Along came a... aaack!!!

sirtanon · May 26, 2007

Was outback tonight watering, and what should I see.. but.. :

Thankfully, it did NOT sit down beside me.

By the way.. it was about 2" across

Granny · May 26, 2007

That is one of the few things I truly do not miss from the Southwest. (We don't grow those in Vermont!)

shelleybean · May 26, 2007

We've found four on our property in the last couple of years. We had one in the pool skimmer and three in the garage/shed area. We found the most recent last month when we were pulling out the tomato cages for this year.

Rena · May 26, 2007

In Colorado we had a good bit. Here I have never seen one.

tomakers · May 27, 2007

When my sons were young we would show them the garden spiders and teach them to feed the spiders japanese beetles. The spiders were around 1.25 inches, nothing like those monsters, train them to eat pests.

harleysilo · May 29, 2007

2" Black Widow!?!?!?!

shelleybean · May 29, 2007

The ones we've found have been smaller than that, I'd say one inch and under.

sirtanon · May 29, 2007

Yep - 2" across, including legs! I was shocked and more than just a little freaked. Right on our back patio, too!

I've NEVER seen one even close to as big as this one. I hated to kill it, it was so unique and quite beautiful in a dark and disconcerting way... but it was either him or me.. and you know how it goes.

Needless to say, I've got the exterminators scheduled to come spray our house next week.

Worth1 · May 29, 2007

When I first saw this spider I could not believe it was a BLACK WIDOW,sorry.
then this whole thing about 2 inches came up and made me even more skeptical.
So I hope you don't mind but I put the thing on photo shop and looked it over real good.
Then I lightened it up a little and brought out the tell tale hour glass on its belly and sure nuff it was a black widow.

The widow and the brown recluse I will kill in a heart beat.
no parole no moving to the outside just plain dead.
here is the enhanced photo of the evil beast.

You can even see part of it's web around the outside.

(NASA does it all of the time)

Attachment 683

shelleybean · May 29, 2007

Well, the BIG MAMA's history now, huh? Except...she may have laid eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sirtanon · May 30, 2007

Oh yeah, Worth.. make no mistake, she was definitely a Black Widow. I know 'em when I see 'em... and this one had ALL the indications.

Boy, was it BLACK. I stood there looking at it for a minute or so, impressed by its sheer size and onyx darkness. Had it not been deadly poisonous, I would have simply moved her to the garden proper.

Even the web was a dead giveaway.. messy, ugly, etc.. I may take the original photo and re-crop it instead of sizing it, and post it so you can see all the fine detail.

.... and yeah, Shelley.. I thought about that possibility, which is why we have pest control coming out next week!

May 26, 2007	#1
sirtanon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ (zone 9b) Posts: 796	Along came a... aaack!!! Was outback tonight watering, and what should I see.. but.. : Thankfully, it did NOT sit down beside me. By the way.. it was about 2" across __________________ I could sail by on the winds of silence, and maybe they won't notice... but this time I think it would be better if I swim..

May 26, 2007	#3
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	We've found four on our property in the last couple of years. We had one in the pool skimmer and three in the garage/shed area. We found the most recent last month when we were pulling out the tomato cages for this year. __________________ Michele

May 27, 2007	#5
tomakers Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Cranberry Country, SE MA - zone 6? Posts: 353	When my sons were young we would show them the garden spiders and teach them to feed the spiders japanese beetles. The spiders were around 1.25 inches, nothing like those monsters, train them to eat pests. __________________ I never met a fish I didn't like.

May 29, 2007	#7
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	The ones we've found have been smaller than that, I'd say one inch and under. __________________ Michele

May 29, 2007	#8
sirtanon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ (zone 9b) Posts: 796	Yep - 2" across, including legs! I was shocked and more than just a little freaked. Right on our back patio, too! I've NEVER seen one even close to as big as this one. I hated to kill it, it was so unique and quite beautiful in a dark and disconcerting way... but it was either him or me.. and you know how it goes. Needless to say, I've got the exterminators scheduled to come spray our house next week. __________________ I could sail by on the winds of silence, and maybe they won't notice... but this time I think it would be better if I swim..

May 26, 2007	#2
Granny Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 507	That is one of the few things I truly do not miss from the Southwest. (We don't grow those in Vermont!)

May 26, 2007	#4
Rena Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Warm Springs, GA Posts: 1,421	In Colorado we had a good bit. Here I have never seen one.

May 29, 2007	#6
harleysilo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Woodstock GA Posts: 418	2" Black Widow!?!?!?!

May 29, 2007	#9
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	When I first saw this spider I could not believe it was a BLACK WIDOW,sorry. then this whole thing about 2 inches came up and made me even more skeptical. So I hope you don't mind but I put the thing on photo shop and looked it over real good. Then I lightened it up a little and brought out the tell tale hour glass on its belly and sure nuff it was a black widow. The widow and the brown recluse I will kill in a heart beat. no parole no moving to the outside just plain dead. here is the enhanced photo of the evil beast. You can even see part of it's web around the outside. (NASA does it all of the time) Attachment 683 Last edited by Worth1; November 17, 2012 at 06:45 PM.

May 30, 2007	#11
sirtanon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ (zone 9b) Posts: 796	Oh yeah, Worth.. make no mistake, she was definitely a Black Widow. I know 'em when I see 'em... and this one had ALL the indications. Boy, was it BLACK. I stood there looking at it for a minute or so, impressed by its sheer size and onyx darkness. Had it not been deadly poisonous, I would have simply moved her to the garden proper. Even the web was a dead giveaway.. messy, ugly, etc.. I may take the original photo and re-crop it instead of sizing it, and post it so you can see all the fine detail. .... and yeah, Shelley.. I thought about that possibility, which is why we have pest control coming out next week! __________________ I could sail by on the winds of silence, and maybe they won't notice... but this time I think it would be better if I swim..