# Black Widows in My Couch!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 13, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012 "2014-07-13T19:35:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/1 "2014-07-13T19:35:49Z")
So I came downstairs this morning and a mouse popped out of my end table drawer. He ran under the loveseat and I grab a flashlight and a box so I can herd him in and release him in the wild.
And . . . under the loveseat and couch there are dozens and dozens of black and brown spiders running amok and some of them are fighting with the mouse. Yuck, eek, yick!
I tipped the couches backwards and sure enough, they are both spider havens. I accessed my inner Popeye strength and dragged my ex-furniture to the curb for trash pick-up.
I can’t catch a sample spider, they’re too quick and clever. I’m fairly certain that this is a black widow infestation (found spidey sites and picture comparison).
However, would black widows run in herds? I think they may have ganged up and killed the mouse. Would spiders work together to take down a rodent?
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### Author:  [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/2 "2014-07-13T19:42:56Z")
Could be a black widow, and they aren’t particularly hard to identify if you can spot the red hourglass (though sometimes this can be hard to find/see).
But I am concerned about one thing. All you did was drag the furniture out to the curb for collection. This is unacceptable. You should nuke it from orbit, it’s the only way to be sure.
(full disclosure: I don’t even hate spiders and generally do not kill them when I find them around my house. But black windows are nothing to mess around with).
Also, male black widows are brown and smaller and don’t look much like female black widows, so that might be what they were.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/3 "2014-07-13T19:47:42Z")
> [@Jennshark](#):
>
> found spidey sites and picture comparison
Are you sure they’re not [false black widows](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steatoda)? They’re not aggressive, and are mostly harmless.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/4 "2014-07-13T19:50:21Z")
Spiders in the couch ≠ mostly harmless. If nothing else, it’s an act of terror.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/5 "2014-07-13T19:55:21Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#):
>
> Spiders in the couch ≠ mostly harmless. If nothing else, it’s an act of terror.
Not in. _Under_. No doubt there are a few under the couch I’m sitting on now. They never come out, and I never go in. If they’re there, they’re performing service.
Actual black widows, I can’t abide. False ones, live and let live.
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### Author:  [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/6 "2014-07-13T19:57:59Z")
I’m pretty sure they aren’t false widows . . . but again, I couldn’t catch any of the little suckers to examine red markings.
I also think I got bit on Friday night while I was lying on the couch. I had/have the symptoms and a pretty nasty looking wound on my neck (going to doc tomorrow :eek:)
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### Author:  [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/7 "2014-07-13T20:01:50Z")
I’m with you on preserving our 4- and 8-legged friends (I tried for an hour this morning to rescue poor Mr. Mouse). I’m no longer leaving the back door open for the doggies to come in and out; my heart can’t take another pop-up mouse and terrorist spider event.
We were planning on buying new furniture at summer’s end, so the spideys helped move our shopping forward.
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> Not in. _Under_. No doubt there are a few under the couch I’m sitting on now. They never come out, and I never go in. If they’re there, they’re performing service.
>
> Actual black widows, I can’t abide. False ones, live and let live.
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### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/8 "2014-07-13T20:03:57Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#):
>
> But I am concerned about one thing. All you did was drag the furniture out to the curb for collection. This is unacceptable. You should nuke it from orbit, it’s the only way to be sure. .
This concerns me too. People pick up furniture like this. You should add a sign warning people to leave it for the garbage guys due to spider infestation.
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### Author:  [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/9 "2014-07-13T20:08:36Z")
> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> This concerns me too. People pick up furniture like this. You should add a sign warning people to leave it for the garbage guys due to spider infestation.
A sign warning the garbage guys about possible black widows might be in order as well.
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### Author:  [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/10 "2014-07-13T20:15:02Z")
> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> This concerns me too. People pick up furniture like this. You should add a sign warning people to leave it for the garbage guys due to spider infestation.
Already done and done! The couches look great and I was worried that someone would think they had hit the jackpot.
And I’m giving my trash guys a very generous tip tomorrow morning.
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### Author:  [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/11 "2014-07-13T20:46:20Z")
> [@Jennshark](#):
>
> Already done and done! The couches look great and I was worried that someone would think they had hit the jackpot.
>
> And I’m giving my trash guys a very generous tip tomorrow morning.
I suppose this is acceptable for now, but next time remember to keep a few orbital thermonuclear bombs on hand for when spiders nest up in your new furniture 😉
Seriously though… if they were in your furniture you may want to seriously consider hiring an exterminator to come in and examine your house. No sense buying new furniture just to have a new infestation come in. They might be / probably are elsewhere in your house too.
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### Author:  [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/12 "2014-07-13T22:00:20Z")
I have definitely had widows in the house- they do seem to come in groups. I think it’s because they just don’t travel far from the egg sac after they hatch. For anyone else in a similar predicament as the OP, they’re easily taken care of with household pesticides. Just read the label for the right one before you buy it and follow the instructions.
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### Author:  [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-widows-in-my-couch/693012/13 "2014-07-13T22:21:36Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#):
>
> I suppose this is acceptable for now, but next time remember to keep a few orbital thermonuclear bombs on hand for when spiders nest up in your new furniture 😉
>
> Seriously though… if they were in your furniture you may want to seriously consider hiring an exterminator to come in and examine your house. No sense buying new furniture just to have a new infestation come in. They might be / probably are elsewhere in your house too.
Dang! I just used my last orbital thermo bomb to clean my gutters 🙂 Time to reorder on Amazon.
Exterminator is coming on Tuesday and we’ll have the new stuff delivered later in the week. If there is a nest of widows, I’m betting they are hanging out in my non-functioning chimney or in the really scary room in the basement. Remember the scary basement room in _The Amityville Horror_? – I have one of those.