Not the first one...won't be the last one either...
By cortjo73
@cortjo73 (6498)
United States
August 3, 2008 6:38pm CST
So, my hubby decided to do some burgers and dogs on the grill today for lunch. There was a rather large, and ugly web on the grill so, as he broke it apart with the handle of our pooper scooper, I saw a big, ugly black spider run for cover. Knowing that Black Widows tend to hang out in all kinds of areas...as I have seen in the hose reel on the side of the house, in the sensor for the lights in the garage on the threshold of our garage doors, and, even a baby one in my own foyer, I took a closer look.
Yup! There it was. A big, fat, mean, ugly, terrifying Black Widow Spider.
Enjoy the picture. I hate spiders. They are one of my biggest phobias. I am actually kind of proud that I was able to get as close to it as I did to take this picture, without hyperventilating.
How about all of you? Ever seen a Black Widow Spider, live and on, in, or around your property and your sanctuary? Are you afraid of them or of all spiders like I am?
8 people like this
16 responses
@sparkofinsanity (20471)
• Regina, Saskatchewan
4 Aug 08
But she's a widow! Don't you feel sorry for widows? YOU could be a widow one day! Would you want people snuffing you out because you're a widow?*tears flowing now*
Oh - right. You're not a spider........................................*pout*! LOL
Spiders don't bother me. But then where I live there aren't any that are dangerous.
My best friend when I was a wee thing was a Daddy Long Legs spider. He was such fun.*sigh* Now I have no spider friends................*crying now*
But I am a wannabe widow! ROFL
2 people like this
@sparkofinsanity (20471)
• Regina, Saskatchewan
4 Aug 08
He was named Daddy.
No kidding.
I was in foster care at the time and didn't have a Daddy.
He was my best friend for a whole summer - always on the fence in the back yard waiting for me in the mornings.
I used to let him crawl up my arm, across my chest and down the other arm. Smartest spider I ever met! He NEVER called me a whiner or refused to listen to me talk. He's sit on my chest and I'd be lying on the grass and I'd tell him everything that was on my mind. I look back now and marvel and the little gifts God sends us when we need them the most.
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Bite your tongue! LOL! Never say I could be a widow! Unlike you, I don't want to be! LOL!
And, as for her, I am pretty sure that, if she had the chance, she would have been happy to make my hubby a widow should he have missed when he hit her. She would likely have come running after me to teach him a very sad lesson in respect! LOL!
So, what was your Daddy Long legs' name?
1 person likes this
@selece (2357)
• Philippines
10 Aug 08
I hate spiders! They give me the creeps. LoL. I prefer killing the poor things than see them moving around the house. That was really brave of you to get really near and take a picture of the thing. It looks scary... I don't like seeing the hairy and spiky bodies of those things. Ugh! Where's the spider now? By the way,are black widow spiders poisonous? If so, kill... kill... kill... 
Hehe.
Hehe.1 person likes this
@minnie_98214 (10557)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Oh creepy I am like you I hate spiders. Everyone finds it funny cause im even scared of a little dady long legs. I know they cant hurt me but ew they are just so creepy looking I cant take it. I make my kids kill them for me sometimes as im that afraid that I wont go anywhere near one.
1 person likes this
@minnie_98214 (10557)
• United States
5 Aug 08
My cats will chase mice and rabbits but run scared from a spider. I dont blame them its creepy the way they move.
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
4 Aug 08
So, I guess I shouldn't tell you that Daddy Long Legs are actually one of the most venomous spiders alive. The thing is, their little fangs are so fragile that they are of no danger to anything bigger and stronger, with tougher skin than them. I learned that a couple of years ago. So, you go right ahead and keep having your kids kill them.
And, I have my hubby kill any spiders...unless I am the only one in the house. If it is somewhere my cats can get to, I call them to action if the hubby isn't home. But, otherwise, spider killing is the hubby's job. LOL!
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Yikes! That is one mean looking spider!
When I was a kid, our neighbor showed us
a black widow spider in a jar.
Never been so frightened in my life.
About two months later, a tiny spider
bit me on the arm and paralyzed my arm
for half an hour.
Not sure if it was a baby black widow,
but it had a pretty vicious bite/sting.
So much pain, it was just incredible.
I screamed for half an hour!
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Oh, that's sweet!
Please his post pics of the big mama spider if
you can. Yes, I'm totally creeped out by big
spiders.
But they are amazing.
I guess it's a weird love/hate kind of thing.
1 person likes this
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Ugh! That is terrifying. I am glad that it didn't do any permanent damage to you...whatever kind of spider it was.
