Crap, I forgot to vote that I knew about this. I actually like spiders, and I'd only be slightly more wary of a black widow than I would be of any other spider.

The thing is, in the event that you do get bitten, you have several hours to get help before the potentially fatal effects take hold. And a healthy adult human even has a fair chance of pulling through without assistance (though of course it's wisest to get some help if you're bitten). Also, most spiders prefer to run from a creature as big as a human, and will not waste precious venom (which takes lots of energy to make) unless they are cornered and out of options.

Check out this thread I made a while back, where I go into a bit more detail about the subject of spider venom. less

Okay, so I was out in the yard and noticed some some trash by one of my bushes. I went to go grab it and I felt a spiderweb and shrieked. This web was really strong and sticky. We are talking Spiderman strength. I have never felt a web like this before. It was not silky and wispy like most webs. I immediately backed away and saw a black widow sitting there in the web. She started to run off, making her way down to the ground, and ran into a tunnel she had burrowed. I could not believe my eyes. She had a tunnel!! I coaxed her out and killed her with a flat shovel while saying "die mother f*cker!!" I felt accomplished and a little more relieved.

I also used a stick to tear down the web, and the web actually made a crackling noise (kind of like static) when I broke it. So strange...

I wanted to find out some information on black widows so I looked up some information on them and found this on Wikipedia:

"Not all adult female black widows exhibit the red hourglass on the ventrum or underside of the abdomen — some may have a pair of red spots or have no marking at all. Female black widows often exhibit various red markings on the dorsal or top side of the abdomen, commonly two red spots. However, it is believed that black widow young have at least some sort of marking on their abdomens. Adult male black widows are a quarter the size of the female, and are usually gray or brown rather than black and red; while they may sometimes have an hourglass marking on their ventral abdomen, it is usually yellow or white, not red."

So now, I can't rely on the 'black spider with a red marking' description of this spider I am so frightened of. Who am I kidding...?! I am scared of all spiders, but now even more so that one could be a black widow and I wouldn't know it.

Did you know this about black widows (not all of them being black or having markings? And are you deathly scared of them like me? less

it made me sad to hear you coaxed her out and killed her. she wasn't hurting anyone. contrary to popular belief - they're not going to hurt you unless you, say, sit on them or something. the fact that she was running away from you says it all.


i saw one on my friend's farm this weekend. it creeped me out a bit, and i didnt want her to be anywhere near me, but other than that, she has a right to be out there in the field just as much as i do. less

it made me sad to hear you coaxed her out and killed her. she wasn't hurting anyone. contrary to popular belief - they're not going to hurt you unless you, say, sit on them or something. the fact that she was running away from you says it all.


i saw one on my friend's farm this weekend. it creeped me out a bit, and i didnt want her to be anywhere near me, but other than that, she has a right to be out there in the field just as much as i do. less

Okay, so I was out in the yard and noticed some some trash by one of my bushes. I went to go grab it and I felt a spiderweb and shrieked. This web was really strong and sticky. We are talking Spiderman strength. I have never felt a web like this before. It was not silky and wispy like most webs. I immediately backed away and saw a black widow sitting there in the web. She started to run off, making her way down to the ground, and ran into a tunnel she had burrowed. I could not believe my eyes. She had a tunnel!! I coaxed her out and killed her with a flat shovel while saying "die mother f*cker!!" I felt accomplished and a little more relieved.

I also used a stick to tear down the web, and the web actually made a crackling noise (kind of like static) when I broke it. So strange...

I wanted to find out some information on black widows so I looked up some information on them and found this on Wikipedia:

"Not all adult female black widows exhibit the red hourglass on the ventrum or underside of the abdomen — some may have a pair of red spots or have no marking at all. Female black widows often exhibit various red markings on the dorsal or top side of the abdomen, commonly two red spots. However, it is believed that black widow young have at least some sort of marking on their abdomens. Adult male black widows are a quarter the size of the female, and are usually gray or brown rather than black and red; while they may sometimes have an hourglass marking on their ventral abdomen, it is usually yellow or white, not red."

So now, I can't rely on the 'black spider with a red marking' description of this spider I am so frightened of. Who am I kidding...?! I am scared of all spiders, but now even more so that one could be a black widow and I wouldn't know it.

Did you know this about black widows (not all of them being black or having markings? And are you deathly scared of them like me? less