This little lovely was in a very strong web under a table in our outside shed. My husband didn't realize she was there and proceeded to stain the table with deck stain. When he flipped the table over, there she was with her knobby knees and red hourglass belly...which to me means black widow...I'm hoping I'm wrong...maybe a false widow? It's very hot here in Sacramento, CA so it's perfect weather for a black widow....
Sounds like it. Besides the red on the belly, when looking at them from the top, they look like a patent leather button. Very shiny and round like a black pearl. Yeah, on the underside of that table would be a perfect spot for it. Especially in the dry heat.
In your country you should always wear gloves when doing something like he was, or moving a wood pile, etc. Always. They are so fast. And like dark dry places.
Definitely a black widow...
Just curious, who'd win between a black widow and a fully grown praying mantis? I hate using poison to kill widows because I want to keep other bugs... What's a good widow predator?
It would depend on who nabbed whom first - if a mantid somehow blundered into a web and was bitter before it could grab the spider, it most likely would succumb. However a mantid grabbing a spider likely would be able to kill it before the spider could find a weak place in the insect's armor for a lethal bite. There are some wasps that will prey on black widows, but they never appear abundant enough to be an effective control...
I am not sure poisons would work on BWs. Many years ago my dad put one in a fruit jar with the lid on it and DDT. It knocked the spider out, but after several hours it started moving it's legs again. At the time the DDT was probably the strongest poison available. Now however, there are many different insecticides so who knows. Google both of those things.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7giQhb_jdC4
Take a look at this. There are a couple more in there with it.
Positive ID on the Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans). You should kill it if it's somewhere you or your pets inhabit. Keeping a native beneficial species around isn't worth the risk carried with the Black Widow, IMHO.
That video is amazing Jnette!! The black widow was HUGE!! My husband killed the black widow right after our "photo shoot" but I felt embarrassingly guilty for it. Silly, I know. We also got a battery powered spray bottle of some spider poison. We're armed and ready now...well, hubby is, I'm not. Thanks for the responses....
I see this is closed. One last comment, lupine night, I am sure she is not going to keep them around!! Are you Heather??? Don't even think about it. They are deadly. Tell your husband to not work around outside at all without gloves. I even had them under the sink in my house years ago. It would stretch a web across the bathroom door at night. One night I walked in there without any clothes on, in the dark, and felt the web on my leg. I reached around and turned the light on, and there it was!!!
Take care you all.
Jnette...no, we don't plan on keeping them around. I am totally freaked out by them. I just feel really guilty for killing them...I think that's a whole other issue that probably belongs on a Dr. Phil forum...lol. Thanks for the warning, we're going to be careful working outside... :-)
Just a comment...Widow bites are not as deadly as portrayed. They CAN be deadly to small children and those with compromised health. A healthy adult will get a painful spot and may need treatment but more than likely no more than that.
