What happened to all the Black Widows?

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Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 15, 2011 - 03:24pm PT
Last year my yard had several areas where I could routinely find these creepy little gals, this season however they seem to have been displaced by their brown couterparts the Brown Widow. These seem more prolific but not as large. They have tan and white stipes in the legs and a orange hourglass instead of the typical red. Most reports say ounce for ounce the venom is more potent but they dont release much when they bite and are therefore less of a threat than the Black Widow.

Anyone else running accross these guys?
Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 15, 2011 - 03:33pm PT
Killed five brown widows last night when I was taking the trash to the curb. They where nested up in the handle out of view. Check those cans, especially those molded plastic cans before sticking your fingers in there.
Splater

climber
Grey Matter
Sep 15, 2011 - 03:58pm PT
I have noticed the same thing about their favorite place is under the overhang of the plastic trash bins.

The brown widow is an invader species and has spread very quickly over the last 5 years.

http://cisr.ucr.edu/brown_widow_spider.html

"Brown widows appear to be occupying the same niche as black widows so therefore, there may be a shift in the species composition. Considering that the brown widow is less dangerous and may be supplanting the native western black widow from habitats, it is conceivable that the risk of serious injury from overall spider bite may decrease in southern California as the brown widow spreads."

http://westernfarmpress.com/management/brown-widow-spider-rapidly-spreading-california

"The brown widow poses less of a health threat than black widows, but Vetter said there are several reasons why the agricultural community should be concerned about their potential northward migration. Currently little is known about brown widow spider biological control. While black widows prefer low hangouts, it is not yet known whether brown widows will adjust to higher posts in California. If the spiders take up residence in fruit orchards, for example, they could pose a problem for farmworkers.

"Pickers and harvesters won't want to have these spiders falling down on them," Vetter said.

Brown widows could also potentially congregate in agricultural shipping containers or packaging.

"Drop for drop, brown widow spider venom is more toxic than the venom of their black cousins, but other characteristics make them less dangerous, according to Vetter. Brown widows are less likely to bite. Instead, they curl up, drop and play dead when disturbed. They do not defend their egg sacs. When brown widows do bite, they release less venom than black widows.

However, brown widows will have the advantage of numbers. Black widows are known for their anti-social tendencies, usually occupying space alone. Brown widows have no such fondness for solitude.

"Where you might find six or seven black widows in a backyard, now you find 100 brown widows," Vetter said.


G_Gnome

Trad climber
In the mountains... somewhere...
Sep 15, 2011 - 06:30pm PT
Took over here last year and they have chased the black widows into the bushes but there are still lots of blacks around, it just took a year or so for them to relocate. 20 years ago when the cobweb spiders first showed up and took over the black widows took a big hit but they are resilient and always find a way to prosper.
Vegasclimber

Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
Sep 16, 2011 - 12:59am PT
Interesting thread - this is the first I have heard of these, and I haven't seen any yet. Anyone have a good picture to share?

This year has been really bad for recluses here in Vegas. A good friend of mine is a postal worker, and he sees up to a dozen a day sometimes, in areas of the mailboxes that he has to work in.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Sep 16, 2011 - 02:35am PT
tropical spiders moving north, hmmm...

don't know if we have any Brown Widows here, keep a lookout, we've got plenty of Black Widows...
they like the plastic cans too!

Caveman

climber
Cumberland Plateau
Sep 16, 2011 - 10:18am PT
If the Widows worry you wait until you meet one of these.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wandering_spider

"The members of the genus Phoneutria are highly aggressive and venomous nocturnal hunters, and are the only wandering spiders known to pose a serious danger to humans. However, the venom of some other members of this family is very poorly known, meaning that all larger Ctenids should be treated with caution."
Jingy

climber
Somewhere out there
Sep 16, 2011 - 10:34am PT
"Got rid of three BW's for the gf here in Walnut Creek."


 suggesting that someone could put up with his fatness.

BWAHAHA
Anastasia

climber
I'm simply missing my mama.
Sep 16, 2011 - 10:39am PT
Plenty of black widows in my backyard, too many in fact. Maybe I should introduce the brown gals into my foray...
pud

climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
Sep 16, 2011 - 10:48am PT
Now that you mention it, I have seen less BW's here in Simi in the last year or so.
Black widow bite made me sick for a couple of days. Violin Spider bite nearly did me in. Both in my 20's.

I got bit by this little sucker last spring in Jtree picking up a pair of pants off the floor. Nasty bite but it healed in a week.

Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Sep 16, 2011 - 10:55am PT
I know a guy who raises Black Widows and milks them! Yeah, go snicker.
He makes good money at it. It is pretty crazy to see him scoop up a handfull of 'em out of a 5 gal bucket.

Now we gots another frickin' disease spreading invader - the Tiger Mosquito:


http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-mosquito-20110915,0,547040.story


Tobia

Social climber
GA
Sep 16, 2011 - 11:25am PT

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20m?kind=Latrodectus+geometricus


Your new neighbor has some turf to cover before replacing the black widow:
Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 16, 2011 - 02:31pm PT
http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/inverts/latr-geo.html

Good info here as well as a picture of the very distinctive egg sack.
the goat

climber
north central WA
Sep 16, 2011 - 04:53pm PT
TFPU. This is a great thread for those who are inclined to follow such things. We've got an abundance of black widows in the Methow, something I'd never seen before moving here from Seattle.

Collected eight from our garage once and let them have a Battle Royale. It took 2 months for the stare down (64 eyes no less!) to end and about five days of actual fighting. The biggest one just got bigger.
Tobia

Social climber
GA
Sep 16, 2011 - 06:33pm PT
http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/IPM/BrownWidow.htm

The most commonly encountered species of the group that people are finding around their homes and work place in Sarasota County is the brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus. In the mid to late nineties there seems to have been an outbreak of brown widow spiders. Since this article was first written in 2000, this spider has spread throughout Florida and people have reported sightings of it from Southern California, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Complaints about its occurrence in cars and RVs indicate this spider will make it home in these sites. Cars, trucks, and RVs have probably helped to distribute this spider far and wide. It rapid expansion in Florida in the late 90s may have been the result of the milder winters. However, the most important factor in its expansion has probably been transportation by vehicles.
G_Gnome

Trad climber
In the mountains... somewhere...
Sep 16, 2011 - 06:58pm PT
I have been bitten by both a black widow and a brown recluse. While I was sick from the black widow, that hole in my leg is where the tissue rotted away from the brown recluse. It took weeks to heal that thing. Stay away from them!
Norwegian

Trad climber
Placerville, California
Sep 16, 2011 - 07:00pm PT
geezus weschrist, i've seen that green ooze 'protein shake' that the momma makes for her wee. i never sawd 100 tinites though...

this is copied from a trip report i done up while back...

Wrestling Black widows in raw sewage, a TR.

my headlamp batteries suck.
i've been meaning to change em.

im under the cabin, trying to make sense of the sewage stream trickling out from her belly.

ah ha. this 80 year old asbestos pipe connection is all wrong. the female portion of the joint is directed up stream.

so i wreslte it apart. im on my back in about 18" of crawl space. trying to hug the shore of the blackwater stream.

i know my left arm is in it but fuk it.

as im wresting the pipe, i see a dark spider up within the floor joists.
its got all the signs. stiff legs. round ass. red spot.. black widow.

luvlie. i'll just jab this stick up there and excuse her from this existence. as im pokin according to my faint light beam,
down falls her mate. onto my arm. now im fully up sh#t creek,
with a male black widow crawlin on my arm.

he's protectin his lady.

fuker doesn't realize that the bitch is goin to eat him after she has her way with him.

so im writhin and swearin an swatin how i can within that stinky 18" of life.

when the dust settles, i've smashed him upon my arm, but she's nowhere to be seen.

so i gingerly finish removing the pipe. slither out to the amusement of my two daughters (they've no idea the peril that i've inherited, they just see dad doing the horizontal poop dance.)

i wash the whole experience down with a luke warm coors.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Sep 4, 2015 - 11:54am PT
http://spiders.ucr.edu/myth.html
Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 4, 2015 - 03:07pm PT
Thanks Ed, good article. Still have not seen any Black Widows around the house since this post started but there are plenty of Brown Widows. I'll take the Brown Widows any day over the Black Widows since there still have not been any significant bites reported by Brown Widows plus the added benefit of them getting rid of the Black Widow populations.
TGT

Social climber
So Cal
Sep 4, 2015 - 04:36pm PT
They seem to have displaced the blacks in my yard and shed, but they are much less reclusive than the blacks.

While black widows prefer low hangouts, it is not yet known whether brown widows will adjust to higher posts in California.

Had one resident in one of my tomato plants this year.

Left her alone to deal with what was chowing down on the tomatoes.
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