Look What I Found Under my BBQ Grill

[M.D. Holloway]

Was BBQ'n today, took off the cover of the grill and saw a random web pattern under one of the trays - looked under and saw this little beauty - a Black Widow!

Rather an ongoping battle - so far I have dropped 8 of these bastids - 7 when we moved in and this is the first this summer. She looks to be about a year old by the markings on her back. The only live for 3 years. The second and third year they go all black with the exception of the red hour glass. For a size gauge I used a 1/2 socket. She would have gotten bigger had I not shot her with some serious stuff my company makes - toes up in <30 seconds! Still, if one of my kids got hit by her, they would be hurting for sure.

Notice the markings on her back - beautiful!


Her near a 1/2 inch socket...still big enough to hurt ya.

[86 911]

Ohhh. That gives me shivers just looking! Is it just me, or in the first photo, does it look like your finger is inside and nearly touching the 'lil lady? If so, you have more guts than I do! By the way, did you smother her with "Lubemaster" grease? That stuff has been great so far on my wheel bearings.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

WD40 and standard lighter fluid (for your Zippo) are great for killing these things.

Physical violence seems to be the only sure way to kill scorps, though.

[CarreraS2]

Lubemaster - here's a question for you on a different subject.

If a car carries 6 quarts, and burns a quart every 1,000 miles, could you extend the oil changes on that car!?!

After 6,000 miles, you'd have added 6 quarts of fresh oil - an entire oil change! Wouldn't that necessarily make the oil fresher than in a car that burned no oil during that same 6,000 miles?

[Speedo959]

I lifted our kids pool that has been deflated under a tree and found six of them. In fact there is one under my 914 in the garage I have been too lazy to kill. They are all over this area.

[Moneyguy1]

You fellas don't have a pressure sprayer for malathion? WOuldn't be without one. The inside of the house gets home defense max and the outside gets pressure sprayed around the foundation perimeter including perimeter fences every two weeks. Don't see many creepy crawlies, maybe a cricket or two. Have had two beetles on the property in four years. .

[Rufblackbird]

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
WD40 and standard lighter fluid (for your Zippo) are great for killing these things.

In my experience brakleen or carb cleaner is not as messy, and the residue dries up rather quickly

[djmcmath]

Originally posted by LubeMaster77
For a size gauge I used a 1/2 socket.

That's a great idea! I've been wondering what to do with my non-metric sockets!

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
Lubemaster - here's a question for you on a different subject.

If a car carries 6 quarts, and burns a quart every 1,000 miles, could you extend the oil changes on that car!?!

After 6,000 miles, you'd have added 6 quarts of fresh oil - an entire oil change! Wouldn't that necessarily make the oil fresher than in a car that burned no oil during that same 6,000 miles?

Ya, your right but things are occuring that would make for the worst case and here is why...

Actually, I think I would look to fix the rings! The fact the the oil is burning is really bad in the long run. The problem is, when you cook oil, all sorts of nastyness occurs including the development of carboxylic acids. If the oil comes in contact with the fuel/air mix you will also generate nitric acid and a by-product from combustion being water will also help produce sulfuric acid. These all help contribute to varnish and laquer formation through out the lubricated system. At the points of the highest heat and pressure (main bearings and cams included) the varnish will form laquer and then you will regret not fix'n the rings.

Here are someideas concerning reasons why there is excessive oil consumption. The check list is used in assisting you to determine the reason for excessive oil consumption. This list is to be used when engine is disassembled and pistons and rings are available for inspection.

1. INCORRECT SET FOR JOB Check for oversize cylinders and use of standard ring set. Try several rings in cylinder and if excessive gap, you have incorrect rings. Recheck by having cylinder miked.

2. RINGS NOT SEATED. CYLINDERS SHOW AREAS WHERE RINGS DID NOT CONTACT
a) Cylinders distorted from heat or improper torquing.
b) Failure to deglaze cylinders properly. We recommend 220-300 grit stones.

3. RING INSTALLED WRONG
a) Compression rings not installed according to instructions.
b) Rings not installed in proper groove.
c) Rings incorrect for groove width.

