So I have this spider in my mailbox.

Question

I've just determined that it's a brown widow, after looking up "brown widow" to find pictures. However, the kind of spider is irrelevant - I need it dead before it bites me or the mailman. How does one kill a spider that's taken up residence in the mailbox without sticking a hand inside the box or without spraying the mail in sticky bug spray?

Answer 1

You sure it's not a common house spider? (Parasteatoda tepidariorum).

http://bugguide.net/node/view/6919

Or Steatoda albomaculatus;

http://bugguide.net/node/view/48950

Both of the above are harmless, and a LOT more common than the brown widow.

Anyway, to remove it, get a stick in and twist it in the web.  Get a cup and take it with you.  Once the spider is on the stick, shake it into the cup.  They pretty much have hooks for feet so walking around in the glass will be quite awkward.  Shake it into your garden and leave it alone.

Also, spiders only bite as a last resort.  The primary defense measure for cobweb spiders is to roll up in a ball and drop out of the web.  How most people get bitten is they then pick it up to play with it, and the spider panics.

Finaly, the brown widow does have potent venom, but it is not considered dangerous.  No one has died from the bite of a brown widow.  The black widow has been known to cause fatalities, but they are very rare.  About 5% of *reported* bites, with many not needing medical attention at all.  "Deadly" is a bit of an overstatement.

Additional details - The hourglass mark is usualy a dead give-away, so I am not going to doubt it anymore.  If you are careful, it will not bite you.  Worse case, get a stick in there and crush it.  Wearing gardener's gloves is also a good idea, they cannot bite through those.

Answer 2

Use gloves (leather work gloves are fine) and long sleeves.  The spider is small and will likely pose little or no threat.  Tuck the gloves into the sleeves, just in case.

Or, try using a stick with cloth bound to the end.

Or, capture it in a jar and let it go somewhere else...

Just be careful to confirm you know the whereabouts of the spider after you are done with any of the above.

Answer 3

I'm not heart less and some times you have to do what you have to do ware that thing out and let go and let good like you say it can't live there or around your family. Kill one save a few girl those things are evil anyway I'm so scared of them i would have some one come git if for me or get a new mail box