It’s my fault really. We’re in the midst of selling our house, it’s been a long process and since we’re moving, some stuff got cut. Like pest control. I don’t think you have any real idea of how effective those guys are until you go without it for a few months.
This is a Black Widow spider, very common to Arizona and the desert southwest. You can pretty much determine it’s a Black Widow on sight, even without the tell-tale hourglass on their abdomens. Their webs are super strong…one touch and you basically know that it’s this venomous spider without even seeing it.
A few nights ago I saw a web stringing from my tree to the border around it and noticed a bunch of tiny little specks of light. Oh no. Realized quickly it was hundreds of baby black widows newly hatched from an egg sack. Then I decided to find the momma and oh boy, was she a BIG MOMMA. It’s hard to tell in this photo, but this has to be one of the biggest black widow’s I’ve seen up close. From leg to leg, I think over 2 inches.
I had to grab the camera and the 50mm. They love the dark, so I didn’t have long before the flashlight chased it off, but luckily I got a snap off quickly.
I didn’t kill it for some reason…it was kind of beautiful in a way…but no worries, pest control will be back ASAP.
Mike is a Phoenix Wedding Photographer based in Arizona and can be contacted via all the normal methods and then some.
i love people who kill bugs and scary things like this…
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Are you trying to make us not come back to AZ? Keep it up! It’s working!
I hate those things and their little specks of light babies, too!