Honey, Could You Pass the Fly Swatter Please?

Western Black Widow Spider, Latrodectus hesperus. There are apparently both Western and Eastern/Central Black Widow Spiders (Latrodectus mactans), both quite venemous. San Diego being about as Southwest as Continental U.S. gets, this is the Western Black Widow Spider. Some black widow trivia for you. The female black widow may be 15 times as venemous as a rattlesnake; yet, less than 1% of people die from black widow bites and none have died from Black Widow bites in over 10 years (apparently because they generally inject little venom). Black Widows are native to the United States. Only the females have the red hour glass; the males have yellow stripes. Only the females are mega-toxic.

This gal-spider was hanging out by the dog's water dish (NOT GOOD). I am generally pretty respectful of wildlife but black widows by the dog dish are VERBOTEN, SEVERO, PROHIBIDO, INTERDIT, JUST DOWNRIGHT TABOO. One good swat..oh, okay, a couple of good swats with the fly swatter and poof, no more black widow. There wasn't much left by the time I was done. Still, I have to admit that some things just look creepy. Creepy enough to merit an extra swat or three! Just a digital memory now. Phew... Creepy spider dreams tonight? Hope not. Pleasant dreams.