Yesterday I went to mow the lawn. I have special " lawn mowing shoes" that I use..a scuffed up pair. I usually keep them in the garage, but last time, I guess I put them on the front porch.

So, I walk out in my bare feet, pick up the shoes and tap them out, as if they had sand inside. Put on my shoes, walk about 10 feet away...

I feel something crawling on my bare toes. I take my shoe off, shake it again..a HUGE black spider falls out. I turn the spider over, and it has an hourglass , a freaking red hourglass on it's bottom !

BLACK WIDOW!

Luckily I did not get bit...soooo thankful !

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You are very lucky indeed. I have friends who live in the desert and they always have to shake out everything they put on.

We live in an area that is the opposite of the desert in everyway...and we have to be careful ( but not to fear poisonous crawling things.)

Dh keep his work pants in our lawn mower shed and closes the door and changes in there. I have told him to always shake things out . He didn't and found a nest of baby mice in his pocket....after he put the pants on. He said he felt something moving in a place where there should not have been something moving.

I think he learned his lesson after that. LOL

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Oh boy, you sure are lucky! I never seen one beside on the television...lol. Thank god for that!

When we lived in Idaho we had them all over. At first they are scary, but when you see how shy they are, they become less scary and more beautiful.

I'm glad you didn't get bitten! Bites from Black Widows are non-fatal to 95% of the population. But I'll bet it hurts like hell!

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Mary

Just found one under the window sill the other night right after DD and I planted flowers. Sure hope it's not a repeat of last summer. We killed nine of those things in less than two months.

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I was bitten by a black widow spider 30 years ago! it did not hurt but I was one of the 5% who had a bad reaction! I almost went into full cardiac arrest and had to have anti venom serum and take strong muscle relaxers for weeks afterwards! it compromised my immune system for years after wards!

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What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.

I don't think they get any less creepy! They're so patterned and shiny that they look almost fake, which makes it worse, too. I've gotten a bit better at looking at wolf spiders, but suspect I'll never be entirely cool with them, and their bites hurt too.

Not getting bitten by one in that situation is incredibly lucky!

This is what i found on the net. The female black widow is the dangerous one which is the one you encountered. here is some info from the website i was looking at.

Black Widow Spiders - Bites

The adolescent and male Black Widow spider is harmless; leaving the female as the only one that is venomous. The female Black Widow spider’s venom is deadly and is even more so than a rattle snake or any other spider.

The danger of being bitten by a Black Widow is that the victim most likely will not feel it. However, there are some symptoms to look for, which may include but not be limited to: abdominal pains, sore muscles, especially on the feet, a dry mouth and paralyzed diaphragm, excessive sweating, and swollen eyelids. If a Black Widow spider bites somebody they should seek medical attention immediately. The victim is usually given antivenin or calcium gluconate.

Both have a spherical abdomen, but the male is usually half the size of a female. The female is a shiny black color and on the underside of its abdomen there is a reddish colored hourglass shape.

Black Widow Spider

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Wow, that's scary.

and thanks for the info, aryia, sounds like it's neurotoxin.

I have never seen one here in Central Texas - but we do have those horrible fiddle (brown recluse) spiders.

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Mary