A Mother Guarding Her Young
Today we were outside and I was doing spider patrol again. We have two little picnic tables outside and I had just cleaned off the big one. Katie came out with her lunch and declared that she wanted to sit at the little picnic table (which they do regularly). I told her to sit at the big one while I checked the little one for spiders. Here is what I found.
It's a young black widow (yes, the web was SUPER sticky and tough and she had the hourglass on her belly) and 6 egg sacs. I get the chills just thinking about it. They were nestled at the spot right about where the kids knees would hit. I was previously taking one or two play structures at a time and exterminating, but this was the second black widow I found in just three days so I moved over to some power wheels cars they like to sit and play in. I turned over one and saw some webs but nothing crawling. After further investigation I found 5 black widows (of varying ages) and at least 8 brown widows, plus one egg sac on that one car. I'm telling you - I'm about spidered out. As I'm sure you are also. I won't post anymore spider stories after today. It just shows me that it's something I have to be vigilant about. What would I do if one of my kids were bitten by a black widow? Just rush them to the ER or what?
12 comments:
We get these all the time, too! I think I saw one black widow in my life before I moved here, and now I'm surounded. They freak me out!!
Yikes! I hate spiders too! We get huge barn spiders that are supposed to be harmless, but they are the biggest spiders I have ever seen. Are you just smashing the spiders or are you using anything on thier eggs?
ugh. That's one reason I can appreciate cold weather--no spiders! I can't believe how many you found! I shudder at the thought...
you are completly crazy. I would have run away screaming calling josh or someone else to come KILL the spider. what a fun mom to go and get the camera and post pictures. LOVE IT
Yuck! We've had 3 in our garage since we moved here. Well, 3 that I've been able to see and exterminate. Freaky!
I sprayed poison on the suckers, but they are amazingly resilient. After 5 minutes they are still wiggling around so I always end up squashing them. UGH!
Believe it or not Brad was actually bit by a black widow when he was in highschool. (they later found it dead in his bed... YUCK) But anyways he didn't know he was bit until later at school, about midmorning his muscles started cramping and he started sweating and his mom came and rushed him to the hospital. They did something there for him... I have no idea what come to think of it. But I can imagine it effecting a smaller younger body much faster. So yes... I vote you take them to the ER. (But sounds like you are doing a good job exterminating. I don't have the guts... we found a bunch of black widows in the window wells outside the kids bedrooms and had the exterminator out the next day. I'm a HUGE chicken.)
I just heard an interesting statistic last week. I don't remember the source, but it said that there are more spiders on the Earth today then there have ever been. Also, at any given moment you there is a spider within 6ft. of you. Crazy!
Angie - why is it that everything bizzare happens to Brad? Remember when he got meningitis and the time you thought he might have a brain tumor? YIKES!
And Charlotte, I actually believe that statistic about spiders always being within 6 ft of you. Oh my gosh - as I was writing this Ryan says "Uh oh mom, look at this." A daddy long leg in the middle of my bed. *sigh* I'm not even joking.
Time to spray for bugs, inside and outside the house. That's what we do.
I hate the idea of poisen like that IN my house, but I would do it in a heart beat. I'm going to exterminate/spray inside and out the SECOND I get a house! And I'll keep it up every month until we move. This grosses me out. SO SCARY! I can't believe you find so many so fast, all together! ugh.
I have found 4 balck widow's in or around our home this year. So gross!! My baby tried to grab one of them! AGH!
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