Brown Recluse and Black Widow Spiders

[The Magic Pudding]

Here's a Texas yellow garden spider, for your viewing pleasure.  Non-poisonous, but creepy.

http://www.bugsinthenews.com/Texas%20Spiders/Argiope%20aurantia%2028%20July%2020078%20Stephen%20M%20Justin%20TX%20WA%20dorsal%20body.jpg

That guy girl looks very familiar, we have St Andrew's Cross Spiders, Argiope keyserlingi.

[Amicale]

In my area, there are very occasional black widows, and the brown recluses can be found in parts of Ontario and Quebec. I've thankfully never seen one. I share Ali's spider phobia. I don't like house spiders, even. About the only sort I can stand are daddy longlegs spiders, and that's because they look more like an odd stick bug, and less like a spider.

Spiders seem to like me, too. The affection isn't shared. I've had them land on me in bed, or while working at home. I found one in my daughter's room that was truly creepy, and I don't know what kind it was -- it was short, thick, dark and had HAIRY little legs, and was hiding in the corner of the door, at the bottom, where the baseboard connects to the floor. Even worse, it's startled by movement or noise, because it could jump very quickly back into its hidey-hole. It was also incredibly strong, since I tried for about 10 minutes to suck it up with the vacuum, and it refused to get pulled in! I finally got it when it ventured out a bit further.

Ack. Ack. Ack. My skin's crawling, now!  

[Buddy]

I remember last year a neighbor's pet turantula escaped and found its way into my room one night. I can honestly say that I have never screamed louder in my life. That thing was huge! I immediately went to the neighbor so that they could collect the offending spider because there was no way I was touching it.

[Ali]

I remember last year a neighbor's pet turantula escaped and found its way into my room one night. I can honestly say that I have never screamed louder in my life. That thing was huge! I immediately went to the neighbor so that they could collect the offending spider because there was no way I was touching it.

*Puts her head between her knees and breathes into a bag*

[Amicale]

I remember last year a neighbor's pet turantula escaped and found its way into my room one night. I can honestly say that I have never screamed louder in my life. That thing was huge! I immediately went to the neighbor so that they could collect the offending spider because there was no way I was touching it.

Actually, here's the weird thing - If I know for a fact that a tarantula can't hurt me/is de-venomized, I don't mind them all that much. I have no freakin' clue why -- after all, they're a huge, hairy spider. You'd think I'd be terrified. I guess it's just that they look more like an animal than a spider. If I saw one in my house, I'd be properly freaked out, since I wouldn't know whether or not it could hurt me. My survival mechanisms would just kick in, and... yeah. But I've been to zoos etc where there were pet/trained/totally safe tarantulas, and I was assured it was safe, so I actually held one in my hand.  I couldn't believe I did it. But it was warm and soft, and reminded me of a small mouse with eight legs.

[Buddy]

I remember last year a neighbor's pet turantula escaped and found its way into my room one night. I can honestly say that I have never screamed louder in my life. That thing was huge! I immediately went to the neighbor so that they could collect the offending spider because there was no way I was touching it.

Actually, here's the weird thing - If I know for a fact that a tarantula can't hurt me/is de-venomized, I don't mind them all that much. I have no freakin' clue why -- after all, they're a huge, hairy spider. You'd think I'd be terrified. I guess it's just that they look more like an animal than a spider. If I saw one in my house, I'd be properly freaked out, since I wouldn't know whether or not it could hurt me. My survival mechanisms would just kick in, and... yeah. But I've been to zoos etc where there were pet/trained/totally safe tarantulas, and I was assured it was safe, so I actually held one in my hand.  I couldn't believe I did it. But it was warm and soft, and reminded me of a small mouse with eight legs.

Yeah, no. Not getting near anything with eight legs unless it is a horseshoe crab.

[Tank]

I've had a tarantula crawl over me once. It was slow.

[xSilverPhinx]

Here's a Texas yellow garden spider, for your viewing pleasure.  Non-poisonous, but creepy.

Ohhh, what a beauty!  Love the pattern on her back, looks like an Indian blanket.

It is! *Looks up* The ones that ornament my ceiling are kind of plain (I let them stay there, I like the insects they eat less).

[Whitney]

The house I grew up in had a big fiddleback (brown recluse) problem that had to be sprayed for frequently.  None of us ever got bit but I shake out my clothes, towel, shoes etc before putting them on to this day (and it has saved me from a bite more than once).

I didn't know fiddlebacks were more poisonous than black widows...I know the fiddlebacks cause loss of flesh that can get out of control if not treated immideately but thought that black widows basically meant death.

[Ecurb Noselrub]

OK, now this is creepy.  Here's a story about a town in India that just got invaded by poisonous spiders, and two people died.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/06/03/2-people-dead-after-swarms-venomous-spiders-invade-indian-town/

[DeterminedJuliet]

In my area, there are very occasional black widows, and the brown recluses can be found in parts of Ontario and Quebec.

Goddammit! I didn't know this!  This adds to my desire to get back to Newfoundland. They might have polar bears, but at least you can see those coming. 

[Beachdragon]

I used to do volunteer work at the Invertebrate House at the National Zoo in Washington DC.  We had a lot of spiders on display.  One was a corner of the place that was open, no glass and we had Madagascar Orb Weavers there.  They really don't leave the area if the food is good.  Their spindly legs aren't so great for walking on the floor.  

It was always fun to see people walk up to it and then flip out when they realize there was no glass, haha.

But anyway, we had a beautiful black widow in the back lab that was not accessible by the public.  Her abdomen was as large as a US quarter!

The zoo keepers always told us that the BW is poisonous but not fatal to grown adults.  They can be, however, fatal for kids and those with compromised immune systems.  And wouldn't you know, they usually build their webs along the sides of houses and other such places in which kids like to hang out.

I remember a few years ago someone's husband from one of my other forums was bitten by a Brown Recluse and ended up in the hospital as they ended up carving up his arm in order to save it.  

I've never seen one around here, but they exist.