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This is the first Black and Yellow I have seen anywhere, on our farm, in about six years. The last one at least attached her web to the side of the barn and produced a record amount of SEVEN egg pods!
I watched her all summer and she to where she stopped hiding when she felt the big lawn tractor coming close.
The males are very small and like Black Widows, these Black and Yellows eat their mate, lollol
My dilemma is in my picture, below. When I left the my barn at 8:30 last night there was no sign of the web. This morning there it is --- taking out one fourth of the man door that we use, the dogs use, and so does one of my horses at night.
Contrary to what anyone in this world thinks this spider's bite is toxic -- not fatal but, years ago, a bite gave my dad a stiff neck and a doctor bill. Years later, it gave my Doberman temporary/partial paralysis on his backend and gave me a vet bill. Everyone fully recovered but this spider's bite is,not to be taken lightly.
My question:
Does anyone have any ideas as to how to encourage her to move over three feet and attaché her web to the barn, behind the bench like her five or six times great grandmother did????
I'm not going to whack her and I don't want to tear her web down, which already has a multitude of flies and bugs in it.
If push comes to shove, I will cut start cutting the web anchors and see if that will get her to move but any help from anyone is appreciated.
I cant believe I'm seeing one of these spiders are after all these years --- it must be the never ending high heat plus it seems about a month late for them to show up?
Also, FWIW, I think I've only seen one Black Widow at the barn this year --- that's a record.
So here's the big girl and she is big, lollol. It would be a nice vet bill of either of my dogs got bit on the nose and I know without a doubt DH will kill her, if I don't get her moved.
I wonder if covering the surfaces she tries to anchor the web to with something slippery (oil? Plastic sheeting or vapor barrier? Piece of metal siding?) would encourage her to pick an easier spot?
I checked the web when I got home this afternoon and surprisingly she isn't on it! I have never seen a Black and Yellow come off their web.
I did tell her this morning that, out of 25 acres and an entire barn wall facing east, why did she have to anchor her web to the man door. I said "you can't stay here, you know".
I am very good at communicating with my horses but surely not a spider ---- surely not ----
It's 97 degrees ATM, when it cools down some, I'll go down to the barn, hope she is has relocated herself, and cut the anchors on the current web.
I hate to sound like such a ninny over a spider but, I watched the other one, some years back, give birth to seven pods and grow old over the months. Her head turned gray. I would sit on one end of the bench, while she was in her web at the other end ---- looking at me.
I am still upset over her passing ----- see what happens to your level of sympathy (and other things) when you get old ----lol
I'm not totally bonkers -- Imhave killed my share of Brown Recluse if I see them in the house and a Black Widow wouldn't stand a chance if it decided to take up residence in one of my barn boots --- which do not stay on the porch, lollol
This is pretty unbelievable -- she took her web down for the most part and is gone.
I swept what little was left of that pretty web, which was full of bugs, down with a broom. I hate that had to happen but I can't have the man door to the barn blocked with her web
That particular area is very busy but it's also a prime piece of spider real estate because a Mercury light is right there --- Mercury lights draw all sorts of flying bugs
We keep this place well mowed so she will either (hopefully) reappear with a new web attached further along on that side of the barn like her ancestor did, or she will head for higher grass in the pasture.
On the one hand, I don't have to worry about my nosy dogs getting bit. On the other, I wish she could have stayed. The other one was a real life's lesson -- I've got a slew of pictures of her and all her egg pods somewhere on the desktop.
"...The spider in question is known as argiope aurantia ... a colorful spider that goes by a primary common name of black and yellow agriope. This spider is also known as a yellow garden argiope, yellow garden orb-weaver, golden garden spider, golden orb-weaver, and thewriting spider. Although it looks rather threatening, the writing spider doesn’t prey on humans. But if it is provoked, it will bite. The bite feels similar to a bee sting. Young children, the elderly, and those with sensitive immune systems should take special care not to harass this pest. It’s best to marvel at these spiders and their webs, but not touch them...." https://thebugman.us/murder-she-wrot...der-dangerous/
If you want it to move, you may have to first figure out how to make its prey move. We have one out by our fence, just above the ground cover, this year. A few years back one was hunting in her web in our cacti.
This is pretty unbelievable -- she took her web down for the most part and is gone. . . .
That particular area is very busy but it's also a prime piece of spider real estate because a Mercury light is right there --- Mercury lights draw all sorts of flying bugs . . .
Was there a light right there when the other spider had her web in another area?
They aren't stupid. When possible, they build webs where there's high insect traffic.
If you were to put an insect attracting light elsewhere, and use a non-insect-attracting bulb there, I think it may provide 'mrs spidy' the motivation to build elsewhere. . . .
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