We have both brown and black widows down here. I leave them alone, and they leave me alone. Widows don't spin traditional "Charlottes" webs, but rather a random set of intersecting strands that are much stronger than other webs you find. They will set up a nesting area near a good food supply zone and you'll see a cluster of 3-4 spiny egg sacs which are visciously defended by mama. As long as they don't nest in my jack stands I'm cool with them. Widow bites can be a problem for the weak or young, but an adult not so much.

What is really cool, is we have very large wolf spiders hanging around the shop. The presence of wolf spiders is a good thing. They stay on the ground, don't spin traditional webs you walk into, and keep the nuisance bug populations in check. Although they are considered venomous, the bite of a wolf spider is akin to a wasp sting and they are really not a threat to human life. They stay hidden until they are after something, so it's not like they are stalking us or anything. They only attack stuff they know they can kill and the rest of the time they run like hell to hide from you. Smart little buggers.

I'm kind of an amateur "arachnologist" of sorts, and think of spiders as my allies rather than something to fear. Wolf spiders will attack and kill the junebugs, any roaches or fire ants, and being very territorial, will attack and kill any other wolf spiders encroaching on their territory. About three months ago, I captured a very large female after she was seen zipping across the floor to attack a wayward mole cricket. About 3.5 inches across, she was about the largest one I have ever seen around here.

I carefully scooped her up and placed her into a half-gallon beta-fish tank and kept her as a pet. Providing her water and a supply of fresh bugs for food, she eventually gave birth to a marble-sized egg sac which she carried around for about 4-5 weeks until her young hatched. Once the babies emerged, all 100 of them climbed onto mama's back where she carried on feeding and providing water for them. It was cool to watch when I would take about ten sheets of TP folded and soaked with fresh water and place it into her tank. She would walk over to the wad where the babies would all file off for a sip then crawl back onto mama. Cool stuff.

Anyhow, after wifeypoo had about three days to think about the potential for a population explosion in the shop, I was strongly encouraged to let her go. I carefully released her and the young into the wild again in a small grove of trees and bushes near the property line. I know mama and a few babies will eventually make there way across the back yard and into the shop in search of shelter and food once again. She will be welcome, as I'm fascinated with these creatures.

400WattHPSHawk wrote:I knew it. I knew i heard a woman scream the other day. Puss.

Kill what you will, but let the jumpers go. They hunt on the hoof needing no web just thier jump line. They keep those other critters that crawl across you every night while you're asleep at bay.

Btw. Did i mention you were a pussy? I reckon in reality it doesn't matter much. Air your girlish phobia in public and someone will come to your rescue.

Yeah, jumpers are cool. Particularly cute when they get their legs up all aggressive-like.

It's hard to get a sense of the scale, but male black widows tend to be pretty small in size. I think that was a black house spider, which are very common in Western WA. That said, there are black widows (in addition to other nasty 8 legged freaks) in Western WA, but they are not very common.

That spider definitely looks like a widow. And it looks like a female (the worst kind), damn...like spider...like human.

Doh...back on topic.

Smokin is probably correct, as Widows seem to be more prevalent in the southern regions, like where I live.

Love spiders, one of the oldest creatures in the world. I often laugh when people freak out about the tiny spiders we get in the states compared to those Goliath spiders that eat birds. I caught a tiny wolf spider and jumping spider and put them outside the other day, great cheap pest control as they kill other spiders like hobos and help kill other annoying insects trying to get in the house.

Only dangerous one's I encounter are the hobos but usually they can't climb so good and have poor sight and are stuck in basements or the lowest level of your home. Some Widows from time to time but they are pretty rare anymore with hobos becoming the dominant NW spider.

AbsolutNET wrote:

Sarlacc83 wrote:I've never heard of a jumping spider that big; the only ones about that size are Goliath tarantulas that live in South America or the Huntsmans which live in Laos.

I haven't read the thread, but jumping spiders in the states are pretty much contained to Black Widows.

That's totally not true. I have some that are built like the one in the picture living in my area. I'm in the states, and this one definitely jumps.

Man I off'd 3 spiders today in my house...

damn filthy murderer

That is definitely a black widow in the picture (female) we have a ton of them in our shop, and the buggers are everywhere.. never been bit, but i have to call a pest control company to spray once a year.. don't need any eggsacks hatching..

Blue Talon is correct, i live in the Tri Cities and there are tons of jumping spiders here, and black widows and brown recluces and hobo spiders, among others like wolf spiders and orb spiders.. We even have scorpion spiders, that mimick a scorpion when they walk by holding their front legs together to make them look like scorpion claws.. aggresive little suckers too..

There are Scorpions in Eastern, WA, the Northern Scorpion I believe.

I think I'll just stay on my side of the mountains.

Yeah, we've got scorpions over here in E WA. They're not very big, but they're fast. We used to find them under boards and rocks and stuff all the time when I was a kid.

We have so many friggin scorpions down here that they all sing Rock you like a hurricane.

TriCHawk wrote:Yeah, we've got scorpions over here in E WA. They're not very big, but they're fast. We used to find them under boards and rocks and stuff all the time when I was a kid.

They're not that fast. I used to watch Croc Hunter all the time and go out amongst the sagebrush and trails to catch whatever I could find. Lots of scorpions, bull snakes, and side-blotched lizards. Those lizards are lightning fast. I once caught an Eastern Yellow Bellied Racer snake... that SOB was really fast.

Lol hell noooo! Snakes? I ran across a garter snake once and got spooked, not to mention King Snake that I came across walking around my grandmas yard in AZ. I'm horrified of them things.

Throwdown wrote:Lol hell noooo! Snakes? I ran across a garter snake once and got spooked, not to mention King Snake that I came across walking around my grandmas yard in AZ. I'm horrified of them things.

ill just leave this here...

I'd totally leave my house, call the police and ask they shoot him on site.

Throwdown wrote:I'd totally leave my house, call the police and ask they shoot him on site.

LMAO

Yeah spiders ain't no big deal but snakes? Hell naw. Those are the spawn of satan, cursed by God. I'll let a spider walk but I encourage the killing of all snakes.

Zebulon Dak wrote:Yeah spiders ain't no big deal but snakes? Hell naw. Those are the spawn of satan, cursed by God. I'll let a spider walk but I encourage the killing of all snakes.

You and me both, Brah, snakes are the devil.