I am now officially a Floridian
 

I just killed my first Black Widow.

I have been cleaning the outside and the porch when I moved my plant and saw a spider web that wasn’t there yesterday, so I got my trusty Ortho Bug Killer and started spraying and she comes flying out and I got to see the hour glass on her belly which made me spray about a gallon on her and then I stepped on her for good measure…. DIE BITCH!
|samauri|

That's some scary shit. I never knew that black widows could spin a web in less than a day in F-L-A! Watch yerself man. Do you have counter measures like antidotes in your first-aid kit? Be prepared!

hahaha LOL how big was she? pics?? :)

Our neighbor had one -- the 9 year old girl said, 'Daddy, there's a black widow spider in the garage' -- Daddy said, 'Oh come on, there is not.... oh.. it is.' :)

When we were on vacation in Key West, we saw a 'dead' scorpion -- so, being the inquisitive person I am, I took the hotel card-key and touched it and it zipped across the floor. It was obviously not dead.

So far though, we've seen lots of lizards -- I'm pretty good at catching them now and don't need to throw a towel over them to catch them anymore. Those legless lizards that look like little snakes are pretty quick too. Haven't seen any pygmy rattlesnakes or black widows.

We did have a wolf-spider invasion -- had a really huge one that looked sort of fuzzy until I whacked it and about 30 little baby spiders exploded onto the surrounding floor.

|waves| Welcome to Floridian Hood!! We have those spiders around here a lot. I just killed a HUGE cockroach in my screen room. I've been here for 20 years now and I'm still afraid of those bugs. I can at least kill them now, instead of standing on the chair and screaming... :D

Welcome to the Sunshine /Iguanas /Frogs /Crabs /BigSpiders /Scorpions /Snakes /TonsOfMosquitos State!

Not sure about how many scorpions you'll find in Melbourne but the chickens in Key West sort of keep them in control. Otherwise they'd be everywhere. I tried getting one of those little portable black lights and looking around outside at night. I was amazed how many of those suckers we have down here.

By the way, scorpions do that same "tons of babies on momma's back" trick. I had one of the window curtain just inches from my face when I turned around in my chair. I looked closer and it wasn't one at all...momma's back was full of baby scorpions.

That has happen to me 2 times, both in Indiana, and ironically, the first time was at 4am when we were leaving for Key West.

No pics, I was more interested in killing her then remembering her for later, she was about the size of an American quarter.

Nice, I didn’t realize that the chickens would eat the scorpions; I always did love walking around Key West and having the chickens and cats everywhere, I knew they kept the lizard population down, but not the scorpions.

I did know that about scorpions and the young on their back, the mother will reach back and grab a few and eat them, so out of the 50 or so only 10 will survive long enough to get off momma. The black scorpion that is most commonly seen in movies is also the most common pets since they are the least poisonous. A pet store I went to had gotten 2 scorpions to see if they would sell and the next day she was covered in “maggots” until he realized what it was. Just imagine a deep dark black scorpion about 8” long covered but the palest white crawling all around… it was NASTY!

Just wait until you put your sneakers on and there is a Scorpion in one of them that lets you know by stinging you.

Thats why I always bang them to make sure they are empty.

|thumb

No, no, no... this is Florida, land of the "always turn 'em over and smack 'em on the floor, then shake 'em out" before putting on any footwear. :)

Kind of like Jim's new "post no photos in directories my friends will drill down on" rule.

Once it happens, you always remember. ::grin::

I'm a real fast learner.

I lived down in Key Largo for a bit over eight months and every since then I do turn over all footwear and bang 'em a few times.

We don't seem to have scorpions up here where I live but I still do bang my footwear since we do have palmetto bugs which also seem to enjoy a nice stinky shoe.

My whole time of living in FLorida I never saw a scorpion. But, I did rip my eylashes out once with an eyelash curler when a palmetto bug came flying past my head. I *hate* those things! Overgrown cockroaches. Bleh

Walking the dog last week. He sniffed a pile of leaves and jumped back. When I moved the leaves there was one under the pile. Big Bitch. Funny how animals just know right away something is not good. Anyway did not kill it. Just let it go about its day. Used to know a SF guy who kept one on his desk in a clear tupperware container. He would slowly open it and drop bugs in it to feed the thing. Crazy ugly spiders yukky I hate all of them. lol

uh oh.... You are prolly in trouble.. I am sure that in the new 2257 laws there is something about not killing spiders that might bite evil pornographers

|pimpin

Damned Floridians.

I live in Southern California and we're mercifully free of scorpions, but the Black Widow crop is doing well...and the Brown Recluse crop is doing even better. My dog was bitten by a Brown Recluse. Her leg abscessed and we had to have it surgically drained. When I was bitten, I knew "don't let it heal over!" which is what the bite does. Heals over the skin, then merrily abscesses. I have a scar and a story to creep people out with. I can cope with just about anything as long as it gives me a good story. :)

Seeing that red hourglass for the first time really is a moment.

At least once a year or so nature cleans out Florida with those nice soothing 150+ MPH winds and all that fresh gentle rain.

Looking out my tiny office window it looks like nature is doing a bit of cleaning now.

There are far more deadly creatures here in Orlando.

We have the tourists in the Hummer H2!!!

|couch|

I'm looking forward to the Lovebug swarm that is supposed to come around September.

BTW, is there any good formulas for getting the bug guts off a car windshield?

I went to Tampa Sunday to check out Busch Gardens. Sheikra isn't so good. :(

The older coaster with no line was violent in a fun way though.

Busch Gardens, Tampa reminded me of Great Adventure in NJ. A couple noteworthy rides...the rest sucks.

Thought you'd all want to know. :D

BTW, as long as I have you's here- on I4, do you usually just keep up with traffic if it's moving at like 80-85mph or tend to stay in the slow poke lane?

coca-cola while using a plastic mesh scrubbie, followed by windex while using newspaper as a rag.

And follow that with powdered warthog toenail mixed with the blood of a wallabee, spread liberally, wave your wand and say:
Alla kazamm, Alla kazuggs
Remove these fucking bugs
|witch

Ya'll got those little flying "fuck bugs" yet?

Congrats. You've just shown the world what could courage do to a man. |bow|

Hmm. Sounds like a case for Mythbusters. :D