Anyone noticing a lot of black widows in their yards? (apartment, appliances)

[Grawburg]

I've seen three in two days. I hadn't seen one in years and and 3?? Anyone else finding them in not so hidden places?

[greekboy799]

I noticed one crawling across my apartment living room floor. Did not know what it was after I killed it, then googled it. I had no idea that black widow spiders where in this area. Call me a nieve yankee. How worried should I be about a black widow spider bite?

[lauren4521]

Originally Posted by greekboy799

I noticed one crawling across my apartment living room floor. Did not know what it was after I killed it, then googled it. I had no idea that black widow spiders where in this area. Call me a nieve yankee. How worried should I be about a black widow spider bite?

Not too worried. I mean, they are here and we've seen alot of them, as have all of our neighbors but no one has gotten bitten. A home inspector on this board who is crawling under houses everyday said he's never gotten bit.

My neighbor says that they are NOT aggressive and won't bite if you accidentally pick one up. Still, I personally avoid them.

Last year, I almost plucked one off the backside of one of my petunia plants thinking it was a cricket. And just last weekend we smushed the biggest widow I've ever seen. It was in our boxwood bush and had caught a bumble bee that was making a ruckus and caught our attention. We saved the bumble bee and unfortunately, had to step on the widow with so many kids around here......it was about 1 1/2"!!

Neighbors are always finding them in their hose boxes and such..so be careful. Their webs are messy looking (not the beautiful "organized" looking ones). These look like someone took some fake web from a bag and tossed it somewhere haphazardly. Sure sign there's a widow around somewhere.

So far none have come in the house..thankfully. Widow bites can HURT.....but they are not fatal. Recluses are more the concern though I've never seen one here.

Lauren

[lamishra]

I've seen one in my entire life living in the triangle. They rarely leave their web and prefer dark, damp spaces (which I do not hang out in frequently!!!) . You're likely to be bitten if you stick your hand in their web, but they are not aggressive. They're very shy and reclusive and rarely bite.

[SunnyKayak]

Unless you have one of those head lamps on your forehead or flash light on your forehead at night you are probably not seeing black widows in your yard.

Black widow spiders are found in protected places, such as under rocks, wooden boards and in dense plant growth. They frequently nest in electrical, water and telephone equipment boxes outdoors. Around homes, these spiders may be found in crawlspaces, beneath appliances, usually in corners that are dark and damp.

[Grawburg]

My black widows must have some sort of problem because they're hanging out in wide open. And, yes, they were definately black widows....and a little baby one this morning.

[Fuquay Caniac]

I've been living in the Traingle only 4 years and I've seen plenty of them about my house. I deal with them fine, but with three little kids and black widows hanging around the playset and gardens in the backyard, I had to hire pest control.

They are very beautiful spiders. We've caught a few to watch up close in an old fish tank.

Complications from black widow bites in healthy adults are uncommon. Symptoms may last for several days (back pain and muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, sweating, restlessness and, in some cases, elevated blood pressure) but are seldom life threatening. Young children, the elderly and those high blood pressure are at highest risk of developing symptoms from a black widow spider bite. One should seek medical care if they experience more than minor pain or have whole-body symptoms.

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by Fuquay Caniac

I've been living in the Traingle only 4 years and I've seen plenty of them about my house. I deal with them fine, but with three little kids and black widows hanging around the playset and gardens in the backyard, I had to hire pest control.

They are very beautiful spiders. We've caught a few to watch up close in an old fish tank.

Complications from black widow bites in healthy adults are uncommon. Symptoms may last for several days (back pain and muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, sweating, restlessness and, in some cases, elevated blood pressure) but are seldom life threatening. Young children, the elderly and those high blood pressure are at highest risk of developing symptoms from a black widow spider bite. One should seek medical care if they experience more than minor pain or have whole-body symptoms.

I worry more about brown recluse spiders.
My understanding is that the black widow bite is painful enough that you will know it happened and likely seek medical care.
I'm told that brown recluse bites are much less noticeable, and often ignored until the much more serious consequences manifest themselves.

I sure don't miss crawling under multiple houses daily...

[RDSLOTS]

My Father was bitten by a black widow years ago. He was under the house, working on something, and it got him on his arm. He had a painful, swollen area around the bite, ran a fever, and was sick for a few days. He knew what it was because when he slapped it -- feeling a bite -- he then made a point to find what had bitten him.

By contrast, a woman I taught with, was bitten by a brown recluse when she was working in her yard, clearing brush, and reworking the beds. She didn't think much of it until an awful ulcerous area on her leg really caused her doctor(s) alarm. It took forever for it to heal, and not until after she lost quite a bit of the area around the bite. She walked with the aid of crutches for the longest time.

I'm sorry to hear ya'll are coming across such spiders. They are a bit unnerving -- even the black writing spiders give me cause to stop until I realize they are what they are, and then I love looking at their webs.

[ceili723]

I don't know much about the black widow (besides the fact that it was my '97 Halloween costume), but anyone reading this should definitely make sure they can identify a spider bite. I know two people (my brother and a local woman) who were bit by recluse spiders last year. My brother had a really scary looking black patch on his leg, and this other woman's doctor told her she could have lost her foot if she hadn't been treated! I had never heard of these spiders til a couple of years ago. Sounds like prompt medical attention is the key.... you can't totally avoid them, my brother barely goes outside and lives up in Boston. If he can get bit, we are sitting ducks here in NC!!