Posted on 10/04/2006 4:53:12 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
Good thing. The Black Widows here in SoCal literally charge at your hand if you accidentally brush the web. Had one come on so fast I almost didn't have time to spray her.
Well, it probably was transported on a merchant vessel, and look for it to inhabit other parts of The South.
While I'm not all that skittish, I can't stand Black Widows. This is not good news.
Yeah? Well I still say they can't stand up to my .45.
Bring 'em on.
Yeah these are pretty mean suckers. This one is at least 10" end to end. They'll spit their poison out nine inches.... the stuff will eat clean through a beer can. Nasty buggers for sure.
I think I'd rather take a chance with Black Widows rather than Brown Recluses. We are covered up with Black Widows here. My husband captured around 50 of them when we removed the rock border from around two Maple trees. I have a watergarden and they lurk in the rocks. I can't spray them in fear of poisoning my fish. He feeds them to the fish. :-) They like them. Few people seem to be bitten by the Black Widows but Brown Recluse bites are very common in this area.
Brown Recluse bites are nasty...
Quick Henry, the Flit!
If you're too young to remember this one, then I feel mighty old.
send Hillary down there with a face like hers they will be scared off in no time
Gee, that's just the story I needed to see when I was planning a mission trip back to the gulf coast this fall...
Hmmmm, and I thought that the grey colored black widow that I saw recently in florida was a mutant or something.
Well, I'm in central florida, so they definitely aren't sticking to the coasts.
My brother-in-law almost lost a finger from a Brown Recluse bite last year. He was digging through old clothes down in his basement. He didn't feel it immediately but it didn't take long to start rotting the finger away. A lot of pain and several surgeries later, his finger survived.
Ya know, that story about your Bro-in-law's finger almost rotting off after a bite kind of makes me appreciate the cooler climate of the north east here on Long Island that much more...Now please, no killer bee stories or I'm moving to northern Maine.
I've tried to talk my husband into selling this big old farm and moving North but so far, no luck. I've lived down South all my life but I'm sick of the heat and biting bugs. Of course, our winters are nice. Maybe when I retire.
His finger turned black as if it was frost bitten. They had to slice it clear to the bone and scrape the dead tissue away. It had to be left open (no stitches) in order to drain. Boy was it awful!
"They had to slice it clear to the bone and scrape the dead tissue away. It had to be left open (no stitches) in order to drain."
Your not kidding, that is horrific.....
I got bit on the neck by one when I was in the military. It was not fun...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.