4. RINGS SPINNING IN THE GROOVE
a) Usually side of compression rings will be highly polished.
b) Inside bore of Flex-Scraper will not show contact points of Inner Spring crimps.
c) Excessive blow-by.
d) Check for too much piston clearance.
e) Twisted or bent connecting rod.
f) Too much end play in the crankshaft.
g) More than normal vibration.
h) Cylinder walls highly polished or failed to deglaze cylinders.

5. RINGS STUCK IN GROOVE -(COMMON IN LATE ENGINES)
a) Improper side clearance.
b) Water seepage into cylinders.
c) Check cylinder head and block surface.
d) Check head gaskets.
e) Check for cracks.

6. FRACTURED OR BROKEN RINGS
a) Detonation, due to lugging, low grade fuel, improper ignition setting.
b) Over heating.
c) Careless installation when installing rings and piston in the cylinders.
d) Failure to remove cylinder ridge.

7. SIDE WEAR ON RINGS-TOP GROOVE WEAR-RINGS BADLY WORN
a) Abrasive.
b) Gas wash.
c) Water seeping into cylinders.
d) Detonation.
e) Worn groove, allows ring to pound.

8. RINGS SCUFFED
a) Lack of lubrication.
b) Low oil pressure.
c) Too slow idle during break-in.
d) Engine overheated, check cooling system.
e) Check for water or anti-freeze leaking into cylinders and destroying lubrication.
f) Failure to clean carbon from corners of groove.
g) Distorted cylinders.
h) Improper torquing of cylinder head.

9. CRACKED OR BROKEN RING LANDS
a) Detonation.
b) Pre-ignition.
c) Failure to remove all the ridge before removing pistons.

10. CRACKED PISTONS
a) Common in late engines, extreme pressure due to carbon deposit in combustion chamber.
b) Detonation.

11. TIGHT PISTON PINS Will affect the free action of the piston, resulting in rapid ring failure, piston and cylinder damage.

12. CHECK CYLINDER TAPER Check the cylinders at the top of the ring travel. Many high compression engines will have a sharp taper and out-of-roundness in the top half inch. V-8 engines generally wear more on the left side (sitting in the driver's seat). Check all cylinders. Don't take a chance.

13. CHECK PISTON CLEARANCE Mike cylinders and pistons. Feeler gauges bridge the wear spots and do not give a true picture. Failure to resize pistons will shorten the life of the rings due to the rocking action of the piston.

14. CHECK VALVE ASSEMBLY The first step should be the removal of intake valves. Check under the head of the valves and the valve ports for an oil or carbon deposit. A deposit will indicate oil is being pulled into the combustion chamber due to a faulty booster pump, defective positive type breather system, or past the valve stems. A complete check must be made.

15. CHECK CRANKSHAFT Mic the crankshaft rod journals for size, out-of-roundness and taper. Remember when bearing clearance is increased from .0015 to .004, you will have 6 times more oil thrown into the cylinders.

16. CHECK BEARING INSERTS Check the inserts for fractures, wear and scoring.

Hope this helps...

[JavaBrewer]

Found out that my sister-in-law was recently bitten on the ankle by a Brown Recluse hiding under her lawn chair. She lives here in San Diego - I didn't think we had those spiders here. They recently had a bunch of tropical landscaping done including one of those big Canery Island date palm trees. Maybe the spider came along for the ride???

She spent a couple days in the hospital, nearly lost her leg below the knee, and has a hole the size of a walnet in her foot. Not a fun experience. FWIW - she is very overweight and doc said she handled the bite well. One of her 9 yr old daughters probably not so well so they hired a pro bug killer to case the joint.

[JavaBrewer]

Thanks for the post though. Its time for me to spray the perimeter fencing and the checkout the kids outdoor play toys. I've been seeing some of the black widow webs around the property lately.

[Overpaid Slacker]

That seals it. I'm staying in upstate New York/New England, away from these little bastards, and the venomous snakes and other critters that thrive in regions w/o a serious winter to kill 'em off.

