You should (once sure the spider's not around) feel the web. It's very distinctive - I guess it's the strongest "silk" out there. Very stiff and kind of snaps as you move your hand through it.

A handy feeling to recognize. Nature's way of warning you to back the eff off I guess...

BWs are cool. The brown recluse however freaks me out!

Not sure if they are the same everywhere, but BW (and Brown Widow) egg sacks are pretty distictive:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1.../BWeggsac2.jpg

from Yahoo Images, attributed to this link:
http://sciencedude.ocregister.com/2011/07/05/brown-widow-spider-can-you-find-her-eggs/131379/

Some can bite or sting but no bugs that can kill you (unless your allergic to bees) and you never worry about it. No poisonous snakes as well.
South/central Ontario critters are pretty harmless, you teach the kids not to pet or feed wild/strange animals and that's about it.

My daughter is always wearing a Praying Mantis as a broach, the boy is always bringing home snakes, frogs and salamanders.:rolleyes:

All my years here I have never seen a black widow spider indoors. They hide in the day so hunt them at night with flashlight and a paint stirring stick. They are generally low to ground near something to hide in. Crack spider webs that are robust so easy to spot. Bites are very painful and can warrent hospital visit.

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Rick,

Go to a auto parts store and get some "spray brake cleaner" to use for this. One squirt on a scorpion and it will sting itself to death... poetic justice...

I like to play with them. Big black bodies. They're not bad unless you really piss them off.

:eek::eek:...wot..U? ....Tweeze.....scared???????

How old are the girls? The toxin affects young children and old people worse than mid-aged people. Some have mild symptoms, other people can get violently ill.

They are also aggressive when hot. I've had some running through the web right at me, especially when it's 90+ degrees. Gets them really aggressive... And they are either really fast, or time slows down...
Especially if you mess with their egg sacks.

http://ckcarr.smugmug.com/Animals/Cr...10_TmzRu-L.jpg

http://ckcarr.smugmug.com/Animals/Cr...43_VEpSe-L.jpg
They are not all black either. Immature black widows can be colorful.

My neighbor was just asking me yesterday about them, he just found a bunch in his garage. Now's when they are looking for warmth...

Kill them all.

My crew chief at Indy this past weekend was recovering from a brown recluse bite (Kentucky). Nasty wound about 2" across on his calf. Said it was there for a couple weeks already and it still looked bad.

Look up on the internet the damage that a BR can do. They are nasty spyders...

Went out this morning and checked my glue traps. Spiders and scorpions will hug the wall around the exterior of a house and eventually find an entrance, usually the garage. Then access the house if the garage is attached. These are at the garage door....

I change the traps about every three days because they will get a little crowded. Hard to see...but there's a brown recluse in among the scorpions.

This is 3 days worth!!!!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1345992185.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1345992208.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1345992232.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1345992253.jpg

Here in Western Canada we got lots of black widows. Just make sure you carry gloves when getting the firewood. Never seen a problem with them. The area bordering the grasslands got some issues with rattle snakes. Small dogs getting attacked and such. That would be about it for the small stuffhttp://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20110722/KAMLOOPS0303/307229994/-1/KAMLOOPS/city-developer-wont-fix-rattlesnake-issue

Lots of coyotes and bears but you don't step on them that easy.....

I went our on my back patio about a month ago to turn off my water...and found about 7 widows on my furniture. I thought they were black widows, but some of the egg sacks looked like the brown variety. Anyway, bought some Demon WP packets and haven't seen them since. Did a quick google and came up with this site...not the one I bought it from...but it's the stuff that did the job.

Demon Insecticide - Demon WP - Demon Max

You have scorpions down there :eek:? I am in a heavy wooded area (mt Washington) near Dodger Stadium, I have not seen or heard of scorpions around here. I really don't want to hear the truth. Are they harmful to humans (little). My little ones play outside all the time.

The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, Sistrurus catenatus, is the only venomous snake still found in Ontario

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake - Ojibway Nature Centre - Windsor, Ontario

Southern AB and Sourthern Sask. has rattlesnakes also

As to spiders:

"Although most spiders inject venom into their prey, few are harmful to humans. Ontario is home to the very poisonous black widow spider. The more commonly seen yellow sac spider is far less venomous, and brown recluse spiders, not indigenous to Ontario, may only be spotted on extremely rare occasions. "

Read more: Poisonous Spiders in Ontario | eHow.com Poisonous Spiders in Ontario | eHow.com


I put out sticky traps....just to be safe....

look 171,

I lived on Mt Washington (Mavis Dr and Terrace 49) for years as a kid and played in the brush all the time - never saw a scorpion. Didn't see a scorpion until I moved to AZ.

Brown Recluse Bite (Mine) after


Second Day:


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1346019880.jpg

After Two Months:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1346019837.jpg

Still not healed after 3 months. On the back of my left thigh.

I got bit by one when I was 8; sick, very sick for 5 days. My brother got bit by a hobo spider in seattle a few years ago...not pretty.

Right now I'm living in Arkansas.....use to live in San Pedro. Never saw any thing like this in Pedro.

Lately......I'm missing San Pedro!

You must embrace the beast. Own her. Below is the collection of Black Widows as well as some other local fair. Each speciman is in a differnet stage of development - some of the coloring has faded due to my use of isopropanol as a perservative.

This has been used in grade school as well as a neighborhood curio teaching the kiddos that Black Widows are only black after a year or so of life, during their first year they have strips and the young ones are actually brown.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1346025441.jpg