CONTROL BLACK WIDOW HABITAT
Be very careful when working around areas where Black Widow spiders may be established. Take proper precautions——wear gloves and pay attention to where you are working.
To control the black widow, carefully remove all materials where they might hide. They can be cleaned out of an area simply by knocking down the webs, spiders, and round tan egg sacs with a stick and crushing them underfoot.
The Black Widow spider inhabit most warmer regions of the world, making it a common species in this area. The female Black Widow is shiny black, usually with a reddish hourglass shape on the underside of her spherical abdomen.
The Black Widow is considered the most venomous spider in North America. The venom of the Black Widow spider is 15 times as toxic as the venom of the rattlesnake.
The female Black Widow hangs belly upward and rarely leaves the web. Their webs can be found in many different places——on the underside of ledges, rocks, plants and debris, wherever a web can be strung.
Cold weather and drought may drive these spiders into or under buildings.
The bite itself is often not painful and may go unnoticed. But the poison can produce symptoms that include: alternating salivation and dry-mouth, paralysis of the diaphragm, profuse sweating and swollen eyelids.
A physician can give specific antivenin or calcium gluconate to relieve pain. Healthy people recover rapidly in two to five days.
It is very important to clean the site well with soap and water. Apply a cool compress over the bite location and keep the affected limb elevated to about heart level. Aspirin or Tylenol may be used to relieve minor symptoms.