I Killed Several Black Widow Spiders The Other Day

[U2Bama]

A neighbor of mine had moved away, but did not want to fool with transporting a full load of firewood he had bought late last season; the new owner of his house had small kids and they did not want to use their fireplace.

While loading 2 loads of firewood into my Jeep Cherokee and taking it over to my house, I encountered 6 or 7 poisonous black widow spiders. I killed all of them, in addition to several egg pouches.

I posted this thread in "Free Your Mind" because I felt that there were potentially three or more "Free Your Mind" type debates that some of you may draw off of the subject matter:

(1) It is politically incorrect or ecologically harmful or something to heat your home with a wood-burning fireplace and this I am an environmental demon;

(2) Using firewood to heat your home with a wood-burning fireplace constitutes cruelty to trees; and,

(3) The whole "cruelty to black widow spiders" debate. As I stated earlier, the new neighbors have 2 small children; I noticed their soccer ball in the backyard near the woodpile that I removed. I don't give much of a care about the constitutional rights or international rights of the black widow spiders. If you want to get PETA or the Animal Liberation Front to do one of their publicity stunts, then so be it, but I do not feel bad about killing poisonous black widow spiders.

~U2Alabama

[walkon11]

Originally posted by U2Bama

(3) The whole "cruelty to black widow spiders" debate. As I stated earlier, the new neighbors have 2 small children; I noticed their soccer ball in the backyard near the woodpile that I removed. I don't give much of a care about the constitutional rights or international rights of the black widow spiders. If you want to get PETA or the Animal Liberation Front to do one of their publicity stunts, then so be it, but I do not feel bad about killing poisonous black widow spiders.

~U2Alabama

There's an actual "cruelty to black widow spiders" debate? Goodness, they scare the crap out of me...I see no harm in killing them if they're in places which can threaten humans (like my house, yard, etc...).

[martha]

If spiders are minding their own beeswax in spiderland, leave 'em alone. But if there are black widows where little kids or other people are around, I say smash 'em flat.


A wood-burning fireplace sounds nice and romantic most of the time, but today and yesterday our Santa Ana winds picked up ash from our summer fires and threw it into the air. Now the air smells like a firepit. So now I cough at the mere mention of something wood-burning. Ask me again next week.

[U2Bama]

Originally posted by martha
A wood-burning fireplace sounds nice and romantic most of the time, but today and yesterday our Santa Ana winds picked up ash from our summer fires and threw it into the air. Now the air smells like a firepit. So now I cough at the mere mention of something wood-burning. Ask me again next week.

Surely my chimney smoke here in the Southeastern US isn't being picked up by the Santa Ana winds?

[Zoomerang96]

well bama, i hope you at least ate them. wasting animal meat is barbaric.

seriously, you have black widows in alabama?

i HATE spiders.

i say kill em all. kill everyone.

[U2Bama]

We have black widow spiders, brown recluse spiders, scorpions, rattle snakes, water moccasins, and other crap that disturbs me.

[martha]

Originally posted by U2Bama
We have black widow spiders, brown recluse spiders, scorpions, rattle snakes, water moccasins, and other crap that disturbs me.

Remind me to think twice about adding Alabama to my States I Have Visited list!

[Zoomerang96]

yoshimi battles the pink robots, she has to be strong to fight them, so she takes her vitamins. she knows it would be tragic if those evil robots would win.

i deteste all those machine like pests that you mentioned.

[Angela Harlem]

Anyone who gives a flying rats rectum over the rights of dangerous spiders is a fool in mine.

Funny thread Bama.

A bear thumbs up for you

[UltravioletU2]

If there are deadly spiders around children and in your car, KILL THEM! Jeepers, these animal rights organizations can get so extreme they jeopardize the safety of people for their cause.

As for fires- I don't see a problem with them. Perhaps if everyone wanted to heat their home with a wood burning fireplace, it would be a problem. Fire places can be cozy and trees only have a certain (but long) lifespan, so dead tress makes excellent wood as long as you catch it before it rots. As long as we replant trees, we can use the wood (it's what it is there for partially). Plus, they are cozy.

I do know people who have dealt with a "real" fireplace for any length of time hate them because they are messy (ashes, wood splinters) and can smell very strong. I guess my point is that with so many people preferring a gas fireplace, to those who like the authenticicy of real wood fireplaces, go for it.

[pax]

I love animals, but if my living space were infested by possibly lethal spiders, I think I'd chuck a Doc Marten at them.

(Doc Martens are my preferred tool for killing insects...a cockroach or two has died at the toe of my old flowered boots. I just got a new pair of Doc chelsea boots, but I think I'm going to avoid using them for bug killing.)

