Re: black widows

**"* F* L* J* <l*@bellsouth.net>**

On 6/22/2012 12:46 PM, Mitch Shirts wrote:
> Any suggestions for getting rid of Black widows? Are there any natural
> predators?

YES!

If you are in North Carolina you will see a type of wasp (dirt dauber?)
that builds a clay-based (any kind of clay) tubular lump of a nest that 
they attach to just about any surface, nearly always out of the weather,
indoors if they have access. This nest is a short roundish 
rough-surfaced lump, flat where it is attached to a metal, plastic or 
wood surface. I had them build nearly a dozen nests inside a large 
wood-cutting bandsaw, discovered when I moved the machine.

I broke some of them apart and discovered literally hundreds of small 
paralyzed baby black widow spiders inside. This wasp had been foraging 
for them, capturing the young either just before or after hatching from 
their nests to store for food.

This is a small, non-stinging, fast moving wasp, mostly black, tinged 
with iridescence if I remember correctly.

This would be a good subject for an entomological research paper.

What a friend this wasp, a real friend! If you see their nests leave 
them where they are for free world-class pest control. I imagine they 
exist in many areas of the United States.

I have never heard of alligator lizards in NC but we do have an 
abundance of skinks. Maybe they like black widows too. Severely cold 
winters in the South will reduce their populations but they are still 
always around and are to be scrupulously avoided. Eternal vigilance is 
the word of the day. Never put hands or feet in places where you cannot 
see all surfaces very clearly.

> I'm in the suburbs of San Diego and recently I've seen a bunch in
> my yard. I've got kids at home that like to roam my garden and pick and eat
> fruit and I don't want them to get bitten, but I also don't want to spray
> any hard core chemicals if I can help it.
_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters
GWL list website  http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters
GWL has searchable message archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters
If you have photos for GWL, send them to gwlphotos@hort.net and they can be viewed at  http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos