Thread: Careful in those crawl spaces!

Death from black widow bite:

Matthew "Mat" Azola, master carpenter, dies - baltimoresun.com

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Originally Posted by Benjamin Thompson

Death from black widow bite:

Matthew "Mat" Azola, master carpenter, dies - baltimoresun.com

I hate to hear such things

Folks look at you funny when you tell them that just in the entrance of the crawl you can see a few black widows and more further in and "Sorry folks. I have never been bitten by one and do not want to find out what may happen if I do. Until there is an exterminator out here I won't be going in."

they were everywhere this day

I was bitten by one many years ago. I drove myself to an emergency room about 15 minutes away. Got pretty sick from it even with prompt treatment.
I guess it can affect people different ways, same as bee stings, etc.
Tragic when someone dies.

My condolences to the family. I had no idea as I came from CT and have never seen one. What states have these spiders?

Originally Posted by Brian T Bennett

My condolences to the family. I had no idea as I came from CT and have never seen one. What states have these spiders?

Draw line from side to side through the US and even move up a bit. You will find them all through those states plus some but a heavier concentration in the deeper south.

Please do watch out for them. Most folks may just get some pains and cramping. Others, well, you heard what can happen to some.

They were very common in So CA, but I see quite a few in TN, mostly in the water meter boxes.

I test Backflow assemblies, saw a black widow today.
As Jack said, common in water meter boxes.

Just a little FYI

Those spiders as in all spiders, can move seriously fast. They can be over the edge of a jar and up your arm before you can blink. Most of the time they will hide in the corner or crack, unless there is an egg sack right next to her. She will protect it.

My experience & photo.

Poisonous Critters in the Crawl Space by Erby the Central Kentucky Home Inspector



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Used to play with black widows as a kid - been bitten a couple of times with only mild cramping and soreness. Didn't realize that for some the hourglass on the abdomen meant your time is up. Happy to no longer live in a state with black widows or rattlesnakes.

I don't fear the Black Widow as much as a Brown Recluse.
I've heard that you may not even know that you've been bitten, untill weeks later, when your arm rots off.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

I don't fear the Black Widow as much as a Brown Recluse.
I've heard that you may not even know that you've been bitten, untill weeks later, when your arm rots off.

That's mostly myth. Necrosis from a brown recluse bite is uncommon, and usually heals on its own (albeit after weeks or months and with some scarring). Even then there is pain and swelling well before necrosis sets in. In addition, dermal necrosis is often diagnosed as being caused by brown recluse bites without the victim, much less the physician, having seen the spider. Yellow sac spiders may also cause necrosis of the dermis, while in other cases it may be caused by bacterial and other infections.

Believe me, you don't just wake up one day and find your leg looking like this:
Tissue Necrosis from Bothrops Asper bite

That's mostly myth. Necrosis from a brown recluse bite is uncommon, and usually heals on its own (albeit after weeks or months and with some scarring). Even then there is pain and swelling well before necrosis sets in. In addition, dermal necrosis is often diagnosed as being caused by brown recluse bites without the victim, much less the physician, having seen the spider. Yellow sac spiders may also cause necrosis of the dermis, while in other cases it may be caused by bacterial and other infections.

I've read that before also, but still concerns me.

I've seen and killed a few of those black widows. About 3 or 4 i think in the past few years. Seems like I mostly find them in garages. Maybe just a coincidence. I worry about those brown recourse dropping down my shirt when I am under a house. Never happened but I always think about it.

Originally Posted by Gene South

... brown recourse dropping down my shirt...

The spider is Brown Recluse. "brown recourse" is the symptom of it dropping down your shirt!

Originally Posted by Benjamin Thompson

The spider is Brown Recluse. "brown recourse" is the symptom of it dropping down your shirt!

brown recourse is what happens in your shorts after a brown recluse drops down your shirt

Timely thread. Today I was doing an inspection and unscrewed the lattice over the crawl scuttle and saw about 6 or 7 small spiders hanging out on the underfloor insulation. Closer look and they sure look like brown recluse to me. Smaller and different colored than others I have seen but with the distinctive violin. I was hesitant but finally carefully entered. All of them seemed to be feeding on some other sort of spider or bug. Creepy!
P8100039.jpg

Real pictures of the nasty little brow spider and a nasty little, what really happens to a leg or arm unless they do noy get the area of the bite cut away really fast

Ted, your photo looks like a brown recluse to me, based on other photos I have seen. It looks like your photo is taken from the underside of the spider.

Man I hate to see this stuff. I have a pier and beam on Friday.

Gene

Originally Posted by Gene South

Ted, your photo looks like a brown recluse to me, based on other photos I have seen. It looks like your photo is taken from the underside of the spider.

Man I hate to see this stuff. I have a pier and beam on Friday.

Gene

Yes brown recluse. I sent it from my phone and the phone pics its own words at times

FYI, the Black Widow west of the Rockies can be found as far north as Southern BC, Canada. So inspectors in the Western States need to be on guard.

The experts can't seem to agree about the Brown Recluse. Some say it is here, some say it is not. Hey, it's a recluse, eg, hard to find.

In 1998, a pregnant Brown Recluse was stopped by a border guard, trying to get in to Canada. Three weeks later, his arm fell off. Just kidding.

Here's some black widow photos that I took during inspections. Photo 0668 and 0672 are the same spider in the garage of a new constuction home on Gatesville Drive in Frisco Texas, about 3-4 years ago or so. The other three photos are from a home in Anna Texas in August of 2010. Both spiders were found in the garage in a well lit area.

Originally Posted by Gene South

Here's some black widow photos that I took during inspections.

Photo 1262 is a brown widow spider, their egg sacks are different than black widow spiders, more spiny as I recall (which is confusing as those egg sacks are not spiny).

There is a house which an investor purchased, did some work and which was infested with both black widow and brown widow spiders, mainly around the exterior, and most were in the exterior wall lights.

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

Photo 1262 is a brown widow spider, their egg sacks are different than black widow spiders, more spiny as I recall (which is confusing as those egg sacks are not spiny).

There is a house which an investor purchased, did some work and which was infested with both black widow and brown widow spiders, mainly around the exterior, and most were in the exterior wall lights.

OK
But which is worse?
The stink from crapping in your pants when a BROWN widow drops on you or a Black widow?

Wow, Jerry, I had never heard of a brown widow, only the black windows. Thanks for enlightening me. Click here: Brown Widow Spiders article at University of Florida Extension, Sarasota County

Gene

Time to up the inspection fees!!