Avoiding the Bite of the Black Widow Spider

Common Sense and Knowledge Will Keep You Black Widow Free!

The black widow spider is one of two dangerous spiders found in the United States and is the most commonly encountered. Getting bitten by a black widow spider is not something that you ever want to encounter as it is very painful and in children the elderly, quite dangerous. If you take the following precautions, you should never have to experience this nasty little bite.

Remember that the black widow by nature is a shy, and reclusive spider. It is not out to bite humans as this is actually a waste of its venom. The black widow would much rather save this venom for its prey.

The black widow spider loves to hang around in dark, damp areas far away from human intrusion. If you have to dig around in those types of areas, be sure to wear gloves to protect your skin. If you are going to dig around in the wood pile, make sure that you check it first with caution to keep from surprising the black widow. Any time you are going to be in an area that has not been disturbed for a while, you should take caution to check it out before doing so.

Ironically, most people are bitten by black widow spiders while trying to remove them. This comes from the fact that they either do not realize that it is a black widow, or they foolishly think that it is a run of the house spider. While shy, the black widow is very fast and flexible. It can easily whip around and bite an unsuspecting hand if you miss with that newspaper, so do not be flippant if you go to kill one. The safest way to remove a black widow spider is to put on thick gloves, and use a long weapon such as a shovel or broom. This will keep the exposed parts of your skin away from the spider, while still getting rid of them.

When you store you're clothing for the seasons, be sure to use air tight containers as the black widow spider and the brown recluse love to take up residence in the safety of clothing. When you do take the clothes out of storage, shake them rigorously before putting them on to shake out any unwanted intrusions. Also, make sure you check your shoes before sliding them on each morning. This is another favorite among black widow spiders. It only takes a moment, and it could save you some heartache.