When I was driving around the country the first time I hopped out of the car in the Big Horn range and was trotting off to the treeline to water the flora. My uncle says "watch out for bears!!" and it was a good thing I was going to pee anyway b/c I'd have wet myself laughing.

A thousand miles later and we're pulling off the road next to the ONLY tree on the road for 100 miles either way, and I'm going to drain myself on it. It's a perfect killzone -- you can see anybody coming from miles away. As I'm stepping out of the car, I say to Unc "I don't have to worry about bears here!"
"No," he says, "just scorpions, rattlesnakes and 'one-step' spiders."

My foot never hit the ground. I climbed through the sunroof onto the top of the car and peed off of it. Naturally a busload full of asian tourists went by mid-stream (so to speak).

Got tagged by a young scorpion in Lesotho -- it was in a woodpile I was next to. No fun at all, and he got it right into the tricep of my right arm, which for 3 months shot pain through my whole arm if I moved it the wrong way. There's still a numb patch where he got me.

JP

[Drago]

Little bastards...when I lived in the Bay Area back in the '70s we used to catch them and then put a little gasoline in the container...just to see how long they lasted. If we got bored we'd just light it. Great way to spend your youth.

[EdT82SC]

I've killed 17 of the little bastards in/around my house in the last 7 months. For the first five years here I never saw one. We have daddy long legs everywhere, but I had not seen a black widow before this past December. I killed that one. Then over Memorial day weekend I killed three. One was a big one under the grill similar to the one you found. Over the next month I found a couple more hanging out around the front porche. Last week one found it's way inside. That really freaked my wife out, and set me on the war path. I started turning ***** over, and looking inside stuff all over the yard. I found, and killed a couple more the next day. Then the same day I jacked up my 911 to start on a suspension refurb. I saw the random webs, and said cr*p! So I put the car up jack stands, then that night I checked under the car because them f*ckers are nocturnal. There were two of them, and they had built webs from the bottom of the car to the floor. I killed them both. Over the last couple weeks I've found, and killed six more. Almost every time I think of a place they might be hiding I find one or more there.

I also found out that a seven year old boy neighbor down the street was bit a couple months ago, and ended up spending three days in the hospital. They can't give the young kids the anti-venom.

[JeremyD]

Just had one at my house by the pool - took a picture cause the hourglass was so perfect right before I kilt it

[M.D. Holloway]

they are not of this world...

[86 911]

Here's a photo of Harry's (Hoffman912's) smugglers box from one of my threads. Look what he found:

[88BlueTSiQuest]

Originally posted by dmoolenaar
Found out that my sister-in-law was recently bitten on the ankle by a Brown Recluse hiding under her lawn chair. She lives here in San Diego - I didn't think we had those spiders here.

You don't have Brown Recluse there. On top of that, the Recluse is not an aggresive spider, most bites are caused by sleeping with the spider, or putting on a shoe or clothes with the spider in them. The spiders fangs aren't large enough to penetrate flesh on their own, they have to have pressure applied to them to penetrate.

Doctor's are constantly mis-diagnosing necrotising wounds as Brown Recluse wounds, when the Recluse isn't the only insect that can cause this.

Male recluse I found in my bathroom a couple of weeks ago:



We kill them on a daily basis, and I've done a ton of research on just how 'dangerous' they are.

[JavaBrewer]

I agree with you. Wondering what kind of spider/bug would cause the injury she substained then?

[CJFusco]

A few months ago, one of the glands in my throat started swelling up something awful... looked like I swallowed a golf ball and it got stuck on one side. I was thinking tumor or something until my parents (two RN degrees and one PhD) decided it must have been some kind of bug bite.

We looked around my head a bit and then discovered that behind my ear, in a spot that is impossible to see unless you completely bend the ear forwards, there were two fang marks close together and a rather large bump. It was red and swollen around the marks.

Spider. Not sure what kind, but most definitely poisonous. Must have been while I was sleeping. Gland stayed swollen for about a week and a half.

Ironically, I am the kind of guy that will say, "don't kill it; it didn't do anything to you"....