My hubby and I just don't take any chances with the Black Widows near and around my house. We see them, we kill them. This time was a little different for both of us though because he has a new camera with all the great bells and whistles for great photo ops and, he had gotten me a new camera a little less than a month ago and, both of us ran inside, grabbed our new cameras and started taking pictures. LOL! I haven't seen the one that he took yet but, I would imagine that his picture is pretty outstanding considering how much more he could have zoomed in on her than I could with my little pocket camera. LOL!
Anyway, as soon as we were done snapping away, he grabbed 3 fly swatters (yes 3...he didn't want to take any chances) and killed her where she stood. My hero! LOL!
1 person likes this
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
4 Aug 08
Oh disgusting, and you just had to put a picture on ah? LOL, well I am coming through my emails so have not actually seen the pic, I might not even bother to take a look either. Nothing personal like but I cannot stand spiders.
Black widows, are they not dangerous? See we get huge nasty ugly spiders in UK, but as far as I know none are really harmful. Thank goodness. I just do not like spiders AT ALL !!!
1 person likes this
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
5 Aug 08
God that sounds horrible, I am so glad that I do not get those sorts of spiders in my house I would live in constant fear I think.
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
4 Aug 08
LOL! Nothing personal taken. Trust me...I am terrified of spiders too which is why I am so dang proud that I allowed myself, and swallowed my fears so much, to get that close to it to take the pictures I took.
And, Black Widows are very poisonous. There is actually an anti-venom that I think hospitals keep in stock for people who have been bit and, from what I remember reading and learning, their bite is excruciatingly painful. A person can have a very painful recovery from a Black Widow bite and, some can die from it if not treated. It isn't the deadliest bite from a spider but, it can be. That is why, they die when they are found around my house.
@moondrop824 (241)
• United States
4 Aug 08
YUCK, YUCK AND YUCK. Yes we have brown recluse spiders at our house and sometimes there will be one in my room for days roaming around on the cieling and as long as it's not close to me or right above me i'm fine but once it's above me I tell my honey to smash it. If one ever crawled on me there's no telling what i'd do... faint, scream... lol
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
5 Aug 08
Ugh! Brown Recluse spiders are terrifying too. I think they are worse than Black Widows because there is an anti-venom for a black widow bite but, a Brown Recluse can do more damage. My friend's Dad is an electrician and opened a breaker box and a Brown Recluse got on his face, bit him in the face and it did some major damage to the skin on his around the area where it bit him.
I would have to move if I knew there were brown recluse spiders in or around my house. They really freak me out more than the black widows and, black widows freak me out bad enough as it is. LOL!
@moondrop824 (241)
• United States
5 Aug 08
yes, there's ALOT of those around this area it seems and my friend too was bit on the cheek and it put a big ugly scar right on his face. Same with another who was bit on the hip, both say it was very painful and the bite just get worse over time because the venom eats away the skin in and around the bite. The treatment is very painful also, kind of treated like a cyst where is drained and stuffed with gauze. Ouch. I hope to never get bit by one!
@rogue13xmen13 (14402)
• United States
4 Aug 08
The spiders at my house seem to keep to themselves and they are pretty friendly. They keep out fly population under control. Spiders are great for keeping flies away from out house. We love spiders more than we love flies around here.
@loujac3 (1188)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Nasty! You are brave to get that close. I grew up in the midwest and it wasn't until I moved to Oregon that I really started seeing so many of the widows. My daughter is really into insects and she has quite a collection. Personally, I can do without seeing another one. I think I would have been tempted to turn on the gas and ignite it. Yuck!
1 person likes this
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
4 Aug 08
LOL! I am from the midwest too so, I never saw one until I moved to Georgia. In fact, I never saw such big spiders until moving here. They get freaking gigantic here. Not just the behemoth of a black widow spider. She is really small in comparison to some of the really obscenely huge spiders that I have seen since moving here almost 11 years ago. They are the things that nightmares are made of. LOL!
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
8 Aug 08
That would of freaked me out bigtime. I hate spiders, small or big and that would of scared me to bits. I don't think I would have had the guts to take a picture of that.
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
8 Aug 08
LOL! Trust me, I can't believe I had the guts to take the picture either! I credit myLot for giving me the courage! I felt a strong need to share it with all of you and that gave me the courage to just do what I had to do!
But, I hate spiders of all shapes and sizes too! They give me the worst case of the willies! LOL!
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
4 Aug 08
I have never been afraid of spiders at all but here in Canada where I live I have to confess I have never seen a spider this big or for that matter I have never seen a black widow spider as far as I know. Now let me tell you if it was a snake, and I mean any snake garder snake or otherwise, as fat and crippled up as I am I think I could pass cars on the highway in my bare feet. I am terrified of snakes.
1 person likes this
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
4 Aug 08
OMG...let me tell you. As big as that black widow is, that is nothing compared to the size other spiders get to be here in GA. They even creep my hubby out and he doesn't really have a fear of spiders.
