Comments on: Happy Halloween!

By: Artor

Artor — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 04:28:37 +0000

I’ve never seen a black widow outdoors before. I always encounter them in dry crawlspaces and such. They’re pretty timid; I’ve gone through places thick with them, and I just put on long sleeves and used a broomstick to carve a path through the webs. They all scurried away until I was gone, and I’ve never been bitten.

By: Keith Bowden

Keith Bowden — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:44:33 +0000

“Ahhh! There’s a spider in the bath! He ate my rubber duck!”
“Penfold… shush.”

“We’re all humanary stew if we don’t pledge allegiance to… the black widow!”
[cue guitar riff...]

By: Michael Swanson

Michael Swanson — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:13:28 +0000

I’m hugely, ridiculously, even-interferes-with-my-daily-life arachnophobic. But did I click on the link anyway?

Yes. Apparently I’m also stupid.

I kinda wanna puke now.

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:14:11 +0000

Hnmm, can’t view the pic from work.

Still, we had a Hallowe’en washout – rain all evening and no trick-or-treaters (Yay! All the more chocolate for me!).

Is it just on my street, or is it everywhere that kids are coming around up to 4 days before Hallowe’en instead of on Hallowe’en itself?

By: Wildride

Wildride — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:40:12 +0000

Happy Hallowe’en: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFxGWV_XAYA

By: Just Al

Just Al — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 06:21:47 +0000

Sorry, double-post deleted

By: Just Al

Just Al — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 06:19:49 +0000

Every time Phil posts a pic from his brother-in-law, I feel challenged. You can skip this comment if you want to avoid pettiness

I put this inset pic together a while back for a blog post, but decided I already had too many about spiders anyway. Shown here is a female and male Southern Black Widow, pretty close to scale (I mean, between the two, not life size.) I actually found them not five feet apart on the side of my duplex. They are pretty common here in NC, too.

http://wading-in.net/Add/Mom-n-Dad.jpg

If you look close, you can see the markings on the female’s back (away from you) that denote the Southern variant, and the little beads of apparently yucky-tasting web fluid that she emitted when I nudged her into the light, one of their other defenses.

The male does indeed have only six legs – they may have already encountered one another at this point. She was removed to a location far from the house, but the male allowed to stay, since they’re harmless to people.

But my creepiest spider pic was used for a blog post – you have been warned.

By: Chip

Chip — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 06:09:30 +0000

Reminds me, Its been a long time since I saw the movie “Eight Legged Freaks!”
(Actually a pretty fun film.)

By: Buzz Parsec

Buzz Parsec — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 03:35:48 +0000

See Bug_Girl's recent post on Skepchick.

By: idlemind

idlemind — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 02:51:33 +0000

After reading this book excerpt about a scientist who intentionally was bitten and nearly died as a result, I've got a lot more respect for these spiders. It's kind of along the lines of "you don't die, but at times you'll wish you did." People actually commit suicide to escape the pain.

By: katwagner

katwagner — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 02:51:17 +0000

My husband used to bring black widows home to us in his lunch box (in a baggie after he ate his sandwich) when he was blowing out people’s sprinkler systems. The hugest one I ever saw I threw in the freezer to slow it down – its body was as big as my thumbnail. We saved it in a little bottle of alcohol til all the legs fell off. Our son’s favorite growing up – a spider costume I sewed for him. It lasted like 4 years!

By: Caleb

Caleb — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 02:05:14 +0000

PURGE IT, PURGE IT WITH FIRE!

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 02:02:36 +0000

I Dont like Black Widows much. One bit my leg, and put me down, for a month. I now, have a new respect for them, to say the least.

By: Grendel

Grendel — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 23:04:51 +0000

Our Australian Latrodectus hasselti (Redback Spider) is so close in appearance to the Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans) that the spider in the photo above looked almost the same as one I took here in Perth last week – sans bee. You’d hardly believe they are not the same species. I wonder if they can be cross-bred to produce a sterile ‘mule’ spider…

By: Davros

Davros — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 22:58:42 +0000

Hmm a cute little redback (that is the Australian version)
one of the least deadly spiders from around here

By: Jim Ortner

Jim Ortner — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 22:21:22 +0000

I’ve got a black widow web on our cactus out in the front yard. Right next to the sidewalk with a light on it for tonight.

Jim

By: GumbyTheCat

GumbyTheCat — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 21:58:28 +0000

What a gorgeous creature. Reminds me of a gal I used to date.

By: matt

matt — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 20:18:39 +0000

Speaking of legs, that poor spider is missing one on her left hand side. I only counted 7, and then saw the stump. Times are rough.

By: Floyd

Floyd — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 19:16:00 +0000

At our old house, we had way too many black widows. If they were found, they were killed.
On the other hand wolf spiders killed cockroaches, and we never bothered them.

By: DrFlimmer

DrFlimmer — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 19:03:52 +0000

In Germany is (more or less official) “Reformationstag” today, when the Protestants remember Martin Luther and his 90 theses on the church door. However, that day is almost forgotten and replaced by the scary thing. That comes from a Roman-Catholic….

happy Halloween to all in the new world….

By: peter

peter — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:55:31 +0000

“I learned first hand what their bite feels like”

I used to frequently have my tarantulas walk on me or hold them in the hollow of my hand while working on the computer.

Unfortunately- I got more allergic to the urticating hairs, and one day one gave me a warning: while holding her she punched her chelicerae into my hand , drawing a little blood but not injecting any poison – a try bite.
Felt funny and not really painful, but I took heed. After all – they are still wild animals, and rather like to left alone.

By: Robin of Loxley

Robin of Loxley — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:44:04 +0000

I’m glad I am not the only person who values the insect trapping skills of these beautiful spiders. I believe SC is the Black Widow capital of the world and they have free rein in my garden.

I was about 2 years old when I learned first hand what their bite feels like but that didn’t deter my fascination. The only ill effect I recall was the abdominal cramping and I wonder how this older body would fare these 64 years later.

By: Joy K.

Joy K. — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:19:49 +0000

She’s beautiful! Look at that glossy luster!

By: Chris Winter

Chris Winter — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 16:21:45 +0000

I heard that among the signs at The Rally to Restore Sanity was one that read, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself — and spiders.”

By: peter

peter — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 15:51:33 +0000

I love spiders – the bigger, the better.

We have a lot of really beautiful salticidae around – up to an inch.
Our house is spider friendly – they hide behind the baseboard, or winter in the big cactus plant.
No spiders squashed here.

I keep a few tarantulas – a nandhu that has almost 8″ leg span is the biggest at present.