Latrodectus geometricus [Archive]

blackbird939

07-22-2007, 02:10 PM

Hi, This is my first post.

Caught her today, with 3 sacs. I have read the many posts about what to do with the sacs and slings if I should decide to try and raise them. I misted the jar before I had the sense to take a picture. This is the best I could get.
I found this behind my house, under the rungs of a step ladder... It had a male in the web as well.

8+)

07-22-2007, 02:20 PM

Nice find!!! She's a very pretty one!:drool:

Blaster

07-22-2007, 02:26 PM

Wow, congrats! Take care of the babies. :-)

blackbird939

07-22-2007, 03:30 PM

Do you guys think that these sacs are ready? I want to remove them asap. Anybody know when I could or SHOULD do that?

Sacs number of days old: unknown...

Michael

buthus

07-22-2007, 05:00 PM

Do you guys think that these sacs are ready? I want to remove them asap. Anybody know when I could or SHOULD do that?

Sacs number of days old: unknown...

Michael

Yes, remove them and put each in its own container. You don't want geos hatching with the adult.. it will be very difficult dealing with the slings if they do. ;)

blackbird939

07-22-2007, 07:50 PM

buthus

07-22-2007, 07:54 PM

Wow... My son and I went to the Gym just now. Now that I know what the geometricus egg sack looks like, I sought them out. I found about 8 of them, each with a brownie guarding close by.
I am in Orlando. Never ran into a brown widow on a casual basis, but if you actually look for them... Wow... everywhere... at least here.

I'll keep you guys posted as to when these eggs hatch...

Collect them all ...at the very least collect the sacs and flush 'em, give em to spider keepers, whatever. Do what you can to keep the population down around your area. Your native species will appreciate it greatly. ;)

Pulk

07-22-2007, 08:00 PM

blackbird939

07-23-2007, 01:35 AM

Collect them all ...at the very least collect the sacs and flush 'em, give em to spider keepers, whatever. Do what you can to keep the population down around your area. Your native species will appreciate it greatly. ;)

Ok. Anybody want a L. Geo eggsac? I can literally get my mitts on 6-8 or so. You'd pay for shipping, and maybe even a gallon of gas for the trip. :D

Even better would be an even swap for another widow! I can't seem to locate a standard L. mactans in the wild here. I knew they are out there, but I never find 'em.
Michael

SnakeManJohn

07-23-2007, 02:56 AM

I'd love to have a sac haha :D

buthus

07-23-2007, 09:35 AM

you mean other spiders, etc. that the widows eat/displace?
Yes. Geos adapt far too well.

8+)

07-23-2007, 07:18 PM

...and they're good at eating other spiders. I imagine it's futile to try to slow them down.

buthus

07-23-2007, 08:57 PM

...and they're good at eating other spiders. I imagine it's futile to try to slow them down.
I think of it this way... If the geos in your backyard can reduce the population of your native species, then you can easily do the same to the geos. Yes, its weeding the garden, but even if you weed once a month, your desired plants stand a better chance. ;)
I've reduced my hesp population many times ...successfully. Geos do seem to reproduce more than most latros and do so faster, but they continue due to sheer numbers ...reduce those numbers and nature will help do the rest.

8+)

07-23-2007, 10:18 PM

I wonder if/when I'll ever find the the need to do that here in Atlanta?

blackbird939

07-24-2007, 04:15 PM

I wonder if/when I'll ever find the the need to do that here in Atlanta?

Yeah, they are seriously everywhere. I saw a mactans, or so I think... but she was good at dashing back into an impossible hideout. The Geos are brazen, out in the open and easy to spot. I know of at least three separate buildings within walking distance with spiky eggs.

Michael

Pulk

07-25-2007, 03:12 AM

Yeah, they are seriously everywhere. I saw a mactans, or so I think... but she was good at dashing back into an impossible hideout. The Geos are brazen, out in the open and easy to spot. I know of at least three separate buildings within walking distance with spiky eggs.

Michael

can I hijack your thread to ask a question? thanks. :)

if you can't detect any dorsal markings, how safe is it to assume it's a hesp? (in blackbird's case, a mactans)

blackbird939

07-27-2007, 03:50 PM

can I hijack your thread to ask a question? thanks. :)

if you can't detect any dorsal markings, how safe is it to assume it's a hesp? (in blackbird's case, a mactans)

Dunno. What I saw was a cobweb spider, dash out in from of a window after some prey. It was black, the exact same size as my other full grown widows and the web was sloppy. That was an ID to me. I mean, these are the largest cobweb spiders...right? I read that on Wiki, so who knows. I like to see the posterior and anterior to make a judgement of course.

Pulk

07-28-2007, 12:53 AM

heh, i can definitely tell if it's a widow. what i meant was determining if one is a hesperus or a geometricus...

8+)

07-28-2007, 04:16 PM

I saw an S. grossa last night that I thought was a widow at first, she was SO BIG! She ran into a hide. I'll try to get pics tonight.

blackbird939

07-29-2007, 09:14 PM

heh, i can definitely tell if it's a widow. what i meant was determining if one is a hesperus or a geometricus...

Far as I know, the only way to tell a jet black geo from any other type is the geometric shaped eggsac. That's what I keep reading. Found 5 more geos yesterday and today. I will let them go for $5 + shipping, just to get rid of a few. They are neat spiders, but I have too many now. The odd thing is, tonight, I found a BUNCH of geo eggsacs, all hatched, and the moms were all gone. There was a new spider in each area. Looks like a little wolf. I'll have to take pictures. Maybe this spider can muscle the geos off the throne around here. I just want a good source for mactans in the wild.

8+)

07-30-2007, 12:19 PM

Here's Big Fatty Grossa:

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x274/EightPlus/Widows/DSC_5145.jpg

Zoom:

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x274/EightPlus/Widows/FatGrossa.jpg

Found in LA (Lower Alabama! :D)

Tuishimi

07-30-2007, 11:39 PM

Yeah, we have black widows all around our house here in the North Valley of Phoenix. I don't know much about them, but they really mind their own business and tend to stay out of the way. I have chased off a female or two that were too close to where traffic was (I mean our porch/walkway to our front door). They just ball up, drop out of their webs and then run when they hit the ground. Poor things. I also remove any on the kids' swingset, etc.

Last year we had spiderlings floating all across our yard, catching on everything. :) They sure looked widow-like, even at that size.

Tuishimi

07-30-2007, 11:41 PM

...of a female hanging in a web against our wall.

blackbird939

08-12-2007, 10:47 AM

Tuishimi, care to send a few of your L Hesperus out to Fla? I'd trade you for a couple of Geos....

Tuishimi

08-12-2007, 03:49 PM

Ha ha! No thank you! I don't want to keep widows. :D

I have no idea how one would go about shipping a black widow, if it is legal. :)

tom

09-04-2007, 04:43 PM

I am opposed to any destruction of latrodectus as even though this species is prolific in its ability to settle anywhere even New York park bench!This onefemale specimen was captured and remained alive for ayear and later after it"s death, was placed in the American Museumof Natural History permanent spider collection.
Geometricus have like Loxosceles spp.become more visible,even in Savan,Beaufort South Carolina Savannah, Georgia.I guess I cannot see why to kill it just because it does so well. Cheers,Tom