I want to thank everyone who responded to my cry's for help concerning the Widow spider. I researched the habit of this spider on the Internet and learned a lot. (more than I really cared to know frankly). But I had to come to terms with my fear, and learn all I could about this species of spider. You all were correct about how to deal with ridding our home and yard of this creepy fella, I mean madam. What I did learn about them is that they hang around outdoor toilets, woodpiles, under eaves, in boxes. Any place that is mostly undisturbed and cool. The Black Widow is resistant to many insecticides also. The female hangs belly up in her web and rarely leaves it. Did you know that their venom is 14 times more toxic than rattlesnake venom? Here's one more factoid I learned, The Daddy Longleg spider, (which doesn't scare me at all), isn't really a spider. And it's venom is more poisonous than the Widows, but it's mouth is too small to bite humans. As far as killing the Black Widows, I used Diazinon. Sprayed it around the foundation of our house, the pumphouse, and all the other outbuildings on our property. Had to block off a portion of the yard so the geese wouldn't graze where I sprayed. I used DE inside the house just in case there were anymore in here. Ya know when I found that one in the house, there was no web, she was just hanging upside down in the corner of the doorjam. hummmmmm. Maybe she had just entered and was fixin on setting up housekeeping. NOT---I took care of that. I did a through vacumming, you bet cha, throughout the house. Thank goodness, I didn't come across any more. Remember, come this fall, check out that firewood before you tote it into the house, I learned Widows live in woodpiles also. So once again, thank you all for your help. Maybe I can return the favor one day and will be able to help you all with a subject I know about.

-- Carol from Dixie (plantlady51@webtv.net), July 28, 2001