For those of you that have not happened across it...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061003/ap_on_sc/brown_widow

Im willing to bet they have been there for a looong time, and are now just getting media coverage. Shame really, now everyone is gonna kill any spider they see and there will be hundreds of "brown widow bites" springing up all over the state. Watch.

Oh yes here at work I am getting all sorts of emails about it and of horrible pictures of bites. I am guessing they wouldn't even know what bit them. I got bit by a brown widow once when I stuck my hand in a plant and I actually saw her. I had a red raised bump for a few hours..that was it...like a bee sting or something...

I still love the "brown recluse" bites in Alaska and stuff.

Thank you drive thru

Everyone was shocked that I had lots of pictures of Luna on hand...HAHAHA. I must have received that story from 25 people today. It says right in there they are non-aggressive and that the venom is mild.

Yeah, but you know that 85% of this world is arachnophobic. They kill any and every spider they see out of fear and stupidity. We just need to educate these folks, ya know? I almost feel bad for how ignorant they are. I know people who let widows and recluses reside in their houses (uncaged of course). Just shows you how bad they truly are...

Oddly enough, there is a horse group i belong to.
And some one wanted funny trail stories from funny events happening out on trail rides..
The one that keeps coming up is the person who gets the spider web accross the face or the spider on them.
They never try to hurt the spider, but trying to get the web or the spider off has apparently gotten them laughed at, their horse spooked or upset because of them flapping and waving around like an idiot...
Or the one person who replies every time she rides, she almost always ends up with a spider on her, or in her mouth.

these people are not trying to hurt the spider in any way, they just blunder into a web that is accross the trail.
There are people who while not scared of spiders, at least have a funny story to tell. And enjoy sharing their funny spider stories.
Better than the other kind.

Pretty widow.

I'm one of those people that lets brown recluses live in their houses (but not in the bedrooms) I mostly let spiders live anywhere, as long as they are not in my way or I in theirs. (but a web from ceiling to the floor in the middle of the kitchen is discouraged);)

I have to rescue people from centipedes, wasps, all kinds of things. and explain that most of this critters are harmless, and beneficial.

Oh geez....for one, black widows are NOT aggressive. I think we all know that. Two, they are venomous, not poisonous. Three...how many people do you think are going to see a small brown Achearanea or Steatoda and panic because they found a "widow"? Ridiculous. Just recently I got a call from a friend who's brother was freaking out because they had "brown recluse" theriids and agelenids in the house.