Many programs I’ve taught through the years have yielded many great outcomes for people, and even communities. However, there is only a few things that I’ve taught over the years that have had the potential to save a life or prevent injury. To mention a few topics of life importance would be: Pesticide Safety, Snake I.D., Hunters Education, Pond Safety, and, yes, topics dealing with spiders and insects. Some of this knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years through Extension had that kind of potential this past weekend, so I’ll share with you.
Some of my dearest friends and I have become kayak enthusiast, and we love to get together a few times each summer and do a float trip down any of the rivers within a day’s drive from Winston County. This past weekend happened to be one of those trips.
As we loaded kayaks in my truck from a friend’s house, I noticed an irregular shaped web inside the kayak where your legs rest. Knowing a Black Widow web looks very haphazardly constructed; I gave it a tension test. Black Widow webs are also very strong compared to other spider webs. Sure enough, it was strong, but no spider was in sight. Nevertheless, I was convinced she was there somewhere!
We washed it out with a water hose, and yet still no spider. I insisted we spray the inside of the kayak with an insecticide to flush it out, in case the spider was still in there. We did, but still, no spider. We did all that we could and decided to continue on with the trip.
As we unloaded the kayaks at the river the following morning, there she was- shiny black with that tell tale red hourglass on her abdomen lying dead in the bottom of the boat. Keep in mind that this kind of kayak is what’s called a cockpit variety, so your legs are enclosed inside. Our trip consisted of a five and half hour trip down Bear Creek in Hackelburg, Alabama, with some dicey white water rapids, which throw you around inside the kayaks a lot.
Needless to say, it was a great relief to know that one of the two most dangerous spiders in the country was dead, rather than being tossed around, getting all the more angry that her dark restful place was being disturbed by those bare legs bumping into her for half a day.
Would she have bitten? It’s hard to say, but with that level of risk, it was good to know she was dead and out of the picture for this trip.
The Black Widow is a dangerous spider, along with the Brown Recluse. They comprise many emergency room visits annually, and in some instances can be life threating. Knowing their preferred habitat and how to identify the species is something you should know.
I urge you to visit our web site, extension@msstate.edu and check out publication 2154, Spiders: Brown Recluse & Black Widow. The time you take to read this publication could save you a very expensive ER visit, and even your life.
Oh, and yes, my friend bought my supper that night for what he learned about Black Widows.
Be safe outdoors this summer, and be informed. Share this with the whole family PLEASE!
