Black Widow infestation!

[Valley Oak]

We have a black widow infestation in our house. They are in the garage, the underbelly of our house, and we even found crawling around in our kitchen just last week!

Yes, I know they are dangerous and, yes, I know they were imported from the East Coast because they are not native to the Western US.

Now, what in the hell can we do about these lovely but very dangerous little creatures???

Thank you ahead of time for your response, we really appreciate it.

[Claire]

Hi Edward,

You are not alone. I would suspect that nearly every garage, shed and house underbelly in our area has these creatures. I've seen them everywhere I've lived so far, in abundance.

I make it a point to seek them out and dispatch them every chance I get. They are just too dangerous and I won't apologize to the spider-lovers out there. I was told that you can expect them to live anywhere that hasn't been disturbed for a year. I would say 6 months, if you're lucky. On the other hand I have lived in close quarters with them when I couldn't reach them and they never bothered me. I think if not for them our houses would be over-run with ants, roly-polies and anything else that wants in. They are more than welcome to live anywhere I'll never have contact with them. Except there are those mother-of-thousands egg sacs...

The best way (in my book) is to find as many places as you can where they hang out: under furniture, sinks, all the corners in your garage, inside lawn furniture and smush them and also get the white eggs sacs. I would bet you have at least one under your fridge, in fact, I'll bet most people do.

When seeking them out I look for a choatic-looking nest that gets more concentrated closer to her actual living quarters. If you can't find the spider, she has probably retreated into a small hole there. Also look for the younger versions nearby. You can prod quickly with a stick and see if you kill her but if not, clear out the nest fibers (you'll need a strong stick, btw) so you can see if she is still there in a week with a new nest. They are very fast and you have to be ready to move instantly. An old rag like a Tshirt works well to get into corners but have a thin, strong poker, too. Look for the body before you assume it's dead. Obviously, gloves are de rigueur, here.

I don't feel too bad about killing them after seeing pictures of the damage they do to human bodies. I have been known to scream some then mutter, "sorry" after i was successful in killing them.

(from Ohio State University)

How do you know if it's a black widow nest? My brother used to say the filaments were so strong they were tuned to G sharp. The ground underneath will be littered with corpses and it looks like a confused mess. Don't be fooled. They can drop to the ground in a split second to escape. They are probably faster than you once they get moving (thus the adrenaline-fed scream).

Also, there is the very common Western Black Widow (and Brown?) which has a pattern like the I ching on its back, same iconic shape. The good news is that they usually don't wander around in the open much as they are secretive and private beings. They like their hiding places and dislike being disturbed. That's why most people don't know they have them.

Good luck getting rid of the surplus in your environment as you'll never really be rid of them.

We have a black widow infestation in our house....

[Beanie]

We, too, have had an investation! Normally we get one or two in a bard or garage, but earlier this summer they started showing up on the outside of our chicken coops, and by the time we paid enough attention to do something, there were actually 43 full grown on the outside of one coop! We sprayed (yes sorry) regular spider killer on the outside of both coops and in one shed, and swatted the rest. Have not come back yet.

My sister next door, had same issue in her garden - many more than ever before.

[Thad]

It means they have more to eat than each other, also I've noticed new plants proliferating that haven't been here before, climate change? as to other bug oddities, I had to open a propane tank after it was empty to dispose of it and it was swarmed by the these big black flies wonder why? Is garlic smell a fly attractant?

[bill shearer]

When I used to run lots of propane gas lines and had to locate leaks underground we would hope to see flies circling over a point in the yard and dig there.

[poetrytalks]

Hi,
read that pure essential oil-either peppermint, tea tree, citrus, or neem,-warm water, and dish soap in a spray bottle repels spiders (and mice). Someone on FB said it works. I googled it. Sher