Black Widow"

Well, I have lived in Texas for many years and have seen alot of tarantulas, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, lizards and snakes. But, today September 3, 2008 I saw my first Black Widow Spider. Carlos my Organic Pest Control guy found it hidden in the four horse shoes in Gypsys area at the back yard of the cabin, near the Angel Patch. If we had decided to play horseshoes we may have found it sooner. Its bite feels like a pin prick and sometimes is not even felt. A slight local swelling and two red dots locate the bite. Pain becomes intense in 1 to 3 hours and may continue up to 48 hours. Symptoms include abdominal pain, leg cramps, rise in blood pressure, profuse perspiration, tremors, loss of muscle tone and vomiting. The toxin my cause breathing problems and sometimes unconsciousnesss. It is black with a red fiddle on its back. It looks very streamline, like a black and red race car.
The Brown Recluse Spider was in a baking dish on a shelf under the cupboard. My grandson Kopdy had come for a visit. Since he doesn't eat gluten we usually cook when he comes. Well, when I pulled out the baking dish for the brownies we had made there was the Recluse. It had a 7 or 8 inch web that looked like a narrow piece of white tape. On each end and in the middle of the piece was a small circle of yellow eggs about the circumference of a pencil ereaser. Needless to say we killed the spider and throughly cleaned the baking dish. The Brown Recluse is a non aggressive fellow. Its body and legs cover an area about the size of a quarter. Its color varies from orange-yellow to dark brown to black.The most distinguishing characteristics of this spider are its eyes and its back markings. It has three pairs of eyes arranged in a semi-circle on the forepart of its head. The eyes also form the base of a violin shaped marking on its back. Usually, the bite causes a stinging sensation then intense pain. Within 24 to 36 hours a systemic reaction may occur, characterized by restlessness, fever, chills, nausea, weakness and joint pain. The bite also produces a small blister surrounded by a large conjested and swollen area. Healing usually takes six to eight weeks and may require plastic surgery to repair.
Help! Call a doctor! Avoid these guys if you can. They, of course are in Texas and especially in the area where Gypsy and I live. We are going to be careful and trust are luck will remain firmly in place and we will not be bitten by anything. We will continue to live with all the critters the best we can. We just hope that when we go to bed tonight we are not thinking about the fact that some people get bitten by these guys when sleeping. Sweet dreams here in the cabin in the beautiful and always interesting Texas Hill Country.