Snakes and Spiders » black widow spider bite

Black Widow Videos – Can You Watch These Without Wiggling?

admin — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:49:12 +0000

Black widow spiders are among the most creepy to most people. Why? Well, they are potentially dangerous for one thing. They have the reputation of eating their mate after sharing intimate relations. And then they have that odd looking red hourglass on their belly as well that seems to scream danger. Whatever the reason, most people can not look at a black widow spider without wiggling just a little bit. I consider it my job to provide plenty of spider wigglies to all those folks, as well as some interesting material for all you folks out there that love spiders.

Here are the best black widow videos I could find on YouTube, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Now get to wiggling!

Hope you enjoyed these!

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Side Effects of Black Widow Antivenin

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:32:51 +0000

In the world of dangerous spider bites, black widows are about as dangerous as it gets. For this reason, black widows antivenin was created. The venom of a black widow spider bite can have various effects upon the human body. These effects vary based upon a number of determining factors. In the more serious Black widow envenomations, black widow antivenin may be used to help combat the effects of the venom. Occasionally, the black widow antivenin reacts badly with the individual.

To limit the side effects of black widow antivenin, the patient should consider the following:

If they have had reactions to black widow antivenin before, they should tell the doctor.
If they have any serious allergies, they should tell the doctor.
If they are pregnant, then the doctor should know right away.
If they are using any other types of medicines, the doctor needs to know.
If they are breastfeeding, they should tell the doctor.

Assuming that these things are considered, and that the patient shows no other problems with black widow antivenin consideration, then black widow antivenin may be given as a rule.

Some more benign symptoms of black widow antivenin include:

Fever
Joint Pain
Aching Muscles
Enlarged Lymph Nodes
Rashes

More serious symptoms of black widow antivenin include:

Trouble Breathing or Swallowing
Itching in the Hands or Feet
Ears Becoming Red
Swelling Anywhere above the Neck
Sudden Weakness

The vast majority of black widow spider bites are relatively benign in nature. It is very very rare that someone dies from a black widow spider bite. Occasionally a small child or a elderly person may succumb to the Black widow spider bite venom. This is rare as well. In spite of the relatively small chances of death, the suffering of the black widow bite victim is usually rather common. For this reason, the black widow spider antivenin is widely used and accepted. Not only can it save a spider bite victim’s life, but it can reduce their suffering as well.

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Another Black Widow “Attack” Story

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:40:31 +0000

Black Widow Spider

The black widow has long been considered “evil” by those that are not informed, and the reputation is far from deserved. Still, I am constantly deluged with stories of black widow attacks that challenge everything we know about this shy arachnid. Because I run a website about snakes and spiders, folks are quite free with their stories. Sometimes, I am lucky enough to see a black widow first hand, and pass along the story to you all.

I first told you all about my black widow encounter earlier this year, so I know the little buggers are around my home on the outside. I still had yet to see another one since that fateful day – until this afternoon that is. This time, the spider was in my house. (okay it was on my back porch but that is close enough)

After months of begging me to clean out our enclosed back porch, my wife finally hit the jackpot with me today. I got off my tail and went back there and started moving all the junk around. I noticed a spider or two here and there, but none of them were dangerous at all.

Eventually, I made my way to the cedar chest that was back in the corner. I opened it and immediately saw the random web of a black widow, complete with egg sac. Carefully, I looked around and searched for mama. I saw no spider anywhere, and concluded it was an abandoned web, or dead spider sac. I then went about the task of digging the books out of the cedar chest and cleaning it out.

I was pulling out books and stacking them on the floor behind me. One by one, I was taking them out and stacking them. Out of nowhere, I noticed a flash of movement. Running across the next book I was going to pick up was a huge black widow. She was headed toward my finger and I yanked back just in the nick of time. (okay so I moved it in plenty of time but that is boring, right?)

Come to find out, she was none too happy about my intrusion of her home, and particularly about getting near her egg sac. Black widow spiders are dangerously aggressive sometimes when you get near their young or egg sac. Some don’t seem to care. This gal cared. In a big way.

Unfortunately, I had to dispose of this fine arachnid in spite of my hesitancy to do so. The thought of that egg sac bursting in a room just off mine and my wife’s bedroom was the clincher. I love spiders but even I have my limits.

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Black Widow Pictures And Safety

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:36:21 +0000

Black Widow Pictures

Not many people go out taking black widow pictures, but for those that do it is important to be safe about it. Black widow pictures are some of the most unique and powerful spider pictures on the planet. The black widow pictures found on this page are all pictures that were available on the net as public domain, etc. When you take black widow pictures in real life, it is a little bit like shooting pictures of any other dangerous wildlife.

Show respect, and provide proper distance. This means having a great zoom lens when shooting black widow pictures is vital.

Black Widow Pictures

The first thing you should do when you locate a black widow to shoot a picture of is to make sure you have at least five feet of distance between you and the spider. Black widows are not overly aggressive unless they are guarding egg sacs or feel threatened. By giving the black widow at least five feet, you will help it to remain calm and likely go about it’s normal business. You may even be able to catch a black widow spider feeding. That makes for wonderful black widow pictures I assure you.

