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(this is about black widows, not brown recluses, so it may or may not be relevant) I had someone tell me if I went out at night with a UV pen and shined it und

(this is about black widows, not brown recluses, so it may or may not be relevant) I had someone tell me if I went out at night with a UV pen and shined it underneath stuff, esp. patio furniture, I'd find lots of black widows. Tried it; didn't see any.

tfandango 4y ago
I don't know about that, but they love wood. I find them from time to time in the corners of my fence. Only about one a year. Once I found thousands when the eggs hatched but they quickly dispersed. An interesting thing about Black Widows is that their webs are really strong and unorganized, so I usually see that before finding the spider, which is pretty shy.
- OkayPhysicist 4y ago
  Yeah, their webs are pretty distinctive. Besides wood piles, I've found them in brick piles and folded up shade umbrellas a lot. They seem to enjoy materials that can hold moisture without quite reaching the levels of "damp". Biggest I ever saw was in an umbrella while I was de-winterizing the pool that I worked summers at. Was absentmindedly going down the rows, opening up umbrellas when I happened to look up and shrieked. Thing's abdomen had to be at least an inch, maybe an inch and a half. The pool manager (70 yo CA native, so seen his fair share) thought I was exaggerating until he walked over and said it was the biggest he'd ever seen, too.
jorts 4y ago
Black widows are pretty easy to find based on their webs. They're really messy looking.
eth0up 4y ago
I used to find black widows frequently near a melaleuca tree which was near my side door, in south Florida. Day and night. Not infrequently in the house. They always seemed passive, but I still ushered them outdoors. I have yet to identify a recluse with any confidence, although a friend of a friend lost his arm after one crawled upward from his hand to shoulder, biting repeatedly as it moved. I think delayed treatment was the ultimate cause of severity.
- UIUC_06 4y ago

tfandango 4y ago

I don't know about that, but they love wood. I find them from time to time in the corners of my fence. Only about one a year. Once I found thousands when the eggs hatched but they quickly dispersed. An interesting thing about Black Widows is that their webs are really strong and unorganized, so I usually see that before finding the spider, which is pretty shy.

OkayPhysicist 4y ago
Yeah, their webs are pretty distinctive. Besides wood piles, I've found them in brick piles and folded up shade umbrellas a lot. They seem to enjoy materials that can hold moisture without quite reaching the levels of "damp". Biggest I ever saw was in an umbrella while I was de-winterizing the pool that I worked summers at. Was absentmindedly going down the rows, opening up umbrellas when I happened to look up and shrieked. Thing's abdomen had to be at least an inch, maybe an inch and a half. The pool manager (70 yo CA native, so seen his fair share) thought I was exaggerating until he walked over and said it was the biggest he'd ever seen, too.

jorts 4y ago

Black widows are pretty easy to find based on their webs. They're really messy looking.

eth0up 4y ago

I used to find black widows frequently near a melaleuca tree which was near my side door, in south Florida. Day and night. Not infrequently in the house. They always seemed passive, but I still ushered them outdoors. I have yet to identify a recluse with any confidence, although a friend of a friend lost his arm after one crawled upward from his hand to shoulder, biting repeatedly as it moved. I think delayed treatment was the ultimate cause of severity.

UIUC_06 4y ago