nasty things those spiders are, i normally kill at lease one a year or so, you had better spray something around that pond and shed, inside and out, if there is one there would mostlikly be more , not sure when they lay their eggs, but i wouldnt take any chances, ..

i killed one 3 weeks ago my self when i bought a wooden barrel from a person. found him on the bottom just waiting there.

Kill them if you must but they are not much of a threat. They are almost blind and they are not aggressive at all. They would much rather stay out of your way than bother you. I stupidly put my hand under a rock to lift it and felt something run across my fingers. When I lifted the rock I discovered that a Black Widow had just scammpered across my fingers. I have heard that they are subject to population growth cycles, with alternating growth spurts and declines. I remember seeing a lot of them here in Charlottesville VA about five years ago but I haven't seen many recently. Maybe the population is about to grow again.

I would let her go, but way out in the woods.

They do like to hide in those crevices and cool rocky places. I found several when I was transforming a rock pile that had been sitting awhile into a rock wall and similarly had one run across my hand as I picked up a rock. It made me rethink the placement of this rock wall just outside my front door for a minute, but realizing they are quite unagressive, I went ahead with plans.

If you would like some more, I can send you some. They are ubiquitous to this area. I see them almost every day, never been stung by one though. Now, fire ants...that's something to watch out for.

Kt

Being an insect eater, it would be beneficial, as are rattlesnakes, which eat rodents. It's a mere happenstance that black widow venom causes human health problems, whereas the snake venom would of course be expected to adversely affect mammals (it basically initiates the digestive process, as does the venom of spiders when injected into prey species).

You should've said you found it in your bamboo grove, so as to be on topic.

Thanks, I already knew all that. I'm not going to leave it by my shed where I might run into it again. My dad (a college biology professor) is going to keep it for his collection.

Black widows aren't so bad. If you want a really frightening spider, try a brown recluse.

I've heard about that brown recluse. I have a ton of spiders by me. never saw a BW spider but i'd be willing to bet that that brown recluse is around by me. Bamboobob any experiences you would like to share?

Kurt

I know a man in town that had to have his leg removed after being bit by a brown recluse on the side of his foot. He went through three surgeries, the first to remove his foot, the next to remove his lower leg, below the knee, and the final surgery, to remove his upper leg, leaving him with only a stump.

He took it all in stride, and jokes about it, but he said it hurt bad while the tissue rotted, but he said he never felt the original bite from the spider.

I have seen them before, but none recently. Neither spider should be taken lightly.

Scorpions also pose a threat in local areas. I worked with a friend that was bit while doing carpentry work. He was paralyzed from the waist down for a couple of days, but recovered completely.

Kt

Wow Kentuck i had no idea the brown recluse can cause so much damage. I did research on it a ways back but i think i will have to refresh my memory about that one. my biggest fear is for my kids. i tell them to stay away from any spider. My daughter is constantly bringing me over to one she has found. As you can probably guess, my time working outside with the kids can be compromised often. Better safe than sorry though.

Kurt

Kentuck's story is at the extreme end, but it is very common that a spider bite causes so much tissue damage that skin grafts are required.

One thing to keep in mind about the brown recluse is that they are reclusive (hence the name). You won't find them out in the open like you would other spiders. I feel safe in my garden wearing shorts and sandles.

Yes, the severity of spider and scorpion stings, as with any venomous creature, even snakes, are directly related to how much venom is actually injected. Here, coral snakes are the most poisonous, but they can rarely inject enough venom due to small and short teeth, which means that the snake has to literally chew a while before it can inject enough venom, so the snake can be removed before this can happen. Most victims of Coral Snake bites are children, and people who get bit between their toes or between their fingers where the skin is thin, soft, and easy to penetrate.

Rattlers(Diamondback), Water Moccasins(Cottonmouths), and Copperheads are the other three poisonous snakes here. They are much larger snakes and can inject a lot of venom, in a quick sudden bite, into their unlucky victims, making them more likely to do harm to people.

I found a Copperhead coiled up in one of my potted bamboos last Spring. I didn't notice it until I reached toward the pot, and it took off. Needless to say, I jumped like a frightened armadillo. Presently, I have a 4+ foot Coachwhip that runs(slithers) for cover into my Fernleaf clump everytime it sees me. I no longer have cats, which are supposed to greatly reduce the number of snakes in the vicinity. I guess I might have to get some more felines and see what happens.

OK, that's your lesson for today, now back to bamboo...

Kt

Here's the "beneficial" recluse for you:
{{gwi:413771}}
I also have a photo of a bite wound but I guess I will spare you the view.

The recluse is also referred to as the violin or fiddleback spider because of the violin-shaped marking on its dorsum.

However, many people misinterpret many markings on spiders as "violins" and feel that they have found a recluse spider when they actually haven't.

Kt

just so people don't think the br. recluse is huge.....
the body is about the size of a penny, give or take
don't want people to think they just got bit by a house spider, and a weak later their finger falls off.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:413767}}

I really know the correct spelling/meaning of weak/week.
at least I got the their/there/they're correct!

I'll tell you what. that was a good pic for reference. You guys say that they are reclusive hence the name. I have seen some huge brown spiders in my area/yard. I will definitely have to pay more attention. I also do remember reading about the violin markings now that you mention it.

If they are huge spiders in your yard they are probably something harmless like wolf spiders. Rabid wolf spiders (what an unfortunate name for a harmless spider) are huge brown spiders that look pretty scary.

Recluse spiders aren't particularly big though they look big when they are hiding in your bath towel that you are about to dry yourself with.

I have brown recluse spiders in my house on a regular basis. They like towels and linens for some reason. So far no problems as they aren't very aggressive but I'd much prefer to have them in my yard instead of my house. If they were just in my yard I don't think I'd worry about them.

The only black widows I have seen are ones I have found under rocks that I've lifted in natural areas while out looking for snakes. So far every black widow I have seen has headed for cover or run away. That's the response I prefer from them.

Yes: 'beneficial'. Pest species, such as flies, mosquitoes, rats and mice that predators such as spiders and venomous snakes help control represent a far greater threat to human health than the occasional, unfortunate episodes with people being bitten.

You are probably much more likely to have a very nasty experience driving your car.

"You are probably much more likely to have a very nasty experience driving your car."

While true, if I took it to heart every time I heard something to this effect said I would become totally phobic of automobiles.

The tarantulas that we have here are large, but are not supposed to be poisonous, although I'm not going to try and find out for myself. Black Widows and Brown Recluses are definitely more dangerous spiders, but large spiders are still quite intimidating.

I am not scared of spiders or snakes, but it's the occassional 'run-in' with them that scares me sometimes, like when you are reaching for something and suddenly see a snake coiled up a few inches from your fingers, or when you pick up a log and while carrying it, a tarantula runs across your hand. Good thing that no one has ever been around to see the way I act when this happens.

I worked with some seasoned roughnecks in the oilfield back in the 80's, and on at least two different occassions, I saw two of them scream like ten year old girls when they came upon a snake or tarantula. We never let them live that down, although their new nicknames became 'Spidey', and 'Snake'.

Kt

I once worked under someone who seemed to be arachniphobic. Heard one of his childhood torments was the 'Black Woodrows' under the porch or in the woodpile (someplace like that). Also heard he went beserk when he thought he had a spider on his head, there at the store, holding his glasses at arm's length, exclaiming and pawing at his head frantically.

OK Ron, I'm with you. Now if you only can get those recluses to crawl out of their shells and eat mosquitoes, I'd really be on board.

Oops! I see you did mention mosquitoes. Hmm, the recluses must be working then since I'm not finding any mosquitoes in my linen closet.