Another important safety note when shooting black widow pictures is to make certain you use the zoom. To really get the

Black Widow Pictures

detail on the spider, while still keeping yourself safe from a black widow spider bite, it is integral that you use the zoom rather than moving your hands in close. Black widow spiders are very fast in short bursts, and they can certainly give you a nasty spider bite if you get your hands too close.

There are a number of black widow pictures that can be found on the net for free, as they are the most popular spider to take photos of in America. The tarantula runs a close second, but the black widow pictures just seem a bit more special. They have such a lengendary reputation that even the brief sight of a

Black Widow Pictures

black widow picture can bring out feelings. That is the point of wildlife photography is it not?

Remember, be careful, keep your distance, and use a great zoom lens. This will guarantee you many wonderful black widow pictures and stay safe from spider bite while you take them.

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Spider Bite Scare – Black Widows Everywhere!

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:31:26 +0000

Being that I write about the black widow on a regular occasion, I would be remiss if I did not include some personal experiences to liven things up a bit. I had an encounter with not one black widow, or even two. No, my black widow experience involved six of the little venomous spiders. Curious? Read on faithful reader… It gets interesting.

Black Widow

One fine day this past spring my wife sent me outside to finally gather and dispose of the trash that had been sitting for about a week or two. Okay, so maybe it had been about a month, but a week or two sounds better. Whatever the case, I let the trash go to long, and was now faced with gathering it up and getting it gone. I headed out there and dove right in.

Now, seeing as how I am a bit of an expert on black widows, one would think I would have the sense to put on some gloves. Why? Well, black widows love trash. Check. Black widows love damp areas. Check. Black widows love dark areas. Check. Black widows go anywhere that insects might be. Check. I could go on. The trash bags that had been sitting outside had been there quite a while, and they were the perfect homes for the black widow spider. Yet I dove in with no gloves and even bare arms. (legs too now that I think of it)

The black widow bite potential never crossed my mind as I was focused on trying to keep the bags from falling apart as I picked them up. About six bags into my clean up, I reached down and grabbed a bag……As soon as i raised the bag off the ground, I looked just beyond my fingers and there she sat. A big, fat, plump black widow. She froze right away, and just looked at me. We came face to fangs, if you will.

My initial reaction was to shiver because the dang spider was right there. My hand could not have missed picking her up by more than a centimeter. If I had reached just a hair farther, I would have picked her up in my bare hand. A spider bite would have ensued. As I stood there looking at her, I caught movement in my other hand. Crawling from the top of the bag I was holding (with my other bare hand) was yet another plump black widow!!

I dropped the bag, and immediately backed away from the trash. Amazingly I had come within a centimeter from two black widows and neither had bitten me. Both black widows had plenty of opportunity and neither actually did.

I went and put on several layers to continue my work. When I returned both spiders were gone. I dove into the rest of the trash with great care. By the time I got through it, I encountered four more black widow spiders. One of them actually crawled on my glove.

Yes, I crapped my pants but still did not get a venomous black widow spider bite.

The moral of the story? Sometimes you can try to get bit, and not get bitten. Then other times you can be minding your business and not even risking yourself and get bitten. Black widows are not the aggressive spiders that they are put out to be. I gave them plenty of chances that day for sure.

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Black Widow Spider Bite Treatment

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:43:10 +0000

Black Widow

Hopefully you are never unlucky enough to be bitten by a black widow spider, but just in case you do, it might be a good idea to know what to do. The first thing in any venomous spider bite is to remain calm. The black widow spider injects venom into your system that will spread much faster if you are panicked. Relax and know that you will be okay.

The first thing you should do is apply ice to the bite site. Wrap the ice in something such as a shirt, washcloth, or other covering and then apply. Leave the ice on for about 9 minutes at a time, and then take it off for approximately the same amount of time.

The next step should actually be done while doing the above. Transport the victim to the hospital or nearest medical facility. Your job is done once the victim has reached the hospital.

When the spider bite victim reaches the hospital the doctor may take any number of steps. These include muscle relaxants and careful blood pressure monitoring. Certainly pain medicine will be administered if needed, and sometimes a medicine called antivenin is used.

Antivenin for black widow spider bites is called “lactodectrus mactans” and it is reserved for only the worst of the black widow spider bites. The black widow antivenin is sometimes a problem with certain patients, so they are careful about who they administer it to.

The black widow spider is not always quick to release venom. Sometimes the bites are “dry” or venom is not injected. The black widow needs that venom to secure food and prey in the wild. They do not want to waste it on a huge human that they can not eat.

Children, the elderly, and those in poor health are the most at risk group with black widow spider bites. If you fall in this category and are bitten, you need to get to the hospital right away. The vast majority of people that are bitten by black widow spiders recover fully and live to tell the tale.

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