EcoMeg Versus The Black Widow Spider

What can I say? I have two small boys, so everything is about super heroes versus villains.

Yesterday, while enjoying some backyard swimming with my kids, I discovered a spider had built a web under one of our chaises.  At first, I only saw the seemingly abandoned, raggedy web hanging beneath the chair, collecting leaves.  As I tried to pry it loose I found it was amazingly strong - as if it were industrially made.  The alarm went off in my brain.  I'd read certain nasty spiders built untidy webs.  So I turned the chair over to give it a thorough cleaning and there it was: a black widow spider, likely a female given its size, markings and the proportion of its body to legs.

I called the boys over for a look, snapped a photo, then dispatched the spider to its maker.  As much as I respect nature, there is no place in my house or yard for poisonous critters, especially with children around.

I was surprised to find this here for two reasons: 1. I keep my house, garage and yard clean and tidy, and yet this managed to evade me for long enough to set up shop, and 2. black widows usually like dark places, yet here it was living on my pool deck.  We've had some unusually rainy weather, though, so my guess is that it migrated to higher ground.  The good news is that black widows are not typically aggressive.  When you come across one, it tends to run away rather than attack.  Just don't put your hand or foot near one or you may need to make a trip to the ER.