How to Get Rid of Things: Forum

How to Get Rid of Things: Forum » Pest Control

1. rgsnow (Member)

   For the last several months, I have been finding and killing DOZENS of black widow spiders spread inside and out of the apartment complex that I live in. These things are literally EVERYWHERE here. I've found them all over the front and back porch areas, all around the sides of the building, all throughout the parking lot, along the sidewalks, and inside in the first floor lobby. My neighbor even discovered one crawling around in his apartment all the way up on the FOURTH FLOOR.

   I have been dealing with dangerous insects, spiders and snakes for most of my life, but I have NEVER seen an infestation of these spiders as bad as this, and especially within city limits. Even more bizarre is the fact that it's still winter here, and these spiders seem to be oblivious to the cold as I continue to find them in great numbers even now. I have killed each and every spider I have found, and pest control is commonly brought in to spray the premises, but these spiders return and spread like a plague despite all of this.

   I'm completely baffled by the sheer immensity of this infestation. I've never seen anything quite like it in all of my years. I fear that if this pest problem is not brought under control, someone will end up getting hurt badly. If someone here can offer some kind of advice as to how the management and I can get this under control, I will be truly grateful.

   Posted 9 months ago #

2. getagrip (Member)

   First..take a deep breath and calm down. If you are in charge of this situation you have to stop making it worse with your own reactions. The tenants are reacting to you and the rumors of the " Black Widow Invasion." Now if you have been "dealing with dangerous insects, spiders and snakes most of your life"..you know that most indoor spiders are one color and outside spiders are usually multi colored. You also know that spiders are not prone to want anything to do with humans, and the Widow is in fact very shy. My gut feeling is that every spider you have seen in the past few months is just a spider..I suggest you have a professional or your local health dept. come by and look at these spiders and idenmtify them. If in fact you have a real problem they can resolve it for you.

   Posted 9 months ago #

3. rgsnow (Member)

   "My gut feeling is that every spider you have seen in the past few months is just a spider..I suggest you have a professional or your local health dept. come by and look at these spiders and idenmtify them."

   Any spider which has a glossy black coat with a red hourglass-shaped marking (or otherwise distinctive red markings) on its abdomen is indeed a black widow spider. I don't think I need a "professional" to decide that for me.

   Let me elaborate on some things:

   The problem here is not whether these spiders are black widows or not (they are), but instead the problem is the sheer number of these spiders present throughout the property. There is a nest (perhaps several) of these spiders nearby and they've spread all throughout the premises and have become a huge and potentially dangerous pest problem.

   The fact that this could be a serious health hazard to the tenants here means that this issue must be resolved quickly. I would rather not contact the health department right off, as I believe this problem could be brought under control through less extreme action.

   Like I said, an exterminator has been brought in on several occasions to spray down the property, but this has proven to be ineffective as the spiders seem to continuously replace each other. There must be a nesting ground somewhere around here for an infestation like this to be possible.

   If anyone knows where a nesting ground could typically be found, and how it can be dealt with WITHOUT resorting to the "health department", I would be grateful.

   Posted 9 months ago #

4. getagrip (Member)

   Since you are so well informed (and no one else has answered your inquiry) and you haven't gone on the internet and typed in black widow..here's a quote from a field manual on black widow spiders. I think that's what you're looking for..after this I won't respond to you again, hope someone else can give you what you need.
   "Outside black widows commonly live in protected places among and under stones and pieces of wood, in firewood piles,under decks, in hollow stumps and trees, in rodent burrows, and less often in low tree branches or shubbery. Favorite places are dry man-made structures including barns, outhouses, henhouses, sheds,meter boxes,brick veneer and woodpiles.
   Indoors, they are typically found in seldom used parts of garages and basements and in crawl spaces, preferring the more cluttered areas because they provide more harborage for thier prey which consists of primarily insects. Their webs are usually about 1 foot (30cm) in diameter. " End of quote..Oh by the way there are no "nests" of spiders this one lays 6-21 egg sacs every 8-30 days. Good luck.

   Posted 9 months ago #

5. hunt (Member)

   g~~~"LIGHTEN UP"!!!!

   Posted 8 months ago #

6. hunt (Member)

   G

   Posted 8 months ago #

7. cobrapestcontrol (Member)

   is that actually a cut and paste for grip? lol

   Posted 8 months ago #

8. getagrip (Member)

   Hehee..you got me on that one! And I deserve it.
   Took me 1/2 hour to copy the **** thing.But I guess that's all he wanted.

   Posted 8 months ago #

9. samoya22 (Jonathan)

   I'm not sure this person's problem was solved.
   Do we have any other ideas as to where these spiders might be finding their "harborage"?

   Posted 8 months ago #

10. getagrip (Member)

    Did this person read the article on Black widow spiders on this site yet?

