I think I killed a black widow in my bathroom last night?

Question

What are the odds of a black widow coming indoors? This spider had an hourglass shaped body and it was extremely shiny and plastic looking. It freaked me out so bad, that I sprayed it with Pledge (that's all I had) and then smashed it with a hardback book. It formed a web at the bottom of the bathroom door leading to the side of the house (where the garbage cans are kept). Can one come into my bedroom? Or bite my small Chihuahua?

Answer 1

Shiny and plastic looking, black with a red hourglass marking on its "stomach," that's a female black widow spider. They may or may not have red markings on the top of the abdomen. The hourglass marking may or may not be a "broken hourglass."

Where I live in Los Angeles, black widow spiders are common. They prefer to stay outdoors -- for some reason, they like to build their webs where sunlight will hit the web for part of the day (although the spider itself hides in a shady corner during the daytime!). But still, I've killed a few wandering black widows in the house. So, yes, one could come into your bedroom, and one could bite your dog -- both unlikely, though.

If you don't like them, then killing them is a good idea. Left unchecked, a black widow can have lots of babies, and build a big messy communal web up against the side of your house, a dozen feet wide, with 15-20 adult females in it, and lots of males wandering around. Been there, done that, my mother didn't like the wandering ones!

Answer 2

They can come indoors yes, but more common outdoors. They have a red housglass shape on the abdomen, not really hourglass shaped bodies. I would not worry much about it, they usually hide and don't go lurking around biting people. Think you are being a bit paranoid. I once stuck my fingers in a tube containing a female black widow and she did not even attempt to bite me, she just tried to get away.
http://ag.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/graphic/bugs/widow2.jpg

Answer 3

Black widows are risky(no longer the adult males,in spite of the actuality that they might nevertheless chew,women persons could have the important hourglass parent and often an somewhat vivid pink,orange or yellow spot or streak on there abdomen)women persons are those that carry the venom and that i'm able to in user-friendly terms say that I genuinely have seen this spider positioned a human in the scientific institution so canines's can in basic terms as definitely fall sufferer to those creatures extraordinarily understanding how inquisitive canines's may be.I stay in Black Widow united states of america and use domicile protection Max around my property to maintain them at bay,any openings could be spray foamed closed or sprayed with pesticide,wait a minimum of four hours formerly letting any of your canines around the dealt with section.Spray foam expenditures approximately $3-5 reckoning on have been you get it and the domicile protection max from Lowes or domicile Depot runs approximately $10-15.sturdy success and superb needs!

Answer 4

My understanding is that black widows are relatively rare. And they like their privacy, so don't worry too much. They don't go around in packs. They are somewhat poisonous and a small dog or child can be made pretty sick. I wouldn't worry too much, because if your spider didn't have a bright red hourglass marking on its body, it wasn't a black widow.

Answer 5

Thank God it was a spider. I hate to see you bought up on a charge of murder. Yes, one can come into your bedroom, it one can bite your doggie. You might want to look around for a spider ghetto of some type; it must come from somewhere, and where it is, there can be others.

Answer 6

Put some bug killer in the yard, and clean your House real well. Spiders eat other bugs, so if you quit feeding them, they will go away. I use diazanon, in pellets for my yard, it lasts about three months at a go, and it also kills ticks and fleas in your yard (that will make the dog happy!)

Answer 7

Yes, black widows are often found indoors...