black widows

[millipede]

There seems to be no end of them around here. It's partially because my yard is still kind of a rocky wasteland. They hide under stuff a LOT and we have lots for them to hide under.
I check pretty much everything I have to pick up before I pick it up. Last weekend I flipped this rock to see if there was one under it before I just picked up the rock as I wanted to move it somewhere. I'm glad I check all the time.

[Nicki]

Ugh...I hate black widows! I found one about 3 weeks ago in one of my broody pens...scared me have to death lol

[millipede]

I don't mind finding them outside, and I think they're beautiful. My only worry about them is finding one in the house some day. I actually did find a baby one in the house once a couple years ago. Thankfully I haven't seen any since, but it's still a worry.

[C_B]

We normally kill the ones we find because for some reason when we let them go we find them in our house... ugh... Annoying...

[millipede]

Fortunately I don't usually find them in our house... but there's plenty in the yard.
If you want to cut back on them a bit, try to limit where they can find shelter. Remove things they might live under or behind. They usually build their webs fairly low to the ground. They're not very good climbers.
And for inside the house pests... get some plain old sticky traps. You place them in corners and under things. Creepy crawly stuff like spiders like to stay out of the open, so they're often found crawling near edges of walls and under stuff. Those sticky traps will catch a lot of stuff.

[C_B]

Good idea! We havent found any this year but ill keep that in mind.

[millipede]

I'm starting to wonder if I have any of these in my house right now. I hate to even think it, but it's quite possible.
My wife just got home from work a few minutes ago and I stepped out the door for a moment and looked around at some bugs that were drawn to the light. Right by the railing to the stairs, and literally RIGHT under the doorbell was a juvenile black widow... EEK
I grabbed an empty oatmeal container and a shopping card and caught it, and then brought it in the house, showed my daughter who is up just a little past her bedtime, and then fed it to some chicks in the brooder in the hallway... Wow, that sentence was too long.
anyway... I wasn't thrilled about finding it at all, never mind where it was... but, that's life here.
They sure are pretty though.

[dixiechick]

Just wondering... they aren't poisonous for animals to eat?

[millipede]

Tristan basically asked me the same thing... asked if it was smart to feed one to the chicks.
I decided, probably a couple years ago, that outside when I'm not watching... my birds will eat anything that moves by them. I started with the guineas I used to have... I'd catch black widows and feed it to them. I've tested it with chickens and ducks as well... no adverse effects...
The chicks never showed any signs that it bothered them... So, I'd say they're safe for them to eat.

I just wish there weren't so many predators around here so I could leave my birds out all the time and not have to worry about them... so they could eat SO many more bugs for me... there's just TOOOO many of them...

[dixiechick]

Of course Tristan would want to know if it was smart...

I didn't mean you shouldn't have, I was actually just surprised they aren't poisonous to eat. Kinda interesting, if I ever get really hungry...