My shoe and the Black Widow spider

This morning, I was cleaning and put shoes on the shoes rack in the garage. Somehow, I picked my tennis shoe... put on rack then grabbed other one and noticed the dead spider right there in the shoe. So I thought.... there must be spider under shoe....this dead look like male spider.... so Glad I did not put my hand under... I decided to bring it outside and take carefully look under and There was Black Widow spider!!!! That nasty spider is gone already (killed).

Anyway, I was glad I didn't put my feet in the shoes as I was planned to put on few days ago somehow I decided to wear flip flop shoes. Whew. (The male spider dead after mated the female. The female killed the mate instanly! That's why it called The Black Widow spider.)

So far this month, we killed over 5 black widow spiders around house. Scary!

mini, this must be a really bad year for them. look at this. and be careful!!!http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/613497/ hmm, trying again... http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/613497/

This message was edited Jun 12, 2006 8:55 AM

Just how bad DO those shoes smell, Tricia? LOL!!

Seriously, though, I'm glad it was already dead and you weren't bitten!

LOL! Thanks for laughing.. Yes I am glad it's already DEAD and I emailed my family and warmed them... Now they're going to check shoes before put on.

LOL you so funny GW I need laugh oh yes she got smell so bad >PHEW< on tennis shoes LOLLOLOL just kidding with you Mini so thank god for that you notice if you put in on... there's spider whew. Good to be dead! Just be more careful before you put it on that really scary.

This message was edited Jun 12, 2006 9:15 AM

LOL funny but dang thats scary to think about all those spiders! ewwwwww

Might not have been the female who killed that poor male...Could have been foot odor! ;)

LOLLOL you are so funny my tummy ache from laugh so hard, oh boy you got a good humor sense..GW
Maybe not from kill and maybe when they go in there to smell it to give them heart attack! Bwhahhahaha

This message was edited Jun 12, 2006 12:47 PM

I was weeding one day and lo and behold when I looked at the handfull of weeds, there was a black widow on them.
I had read that they can bite you and you won't even feel it. I got so worked up that I had to go into the house and lie down a bit.I guess it didn't bite me, I never got a mark on me.LOL
I heard if you get bit by something poisonous it is best to remain calm so the poison doesn't spread through the bloodstream. Boy, how can you remain calm knowing something like that. LOL

Black Widows are common around here year around. We find them everywhere. I was bitten by one as a child. It wasn't a pleasant experience. Or so I have been told. I don't remember about 10 days of my life. I had to learn to write with my other hand as the bitten one was so swollen and stiff for weeks. Of course back then(the early '50s) they didn't have anitvenoms so you either lived or died from such things. I do remember that when I was able to go back to school - a one room multigrade rural school - no one else was there. I finally went to a family who lived close to the school who we knew and they said everyone else including the teacher had the mumps so there was no school for a few more days. I didn't get the mumps for several more years and we have no idea how or where I was exposed at that time.

Tricia, it sounds as tho you need to get some exterminator help with that spider problem. Especially with children in the house. And yes, always look into shoes and try to shake out anything in there before putting them on.

We also have a problem here in the winter with brown recluse spiders. I keep insect spray on hand at all times not just in the summer. Perhaps if I used the vaccum cleaner more instead of just the broom or dust mop we would have few spiders in the house.

I have a box w/ lid outside for our garden shoes, but at times when I'm too tired or lazy or just take off the shoes and they stay outside. I have always been nervous about critters inside my shoes so I always shake them before putting them on and nag hubby to do the same.

this year does seem to be bad for spiders.

Wasps like to climb into shoes also.

yikes Mini, be careful......have an exterminator out, you dont want those spiders running around your house, hiding in shoes and what not.
be careful.

oh . oh i hope they don't come up this way..lol. but we have lots brown recluse, there bite is h--l. to..be careful..

There was a TV show on Animal Planet called Emergency something or other.
It told of a little girl who was visiting with relatives and had stayed in a guest bedroom that was barely used. The Black Widow spider was in heer covers. The poor little girl was bitten over and over and had a terrible reaction and was gravely ill for a while until they figured out what it was that bit her. Every time she went back to bed because she was feeling ill, the darn spider would bite her again.
Check those guest beds before your family arrives for a visit.
The little girl survived but it was so sad to see and hear about.

A few years ago I was weeding my flowerbeds barefoot when I noticed a fat shiny black spider right beside my toe. I was horrified!!! That has been my only encounter with them until recently I seen a male on the side of a building. Both are in widow heaven, lol. Black Widow spiders make my skin crawl!!

Windy I seen that show, and was amazed at how fast the little girl recovered. I really don't know that much about them...whether they can kill a human, but I have heard that they make your muscles contract severely causing extreme pain.

Spotted a Black Widow here (first time in six years) last week while gardening (it was outside with me.) Brown Recluses are also bad this year...but our "bug guy" keeps 'em under control in the house.

I found another 2 black widow spiders under front patio ceiling yesterday! I haven't see any Brown Recluses around yet. Scary!

The only show on Animal Planet that I can think of is Emergency Vets, but that's about animals. The place is only a couple miles from my house. I took Tollie there last year when he had a seizure.

I braved the spidery basement today to put down spider traps and spray spider poison. When I envisioned my dream house, spiders were NOT part of the equation!

And the basement could easily be usable as extra living space with a little fixing up. But I gotta get rid of the bugs.

I hear ya! Make sure you have every tiny crevasse caulked so they can't get in. We still have everything from meal moths to big wolf spiders surprise us down there.