Re: black widows & copperhead snakes (in great number in NC this season)

**M* P* D* <m*@dargan.com>**

Wow, Peter ! I'll be sure to use that corn cob to wipe away the cobweb first! 

404-354-1715

On Jun 25, 2012, at 5:41 PM, "Peter Loewer" <thewildgardener@earthlink.net> wrote:

> All: Having met rattlers while walking in the woods of North Carolina, this 
> has been a fascinating examination of the double threats of spiders and 
> snakes.
> But when it comes to the black widow spider, they are for more common in the 
> Southeast than what gardeners might suspect. And their danger seems to be 
> mostly based on stories of attacks back in the years of the 19th and 20th 
> centuries. Did you know  at that time most bites occurred when people used 
> out-houses and the spiders spun webs beneath the holes as the files were 
> numerous. Then when bitten the victims received a bite at the best place for 
> maximum distribution of the venom. Upon the victim making it to the 
> homestead, immediately they were given a shot of liquor; it's amazing so 
> many survived. And often being bitten with a full dose of venom is rare as 
> the spiders use it for killing their food all summer long.
> No one has mentioned that a worse threat is the black widow's relative, the 
> brown recluse, which is far more dangerous because many doctors when looking 
> at the result of the bite--often on the face of neck of the victim, 
> immediately think of shingles. The recluse while not pushy, possesses a 
> terrible venom which kills nerve cells.
> So beware of the triple threat.
> Regards, Peter 
> 
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