I am freaking OUT!!

[jrayn]

Note to moderator: I tried to move this to home management, not sure how to move it SORRY!!!

Last night dp was cleaning out the Florida room and discovered a BLACK WIDOW nest, several eggs and the momma, he vacuumed everything but I had alarm bells ringing, I remembered seeing the eggs before, I have a hard time killing little animals, even insects and spiders (that is what I get) so I figured I would have him tend to it, forgot about it, luckily he did discover it, the location is right by the door that we go in and out of!!!

So today when me and dd went outside to play, I remembered seeing some eggs under her slide : I thought all spider eggs were carried by spiders so didn't think these were even spider eggs, I checked today and they were there still!!!!!
I grabbed a stick and started squashing the eggs, the mom comes out, I tried to get her and she crawled to the ground!!! I couldn't find her, didn't get to kill her!!! I checked the slide again found a bunch more eggs, no more spiders... So I was super paranoid and started checking around different areas, jumpy, getting creepy crawlies, and dd is really excited b/c I keep telling her to watch out, and tell her to stay away when I am exploring something, so now she is a black widow spider and so am I...
She told me to watch out for her eggs b/c they will make baby spiders (using her awwww so cute voice, like they are little kittens or something.... )

I go into our car port and look behind some screens that I removed from our front window a few months ago... found eggs... ALREADY HATCHED!!!!

I don't even feel safe outside of my house now. I am 8 months pregnant. :

[Molliejo]

Oh, mama!

Can you call an exterminator?

[jrayn]

I think I may have to do this, I am so anti-pesticide, I don't want to get this stuff in me when I am about to have a baby and have the baby exposed now and after she is born but I think that it would be more dangerous not to!
And there goes my spending money for the baby too!!!!

[adon]

Originally Posted by jrayn

I think I may have to do this, I am so anti-pesticide, I don't want to get this stuff in me when I am about to have a baby and have the baby exposed now and after she is born but I think that it would be more dangerous not to!
And there goes my spending money for the baby too!!!!

i'm not a fan of pesticides either, but i would probably call someone. i also think it may be more dangerous NOT too.

[gcgirl]

Pesticides generally don't work well against black widows - my personal experience and much research lead me to this conclusion. You have to spray them directly, for one thing, and they are SUCH good hiders. If you can have someone hunt and squish them, that's by far the best way to kill them. You can also try spraying them with hairspray - it immobilizes them so they can't run and hide, and may suffocate them if you spray them heavily enough. Note - they're nocturnal, so the best time to hunt them is at night, when they come out of their hidey-holes.

Now, a BW bite can be no fun, but I've looked into this (because I have a paranoia about BWs), and from what I've read, it seems that a black widow bite is unlikely to cause problems with the baby or induce miscarriage - the molecules that make up the venom are presumed to be too large to pass through the placenta. Just FYI. A rattlesnake bite is WAY more dangerous to a pregnant woman.

[jrayn]

Originally Posted by gcgirl

Pesticides generally don't work well against black widows - my personal experience and much research lead me to this conclusion. .

Just great.......

[gcgirl]

Originally Posted by jrayn

Just great.......

I feel you...we have them around our back door all the time. I sweep regularly and hose the walls down, and I do a once weekly nocturnal check with a flashlight. I HATE them.

[neetling]

[mirlee]

Actually, you probably should call animal control to see if they handled these spiders. They are very dangerous. If they can't handle it, call your local cooperative extension office.

I wouldn't mess with a Black Widow.