Spiders

[AHNC]

I hadn't run the 23 for about 10 days. It has been sitting outside under a large walnut. I went over to it the other day to do some digging and was shocked at its condition. We have, as everywhere, a lot of spiders. It has been an especially big year for black widows. A couple weeks ago I went into the shed which I re-built, but haven't rewired yet, so it is dark in there. I opened the door, started to step in and pulled up short. The entire door opening was webbed and right about 4" off my nose was the largest Widow I have ever seen. I think it was the red hourglass that stopped me from walking right into her. But the tractor. the machine was webbed from the BH to the FEL. The wheels were webbed to the ground. I took a stick and began winding up the webbing, kinda like winding up cotton candy. You can tell a widows web because it actually crackles when you get into it and they are incredibly strong. Surprisingly I did not find any of the widows. Went over to do the digging at the neighbors and asked if he was seeing more than usual as I had been. I was on the tractor and he said, "you mean like that one?" and sitting on my knee was a beauty. Do your machines get webbed up like this?

 

[Industrial Toys]

We have seen some VERY large ones for around here. Scary! Body about the size of a dime and legs in total about the size of a Canadian Toonie, like a US silver dollar. That's BIG for here! Must be climate change.

 

[Thomas]

We have no BIG spiders but LOT good size snails this year.

 

[Thunder chicken]

yikes!!!!

 

[oosik]

Most all I have here are very small. Four across on your thumb nail. I can't remember ever seeing a Black Widow. But, then again, I don't go looking for them. Every once in a while a garden spider. About the size of a mini marshmallow.

What I have a lot of - Preying Mantis. This time of year they are light pastel green. Later in the summer they turn tan.

 

[rekees4300]

Do your machines get webbed up like this?

Yes it always occurs in late Summer. My machines are kept in an insulated shed. Yearly use 3 cans of Hot Shot Fogger to completely eradicate all spiders from the shed. Each can covers 2,000 cu ft of unobstructed space.

 

[Fuddy1952]

We're in Virginia. First picture one in living room. Red/black one I've never seen one like it. It would jump instead of walking.

 

[s219]

Spotted this one on my dock a couple years ago:

 

[JWR]

I'm not old, just grey and long in the tooth. I've seen astounding numbers of spiders over the years.

My previous home had black widows in the attic, seeming to own the place. Never able to get rid of them.
You may not know the most common black widow bites were (in past years) in the very tender parts because of outhouse seat configurations.
I've learned that brown recluse can leave flesh eating side effects and have seen one patient with both an arm and a leg tied up in bandages with no certain cure. Hideous!
Cutting fields in WV for years I have seen at least 3 or 4 types of spiders crawling on me every work day. None seem to matter.

By far the wildest thing I have found about spiders: There are well over 30,000 species and only a tiny fraction is even known as to whether they are poisonous or not !!!

 

[defranks]

I named this little girl "Fluffy". She lives in my barn and so far as I can tell causes no trouble at all. She's a brown fishing spider, I think.

The hornet curled up when it died, but I estimate it was about a foot long while it was flying! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.


Edit= Not sure why, but my photos aren't uploading. Fluffy is so cute, too.

Edit #2- Now able to upload the pictures. I have no idea what happened.