judgment call, but I think spraying because they "may" be there is over-kill. But I admit, if I had Toddlers I might look at it differently.

It sounds like it was a Black Widow, and their bite will cause a painful "boil" to erupt, but they are not fatal. They like to hide in dark places, and as you probably read on Google, they are called "Black Widows" because after they breed, they eat their mate.

So, none of this is any help to you. Sorry,
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Old 08-24-2012, 03:28 PM
 
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Never seen one.

Hope I never do. I've heard they're an aggressive species and their poison can sometimes be fatal, especially to young children.
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Old 08-25-2012, 05:24 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,112,011 times
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Living for years in So Ca and NM I have seen more than my share, but never inside the house. Usually they are in the yard. Anyway, if the red spot was underneith the tummy it probably was a Black Widow, if it actually was a reddish, orange and both top and bottom ( I am probably not saying this right) but more like 1/2 of its body it isn't a black widow. I don't know what they are called, but I used to think theyy were black widows. Regradless, I would want them away from my house (inside) if I had a little one. I will add, I have never seen one here in AR.
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Old 08-25-2012, 12:41 PM
 
Location: Little Rock AR USA
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The red spot on it's belly is "hour glass shaped" and they are quite common here in AR but usually hang out in dark places like out-buildings, wood piles, or under things like rocks and chunks of wood.

In my younger days in the country when we still had outdoor toilets and storm cellars, that's the first thing we looked for when we entered. Even if you were "in a hurry" to get to the toilet, you still took time to look for the spiders, and snakes !
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Old 08-25-2012, 08:01 PM
 
Location: Alaska
5,193 posts, read 5,720,566 times
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The insecticides are probably more dangerous than any Black Widow Spider bite.

As soon as you are able and they are old enough to understand, teach your children about what and what not to play with. By all means, please don't freak them out about spiders. Instead you might want to explain how important they are to our ecosystem and a little bit of their biology.

The posters give good advice about being aware of spider hang-outs - just be cautious and you and your children will be fine.
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Old 08-25-2012, 09:07 PM
 
Location: The middle of nowhere Arkansas
3,325 posts, read 3,157,147 times
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I saw one in the garage of a house I was renting in atkins some years ago. Very black with the hour glass red spot is just how I'd describe it. Very bad, very poisonous. Spray but good luck. They tend to hide which makes them difficult to eradicate with poisons.
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Old 08-26-2012, 07:44 AM
 
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It definitely sounds like a black widow. WHile they are more painful than deadly to most adults, they can be fatal to small children (due to their relatively smaller size). The venom of a black widow attacks the nervous system, which is why it is so painful and potentially dangerous. Now, having said that, I don't want you to freak out and think you have an infestation or anything like that. Black widows are generally found outside, and this poor gal probably just happened to find her way into your house. It would probably be worth the $60 or so to get the house sprayed, outside and in. Exterminators can use the sprays that are nontoxic to pets and children (although you can take your kids out of the house until it dries, if it makes you feel better...my landlady does when our places get sprayed). Make sure they spray out about 10 feet from the house.
Even if this was a lone incident (and it probably is), the spraying will also prevent other spiders such as brown recluses and common house spiders from coming in. We get our places sprayed roughly every 3 months, and that takes care of pretty much all of my pest problems (other than political phone calls, which I would love to find a spray for).
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Old 08-26-2012, 11:11 AM
 
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I had a "outbreak" of black widow spiders last summer in F'ville. Every time I cleaned my patio and turned the outdoor furniture over, there was another spider. Yes, they do love dark spaces. No, I've never seen one in my house (brown recluse spiders, yes).

Last summer's spider outbreak was probably due to our landscape project. We did lots of moving dirt and adding new planting. The spiders previous hiding spots were either disturbed or they came in on the new plants.

This summer, no spiders but at least one field mouse and lots of ticks! Here's hoping we have a cold winter to kill all the critters.
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