My husband and I are moving into a house that we found a black widow in the garage. ?

Question

Do I need to worry that there are more in the house? I am nervous about having the inside of the house treated, but I don't mind the outside being treated. I have a six month old son, so I am really worried. Is it common to find black widows in garages? I am worried that the spider had babies and they got into the house. The house is in an area where the spiders are quite common.

Answer 1

Couple things: black widows like to hang out in dry areas such as wood piles, under rocks, etc.  Your garage was probably just a normal migration area for it, a perfect home.  I'd suggest a thorough cleaning of the garage, looking especially hard for silky egg sacks the widow might have laid.  Bomb the garage hardcore, and use a self-applied product such as ortho home defense bug killer on a regular basis (every couple months) to prevent further migration.  After 6 months or so of not finding spiders, you can pretty much just establish a protective border around your entryways & such.

Indoor pest treatments have really become quite harmless both to people and pets.  As long as the product dries, it is save to come into contact with it.  I'd have your home treated inside, and when you initiate your termite contract have them also do an annual treatment for spiders.  

On black widows, they are considered a deadly spider, especially for the young and elder.  They have a venom that attacks the nervous system - but an antivenom has been around for 30 or 40 years.  Where black widows roam, you can pretty much also count on brown recluse's being around also - which also considered potentially deadly.  

Good luck.  I battle widows & recluses on a weekly basis on my place.

Answer 2

Black widow spiders are fairly common and are only poisonous to those with an allergic reaction to them, the very young, or very old. Your 6 month old son certainly qualifies as very young, but I wouldn't worry too much about spiders in the garage. You could always have the house sprayed before you move in.

Answer 3

What is a "black window"?