dragonimp

I'm not nearly as phobic about spiders as I used to be, but that doesn't mean I particularly enjoy the thought of clearing out brush and vines and privet branches from an area we know has a lot of spiders, including black widows. But we were being careful, not reaching into or stepping into any dark corners, using the rake, etc. So at one point, I was standing under the privets in an area we had already cleared of debris, and I felt a tickle on my upper arm. So I look down, and there's this huge black widow on my shirt.

To my credit, I didn't panic as much as I could have. I even had the presence of mind to lean forward and shake out my shirt. I didn't actually see the spider fall, but I couldn't see it anymore on my clothes, so I scampered out from under the trees, turned around, and said, "excuse me a minor freak-out, I just had a black widow on my shirt."

Of course this meant we both had to do a thorough spider check, including me checking several times to make sure it hadn't gotten under my shirt (I'm sure I would have felt it, it really was huge, but still). Then we went back to work slightly more paranoid than before.

An ordinary spider would have been bad enough. I really don't have any desire to get up close and personal with a black widow. I know they aren't prone to biting unless really provoked, but I'd imagine two huge mammals stomping around and tearing up the neighborhood might count as provocation.