[Moonlit_Angel]

Originally posted by Zoomerang96
i HATE spiders.

So do I. I am seriously arachnophobic, they freak me out soooooo much (even their name is creepy to me...I mean, think about it...spider...).

If I'd seen those black widow spiders, I would've screamed bloody murder...someone else would've killed 'em.

And if they're poisonous...then it's a good thing you got rid of them. Yeesh...

U2Bama, no offense to ya, since you live there, but now I can safely say that I will never go to Alabama, not unless I'd absolutely have to.

Angela

[BAW]

[i]Originally posted by U2Bama
I posted this thread in "Free Your Mind" because I felt that there were potentially three or more "Free Your Mind" type debates that some of you may draw off of the subject matter:

(1) It is politically incorrect or ecologically harmful or something to heat your home with a wood-burning fireplace and this I am an environmental demon;

(2) Using firewood to heat your home with a wood-burning fireplace constitutes cruelty to trees; and,

(3) The whole "cruelty to black widow spiders" debate. As I stated earlier, the new neighbors have 2 small children; I noticed their soccer ball in the backyard near the woodpile that I removed. I don't give much of a care about the constitutional rights or international rights of the black widow spiders. If you want to get PETA or the Animal Liberation Front to do one of their publicity stunts, then so be it, but I do not feel bad about killing poisonous black widow spiders.

~U2Alabama [/B]

AND...you hauled the wood in your gas guzzling, excess emissions spewing, road hogging SUV

Seriously though, I see nothing wrong with killing spiders, especially poisonous ones. I would have stomped them too.

environmental demon...now thats funny

[joyfulgirl]

Spider killer.

Kidding! I have been known to smash a few to smithereens myself. I've also been known to trap centipedes in plastic containers in my bedroom in the middle of the night and take them outside and dare them to come back in. Depends on my mood.

[Sparkysgrrrl]

Originally posted by joyfulgirl
I've also been known to trap centipedes in plastic containers in my bedroom in the middle of the night and take them outside and dare them to come back in. Depends on my mood.

I am queen of the container trapping of bugs.
And I hate bugs and insects so the whole time I'm freaking out about getting that close to them....but I'd rather not have bug goo all over my walls.

[Like O2]

Originally posted by U2Bama


(2) Using firewood to heat your home with a wood-burning fireplace constitutes cruelty to trees; and,

We'll have our first fire tonight while fixin' turkey and stuff.

Weather forecast....Tonight: Partial clearing and cold. A freeze may occur north and west of the city. Lows in the low 30s north and west, mid 30s in town, upper 30s inland areas of the coastal counties, and low 40s on the coast.

[RavenStar]

This is how I look at it: Was kiling the spiders the right decision? I mean, why not just move them to another location and put some sort of black widow repellent around the house?

Dont get me started about SUV's. But I think U2Bama is atleast using his how it was intended. I hate it when people use them to drive to work with only one person in them. Grrrrr

[diamond]

Bama-

Did u even consider the "feelings" or the "inner childlikespider feelings" of these creatures as your boot purposely crushed the innards into oblivion of these defenseless little bastards?

We need to know.

thank u
DB9

[U2Bama]

Originally posted by Moonlit_Angel
U2Bama, no offense to ya, since you live there, but now I can safely say that I will never go to Alabama, not unless I'd absolutely have to.

I forgot to mention the shark and alligator attacks on the Alabama Gulf coast.

But as long as you don't hang out in the woods or bodies of water or wood piles, you should not have any problems with the beasts I have mentioned.

And my town has the lowest crime rate of any 10,000+ city in Alabama.

~U2Alabama

[U2Bama]

Originally posted by RavenStar
This is how I look at it: Was kiling the spiders the right decision? I mean, why not just move them to another location and put some sort of black widow repellent around the house?

Are you suggesting that I engineer some type of poisonous spider re-location program? Any type of "black widow repellant" would likely be a pesticide which would be potentially harmful to the environment; we already had a fish kill at the city park lake due to DDT or Dursban or something. But you think I should go to the trouble of picking up a bunch of poisonous black widow spiders (being careful not to disturb them) and move them to an agreeable location, then treat my neighbor's house(s) from future invasions?

Dont get me started about SUV's. But I think U2Bama is atleast using his how it was intended. I hate it when people use them to drive to work with only one person in them. Grrrrr

Well, now that you mention it, I DO drive it to work 5 days a week, and no one in my neighborhood works near me on the same schedule that I work, so I am the only person in it. Mine seats 4 adults comfortably.

~U2Alabama