As for snakes, I don't really have a fear of them. It is those too many legged creepy crawly things that make my skin crawl and make me just want to run away like a little girl and hide somewhere where the giant too many legged freaky monster can't find me! LOL!
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
4 Aug 08
hi spiders is my biggerest phobia too.yes i have seen blackwidow
spiders live in around our home and they got smacked hard and
squished immediately. I have had a spider bite on my head and got a nasty infection from it.I absolutely am afraid of any kind
pf spider. Have you ever seen huge black and gold spiders, I have
no idea of the name of them but they made a huge web in my moms roses trellis when I was a kid in South Dakota and they caught and ate grasshoppers. I have never seen them since.
1 person likes this
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
4 Aug 08
LOL! I might have seen a spider like that. Hard to know because there are so freaking many here in Georgia. And, they get gigantic. I have seen spiders that are bigger than a newborn infants hand here. I hate them. They freak me out.
I am glad you survived the spider bite on your head. Ugh! Seriously...the very thought of that is enough to ensure that I will have some nasty nightmares tonight and will most definitely throw me into a tizzy the next time I have to kill one in my house. Especially if it is on the ceiling. I HATE spiders! LOL!
@cinderella2007 (2662)
•
8 Aug 08
I think you were very brave to take picture!! I would have screamed!! I have never seen a black widow as I live in the UK!!
I hate spiders in general, I dont mind small ones but big ones...urrgh!! I have to kill them or trap them in a glass with paper and release them outside!!! (Depending on how brave I am!)
1 person likes this
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
8 Aug 08
LOL! Thank you! I was pretty brave when I took that picture considering how very terrifying spiders are to me!
As for you catching them to put outside, that is pretty brave too. I have a hard enough time getting the courage up to hit them with something to try to kill them. That is already way too close for comfort for me. Catching them in a cup and paper to release is really too hard for me to even consider because it would require too many seconds of close proximity with a living spider. LOL!
@blackmantra_x (2732)
• Philippines
4 Aug 08
Good day... Wow that's one big fat mean sucker.. I won't even mention the possibility of it's venom. I don't think we had that in our country but I'm not looking forward to meet one either. Good thing your husband and you were alert to spot her. The picture is great considering it's on the shadow.
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Hello! And, yes...she was one big fat mean sucker. And, trust me when I say that I am well aware of her venomous possibilities.
I was the one who saw her. The hubby broke her web apart and I saw her move away to try to hide. He didn't even see her. Then, when I went to look for her to see what kind of spider she was, it was immediately apparent that she was a black widow because the only thing I could see at that point was her bright red hour glass. Of course, I could see all of her but, that hour glass is like a big neon sign saying, STAY THE HECK AWAY! LOL!
And, thank you for the compliment on my picture. I took 4 total and am thinking about putting all of them on my profile page or putting another one in this discussion because some of the other ones I took, while blurry, did show her hour glass better. You can't really see it from this pic but, this one was the least blurry.
@joyadalia (1408)
• Philippines
10 Aug 08
It's good that you got rid of it before anyone got hurt. There was this item in the news last month of a couple who were hospitalized because a false black widow had been living and had mated with a male who was already wrapped in web. If a false one caused that illness how much more could a real black widow induce?
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Yikes! I'm not afraid of spiders at all and still have it in my head about the saying my great-grandmother used to say that it was bad luck to kill spiders, and I never have...but a Black Widow Spider might be different. And yes, you should be proud of yourself that you got so close to take that picture considering you're afraid of spiders.....Ummm....ever see that movie, Aracnaphobia? Hehe
@redchase (347)
•
4 Aug 08
oh my gosh. that thing looks huge. did you kill it? if so you have absolutely no reason to feel sorry. those things can cause a lot of damage. my mom made me roll out some tires that we had in the back once and i just picked em up just like that, not thinking twice. when i dropped one of them on the sidewalk, i went to go pick it up but saw a widow on it and i got away from that as quickly as possible and made my brother kill it. they seem to be everywhere. i think spiders and cockroaches are the scariest things in the world.
1 person likes this
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
4 Aug 08
LOL! It was huge and, no...I didn't kill it. My hubby killed it! LOL! I have more than just a passing fear of spiders. The thought of even trying to care them all but paralyzes me. I get really tentative. I always think that I will miss the spider when I go to hit it with whatever I am using to try to kill it and it will jump on me, or fall on me, or simply crawl to me and walk all over me and, that nearly paralyzes me. So, the hubby killed it! We have no desire to have them around and, especially that one give how close it was to the house and to a door it could crawl in through. I would say it was less than 5 feet away from that door. Too close for comfort!
As for you, I am glad that you weren't bitten by the one on the tire.
