Black Widow vs Brown Recluse Spider

**SteveCallas** · **09-22-07, 08:10 PM**

I have captured one of each here in southern Indiana and put them in the same small jar. Eventually one will get hungry - who do you think will win? The Recluse is larger and has twitchy fast speed. The Widow is slow and sure footed but has the advantage of using a web....and it looks cooler.

Two of North Americas most deadly spiders, both hanging around outside my house and in my garage - not very comforting

Some of the bite pictures from a Recluse are just sick looking.

**Sonnie** · **09-22-07, 08:17 PM**

I don't like spiders! Ecccckkkkk! They give me the hibby-gibbies!

I say it will be a draw... they won't attack each other.

You know, these two spiders are extremely fortunate. In most cases they would already been dead.

**terry j** · **09-22-07, 09:17 PM**

Quote:

Sonnie wrote:

You know, these two spiders are extremely fortunate. In most cases they would already been dead.

What? Put into some sort of horrific torture chamber when at least one of them will become dead?

Let 'em go I say!

**Sonnie** · **09-22-07, 10:42 PM**

No way... I'd never let a spider go.

**Mitch G** · **09-22-07, 10:45 PM**

Well, I wouldn't let a poisonous spider go like the Black Widow or Brown Recluse.
But, other spiders are quite beneficial since they eat more annoying bugs.

Mitch

**SteveCallas** · **09-22-07, 10:45 PM**

Let them go?!?!

I don't mind spiders at all, they help control the population of other insects - namely crickets in my area. However, a common house spider like a daddy long legs is different from a Brown Recluse or a Black Widow. I DO NOT want these types of spiders hanging around my house.....around my house could eventually mean inside my house. Inside my house could eventually mean a bite, and a bite from one of these two is bad news. These spiders are lucky, as one of them is at least going to get a last meal

**SteveCallas** · **09-22-07, 10:48 PM**

Four responses and nobody has picked a winner yet. I doubt they'll both make it to morning. I think I'm going to have to go with the Recluse based primarily on speed.

**SteveCallas** · **09-23-07, 12:12 AM**

Not to go on and on, but I just went outside to put the grill back in the garage and there was another Recluse, only this one was huge. Maybe 1.5" from front leg to back, but still twitchy fast. These things are night hunters and they don't seem to use a web - they just stalk and kill other bugs. Maybe tomorrow I'll take a picture of the large remains, assuming ants won't have already made a meal out of them.

I'm wondering if there is something about Fall that is bringing these things out in numbers?

**Mike P.** · **09-23-07, 02:35 AM**

Quote:

SteveCallas wrote:

I have captured one of each here in southern Indiana and put them in the same small jar.....

I see where this is going. Notice Steve did not put them in a LLT jar, but a "small" jar. Now to see the effects of compression on the spiders.

I say the Black Widow wins.

**Fincave** · **09-23-07, 02:46 AM**

Let them go! Both are useful spiders in that they eat insects etc, neither are aggressive and even if you were unlucky enough to get bitten the likelihood of the bite being fatal or even serious is very remote. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone and continue to catch insects around the house. Living in South-Africa as a boy we had literally hundreds of button spiders in our garage, button spiders are related to the black widow, nobody was ever bitten and they caused very little nuisance.

Sorry, but I will not pick a winner either.

**drf** · **09-23-07, 04:56 AM**

PFFFT!!!

Come to Australia, not only do we have the black widow (AKA red back) but we have the Sydney funnelweb, and the worlds 10 most deadly snakes.

don't be cruel to animals, iether kill them or let them go a distance from your house.

**terry j** · **09-23-07, 05:34 AM**

Quote:

drf wrote:

PFFFT!!!

Come to Australia, not only do we have the black widow (AKA red back) but we have the Sydney funnelweb, and the worlds 10 most deadly snakes.

don't be cruel to animals, iether kill them or let them go a distance from your house.

tell me about the dangerous snakes ha ha. last xmas watching tv with the girls, put my feet down and nearly stood on a tiger snake...it had been hanging around the courtyard, I'm sure it was the same one I saw in my cat's mouth a few weeks previously. I knew there was no way the cat hadn't been bitten, so off to the vets for anti-venene, $800 later !!!!! he came back home.

Do you think we could find the bloody thing?? It had gone behind the plinth of the tv stand, so I slid a bit of fibro to close it in and waited a week till the local snake catcher came and retrieved it.

Fun and games!

**jvc** · **09-23-07, 10:50 AM**

My grandmother was bitten by a black widow, when she was young. She got to a doctor in time, but had a tiny pinhole through her lip, for the rest of her life. My stepfather was bitten by a brown recluse last year. The doctor told him if he'd been a couple hours later getting to him, he'd be dead. He still has a very bad looking spot, where he was bitten.

As far as being aggressive, they may not chase you, but if you put a hand or foot near them, they will go for it!

No idea which will win. I'd kill them, because I'd be scared the jar would get broken, and they'd get loose.

**SteveCallas** · **09-23-07, 11:59 AM**

Well I woke up this morning and sure enough the Black Widow had the Recluse all wrapped up and was finishing it off. I think the Recluse being less web saavy is what did it in. I'm not really understanding some of the sentiment here - if I released these spiders they would go on to kill other insects outside - so what's the difference if one of them kills another spider? Spiders eat other spiders all the time.

**Fincave** · **09-23-07, 02:53 PM**

Quote:

SteveCallas wrote:

I'm not really understanding some of the sentiment here - if I released these spiders they would go on to kill other insects outside - so what's the difference if one of them kills another spider? Spiders eat other spiders all the time.

I think that the keyword here would be 'outside', not captive in a small jar. Just my opinion!

**drf** · **09-23-07, 02:57 PM**

Quote:

SteveCallas wrote:

Well I woke up this morning and sure enough the Black Widow had the Recluse all wrapped up and was finishing it off. I think the Recluse being less web saavy is what did it in. I'm not really understanding some of the sentiment here - if I released these spiders they would go on to kill other insects outside - so what's the difference if one of them kills another spider? Spiders eat other spiders all the time.

yes, but in the wild the recluse can avoid being eaten, but in the jar it had all its survival traits hindered.

There probably isn't much use for speed if you have no-were to speed to (or from).

**Mitch G** · **09-23-07, 08:35 PM**

You realize that this is how Vicks got started ....

**Sonnie** · **09-23-07, 11:04 PM**

That was just too funny Mitch.

Next thing we know Steve, you'll be movin' on up to bigger things. Then you are gonna get arrested when you get caught. Please STOP! We need you around here too much. Then again, they probably got puters in jail.

**terry j** · **09-23-07, 11:33 PM**

who's Vicks?? is that some sort of american in joke? though having typed that, I recall some sports star is in trouble over dog fights or something, maybe he is Vicks?

**Otto** · **09-24-07, 05:37 AM**

Yep, it was Michael Vick, some football star that got in trouble for dog fighting.

**terry j** · **09-24-07, 06:32 AM**

Quote:

Otto wrote:

Yep, it was Michael Vick, some football star that got in trouble for dog fighting.

thanks Otto, so who won, the dog or Vicks??

**Otto** · **09-24-07, 06:38 AM**

Uh, I think the dogs are dead and Vick has plead guilty to some degree. Sounds like a lose-lose...

**thewire** · **09-24-07, 07:06 AM**

i used to give bugs a ride on the record player.

**Sonnie** · **09-24-07, 01:35 PM**

My sister use to tie a string around a junebug leg and fly it in circles.

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