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Comments & ID Thoughts
Western Black Widow
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Sep 20, 2018
- Photographed: Sep 20, 2018
- Spider: Unidentified
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
- Spotted Outdoors: Man-made structure (building wall, fences, etc.)
- Found in web?: Yes
- Attributes:
Black widow. If it is somewhere which you are alot, spray it with 2 parts water and 1 part vinegar. Its exoskeleton will dissolve and it will die. It is not hostile; you can even find people who have held them. If it is in an uncommon area, such as in an old tire outside, leave it alone, and it will leave you alone. Bites are painful and require immediate medical attention. With appropriate attention, it is not lethal to an adult. Bite is lethal to infants and small children.
Hi. Dish soap and water in a spray bottle will kill them too. I ever had the need. Yes,I have handled a few, never bitten handling, but bitten twice trapping under pant legs. Felt like an ant bite. An hour later it became aggravating and swelling. A check at the DR., he said go home and put ice on it. Short of some mild nausea an minor cramps in the leg, never bad enough to need treatment. Second bite, same scenario, not even that bad. Did leave a discolored sore that took a month to heal. If you know you… Read more »
I don’t have any desire to kill her.
Hi. If she is in a low risk location(not likely to come in contact with humans or pets)you could just leave her undisturbed, Knowing she is there will avoid bites. Downside is if she mates and makes egg sacs, she will hide those, then you have to relocate her to remove eggs. They can produce eggs as long as 6 months after mating and can mate twice. I lived in Vegas 30 years and never killed any spider, have relocated a few. Wanda I kept like a pet, sadly, died prematurely(contaminated cricket?) a few months after making two very nice… Read more »
Hi. Yes, western black widow, Laterodectus hesperus. These are all over Las Vegas.
One I let live in my back bathroom, a young juvenile spotting her crawl in the window. Named her Wanda, even gave her a mate. Just did miss her molting by a couple hours.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/32083154@N02/3966394322/in/dateposted/
Put her in captivity so I could remove her eggs:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/32083154@N02/3965620571/in/dateposted/