Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Know what to look for
Know where to look. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reports northern black widow spiders tend to be found on or near outdoor woodpiles. Other lurking places include outdoor toilets, eaves and meter boxes. If you are working in or around these areas wear gloves and protective clothing to keep the spiders off. Check any wood transferred from outside into your house for any stowaways.
Learn what to look for. The northern black widow spiders isn't very big. Females are, on average, about a 1/2-inch long in the body and males are slightly smaller.
Recognize the spider's distinctive markings. Female northern black widows may have a red, hourglass-shaped mark on the underside of the abdomen. Males do not share the same red marking, but may have yellow and red bands and spots over the back. However some northern black widow spider are solid black so use caution when dealing with any black spider.
Seek medical care if bit. Bites from this spider are sharp and painful and immediate medical care is required. While these spiders are not known to be instantly fatal the venom from the bite can cause severe damage to the body.
RGetting rid of northern black widows. So, you've been outside working or camping and found one of these little gems and want to see them long gone from your area of operations. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, it is fairly easy to keep them under control and to cause them to move somewhere else. Start by taking out areas where they might live, such as woodpiles. "They can be cleaned out of an area by simply knocking down the webs, spiders, and round tan egg sacs with a stick and crushing them underfoot," according to the DNR Web site.