I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes....
We lived in Phoenix for 2 1/2 years, and *everyone* warned us about scorpions! You'll see lots of scorpions!! OOooOOoOoooo!
Well, we never saw a single one, which was somewhat disappointing, in theory. Fact is, I hate spiders. And snakes. They give me the creeps.
BONUS QUESTION: Who can name the artist who sang that little ditty titled "I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes"?
So, while I was out in the garage this morning moving stuff around, I found THIS!
By my feet! GAH!! It was big and ugly. I grabbed a broom and was turning it around because it seemed like the thing to do, and then discovered THIS!!!!:
I'm not good with identifying insects, but something told me a spider with a big red marking is, well, special.
So I put it in a glass (remind me never to use this glass again) and took it upstairs to show Joe:
He immediately said "That's a black widow...."
*pause*
I'm sorry. It almost sounded like you said "That's a black widow". As in, killer spider.
Excuse me....
*faint*
OMG! A black widow spider! Holy crap! I told him we're moving.....
Now I really won't sleep tonight thinking this little thing has an egg sac somewhere that I did not find, and all her little black widow spiderling things will come find me in the middle of the night.
I think I need to take up drinking...
Now I'm wondering if this is what bit Spike a few weeks ago. The symptoms I've found online for humans seem to match up pretty well with the symptoms he had. Any spider experts out there have any suggestions for making our house black widow proof? My first suggestion was to call the Governor's office and suggest they declare a state of emergency, call out the national guard and spray a small area, oh, about the size of the whole State.
Ick.
Well, we never saw a single one, which was somewhat disappointing, in theory. Fact is, I hate spiders. And snakes. They give me the creeps.
BONUS QUESTION: Who can name the artist who sang that little ditty titled "I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes"?
So, while I was out in the garage this morning moving stuff around, I found THIS!
By my feet! GAH!! It was big and ugly. I grabbed a broom and was turning it around because it seemed like the thing to do, and then discovered THIS!!!!:
I'm not good with identifying insects, but something told me a spider with a big red marking is, well, special.So I put it in a glass (remind me never to use this glass again) and took it upstairs to show Joe:
He immediately said "That's a black widow...."*pause*
I'm sorry. It almost sounded like you said "That's a black widow". As in, killer spider.
Excuse me....
*faint*
OMG! A black widow spider! Holy crap! I told him we're moving.....
Now I really won't sleep tonight thinking this little thing has an egg sac somewhere that I did not find, and all her little black widow spiderling things will come find me in the middle of the night.
I think I need to take up drinking...
Now I'm wondering if this is what bit Spike a few weeks ago. The symptoms I've found online for humans seem to match up pretty well with the symptoms he had. Any spider experts out there have any suggestions for making our house black widow proof? My first suggestion was to call the Governor's office and suggest they declare a state of emergency, call out the national guard and spray a small area, oh, about the size of the whole State.
Ick.
posted by Jeff in NC at 12:22 PM
10 Comments:
Jeff - I'm not even on the same side of the country, and I have chills up and down my spine. I hate spiders! (Don't even get me started on snakes. I'm guessing you aren't going to be watching that "Snakes on a Plane" movie.)And as soon as I saw that first pic with the red markings, I was thinking to myself, "Gee. That looks kind of like a black widow." OMG. If that's what bit Spike, then I'm really glad he's ok.
I Hate spiders! I saw this on Joe's blog too. I would be callin' the Orkin Man!
Oh, and was it Ray Stevens?
AAAARGH! What a horrible thing to find in your new home! I grew up in NJ and we had some there too, so you may want to extend that spraying request to the entire mid-Atlantic area. And throw that glass away! I'm so impressed you guys had the presence of mind to take a picture.
The Black Widow
So beautiful, so filled with wonder
You have class with the Arachnids
Latrodectus mactans is your scientific name
Your venomous bite is what gives your fame
Beware of her sting, she'll get you on the arm
Fall not for her false lustrous black charm
Avoid her at all costs, don't get too close
Her neurotoxin will take your breath away
For then they may be doing your post.
Oh my... I would be bunking it up in a hotel and calling an exterminator ASAP. Yuck!
So I'm telling my story of drama and near-death to my co-workers today, and many were downright surprised: "Black Widow? In Maryland? Nahhhh! You must have brought it from Phoenix!"
After intense research, I did find that yes, indeed, Black Widows are not that uncommon in Maryland. I don't recall the Maryland Visitor's Center telling me anything about this.
As for the song, Spiders and Snakes - Jim Stafford. My brother had it on 45 and I used to listen to it all the time. OMG am I old...
You mean you don't drink already? Dude, you're never gonna survive out there in the wilds sober. Do you know how many things are living on "your" acre with you???
Um, you'r enot helping me, FG Susan.... >< I prefer the 'Ignorance is Bliss' approach.
Oh, come on, black widows aren't that bad... they're even beautiful in some kind of way (don't forget I live in Bulgaria so there are no black widows at all in my home.) :D
But I have to say... this spider is very strong - concentrated acid kills it for more than two hours, so I don't know how you'll fight it.
All I can do is hope you'll sort it out... black widows aren't deadly but they can kill small children and old people. :(
GOOD LUCK!!!
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