    Posted 8 months ago #

11. rgsnow (Member)

    Sorry for the delay... here's an update:

    I've contacted a few people here in my town, and apparently the problem isn't just limited to my apartment complex.

    I've been told that there are several infestations all across the area. No one is sure why the number of these pests has risen so sharply, but it's definitely a big problem for a lot of people now.

    As for my apartment complex... things have not gotten any better. I still find at least one new spider per day, if not more. I've found and killed at least one hundred of them (no joke) since I last posted.

    I and several other tenants here have repeatedly contacted and warned the management that we have a black widow problem, but they have consistently failed to have the problem addressed... at all.

    Pest control isn't even being called in anymore... we haven't had someone spray the premises at all since I last posted. I'm the only one who's actually been doing something to control it.

    Right now, I'm actually less concerned about the spiders and more about how apathetic the management is. This is a serious problem, and their utter lack of action is, to say the least, unacceptable.

    Also...

    "I'm not sure this person's problem was solved.
    Do we have any other ideas as to where these spiders might be finding their 'harborage'?"

    To answer your query... I have a few ideas. Much of the concrete in the back porch area and along the sidewalks are completely hollow underneath in many spots. This is where I've been finding the overwhelming majority of them... inside these cracks and crevices leading under the concrete.

    I assume this would be where their "harborage" (as you put it is). The concrete is very old and is splintered and cracked completely open in several places. In all honesty, it should be completely torn out and repaved.

    Anyway... I'm not entirely sure what I should do now. The management has failed to address this situation in any way whatsoever, and the spiders won't just magically go away without some serious intervention.

    Any ideas as to what I can do to make sure this problem is dealt with accordingly? Is there a way I can persuade the management to take effective action? I'm open to any ideas you might have.

    Posted 3 months ago #

12. samoya22 (Jonathan)

    I think your only course of action is to get the city involved. You might want to start contacting town officials to ask them what you should be doing to get the management to address this concern. It's obvious by now that they're going to need a little encouragement from a third party.

    Posted 2 months ago #

13. gotagrip (Member)

    There are laws in Ca. that specify you can either withhold rent with a written notice for certain infestations or possibly recoup lost rent. Landlords generally could care less in Ca. as far as my 20 years as atennant go. You may have to call your local rental advocacy group. They are very helpful.

    Posted 2 months ago #

14. sick of black widows (Member)

    OK, I have the same problem with Black Widows.. I have been fighting them for a year now... I have a new house in the middle of nowhere... I'm pretty sure I am the epicenter for black widows... I don't need an expert to tell me about black widows I could write a book... WHY? cause I have a front row seat to about 1000 of them... This long post has offered no help.. Just attacks on the guy who was asking for help..If you don't have intellegent information then go find something else to do...

    What I know...... Based on the last year and about 200 black widows later.. They like the SE side of the house probably cause it gets warm earlier... If I went out right now I would look in the exterior windows , down spouts and roof corners all of which have a crack or something to hide behind... Any day I can usually find 6 of them... Than GOD they are not in my house... you can rest easy though.. they have no desire to leave the corner they are in and really mind their own business.. I had one on me the other day and it scurried across my arm like I was a tree... didn't bite me just tried to get away.. I of course then called it a name and smashed it...We have learned not to pick up anything without scaning it first.. they hang out with a male which is usually out in front. You can bet if you see a male there is a big black one nearby...

    Unless someone comes up with better this is what I suggest... To kill the ones you have now, I use either hornet spray or oven cleaner ...yes oven cleaner... since nothing but battery acid kills them on contact you need to stun them and then crush them.. Raid will kill on contact but takes a long time... Oven cleaner is awesome cause it coats then in a light foam that makes it hard for them to move... Hornet spray are for the ones you can't reach.. When they are stunned they will wiggle around the web so you can crush them with a long stick or something... If you see just a male, sqirt some Raid into the hiding place and it will come out all pissed off. But still stunned .. If you see a web but no spider you can squirt randomly and eventually you can draw them out...I didn't know this earlier this year cause I was still learning, but what I am doing to stop the infestation is killing the babies... After I go out and kill my six for the day, I take Raid roach spray( make sure it says including black widows... I soak every spot around wher I found the six... Then I soak anyplace that might look like a good place for them... Use up the whole can... I do this every other day,.. WOW you say... Yes a bit of a hassle BUTTTTT... that will kill the eggs and prevent them from going back to that spot you sprayed for about a day or so...You will see fewer and fewer.. You may even find some dead ones cause Raid does work... I am now down to 1 to 3 a day not 6 and I have eliminated large areas around my house where they used to frequent... I'm going to continue till they are all gone.... If someone has a better idea than that I would love to hear it...

    Posted 2 months ago #

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