Striped spider on outside wall of garage

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preciousmonger Lincoln, CA Oct 20, 2011

Lincoln, CA. Sacramento area.

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Post #8857486
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bokisan Colorado Springs, CO(Zone 4b) Oct 20, 2011

that is a black widow male, ...

conceivably a juvenile female, ... but i rather think, male.
the pedipalps are tucked up underneath, so it's not quite a good view of them,
but i think they're there

the bite of a male is said to be insignificant,
but where there are males, there are females

now don't freak out, they are likely outside, around the base of the building, or up under the eaves.
their webs will be in the open, but they will only build them where there is also a dark, dry space for them to tuck away in, during daylight.
near the ground every so often, you'll see some grass or twigish debris in a web.
if it is a black widow web, it will be a disorganized, messy web,
and if you break a few strands of it with your finger, you can easily feel that it is noticeably stronger than other spiders' web.
if you're not seeing obvious webs, you don't have a spider problem.

there's really no need to panic and eradicate them, as you've been living in harmony with them all your life,
and there's no such thing as a black widow 'infestation', ... there's simply never enough food available to facilitate that.

if you have toddlers, or pets, that you fear may end up interacting with them,
and you feel you need to get rid of them, it's simple and safe to do, yourself.

you need a headlamp, a long stick, gloves if you're a ninny, and a shoe on your foot.

wait until dusk or just after,
if they've been undisturbed, ... come dark, they will either be out in the open, posed in the centre of their web,
or if it needs work, they'll be busily working on it.

they are fast when in their own, undamaged web,
but very slow once the web is torn, or if they are on the ground

just locate them,
use the long stick to rapidly pull them, and their web, away from the building, ... out into the open, and step on them.

i hate to say that, because i'd rather they be left alive,
but it's better than having some yahoo coming, and spraying some blend of poisons around your house.
and it's way more effective than poison, too.



This message was edited Oct 20, 2011 9:00 PM

Post #8857713
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LadyAshleyR Oakland, MD Oct 26, 2011

Also be careful if you like to use pine bark nuggets. They seem to also be a preferred habitat.
While visiting my mother year before last I pulled up two widows while weeding the irises.

Post #8864316
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