# Tips for handling (catching) black widows?



## ljcygnet (Sep 6, 2012)

I'm short on cash at the moment and have a crawl space and junk pile full of black widows and a potential buyer (*waves*). 

Anyone have any good tips for getting a widow into jar? They're so delicate I'm afraid I'll hurt them with forceps. I am a bit less coordinated than the average person. 

- Leva


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## S2000 (Sep 6, 2012)

Try to use tongs on the silk they cling to


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## catfishrod69 (Sep 6, 2012)

I use plastic vials or cups. Just hold the cup on one side of the widow, lid on other, and close.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Legion09 (Sep 7, 2012)

catfishrod69 said:


> I use plastic vials or cups. Just hold the cup on one side of the widow, lid on other, and close.


Exactly what I do.


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## MrCrackerpants (Sep 7, 2012)

catfishrod69 said:


> I use plastic vials or cups. Just hold the cup on one side of the widow, lid on other, and close.


This is also what I do.


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## The Snark (Sep 7, 2012)

When we were collecting them by the thousands... Take a stick a couple of feet long. Identify where the hide is. The idea is to quickly 'wipe' the stick through the web between the spider and the hide, balling up the web on the stick. She will usually get caught in the mass. As long as they aren't crushed ala forceps they are quite hardy and durable. When caught in her own web like this she will cut and eat her way out quite quickly. If she drops out of the web to the ground, she will run for cover. Place a stick on the ground in front of her and as she walks over it, flip her onto a piece of paper like newspaper. There she can be easily cupped into a container.
Death rate from this method is surprisingly low. The spiders usually survive too.

By the way, those tight soft cotton gardening and utility gloves are fantastic for this job. You can reach right into the web. The idea isn't to grab the spider but to get it onto the glove where is has tremendous difficulty walking on the fuzzy surface and can then be easily captured. Wear a long sleeved shirt taped to the glove so the spider can't get inside your clothes as they get really angry and nibbley  during this process. The tiny threads of the gloves tend to catch the spiders claws similar to a kitten climbing your pants leg.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ciphor (Sep 7, 2012)

The Snark said:


> When we were collecting them by the thousands... Take a stick a couple of feet long. Identify where the hide is. The idea is to quickly 'wipe' the stick through the web between the spider and the hide, balling up the web on the stick. She will usually get caught in the mass. As long as they aren't crushed ala forceps they are quite hardy and durable. When caught in her own web like this she will cut and eat her way out quite quickly. If she drops out of the web to the ground, she will run for cover. Place a stick on the ground in front of her and as she walks over it, flip her onto a piece of paper like newspaper. There she can be easily cupped into a container.
> Death rate from this method is surprisingly low. The spiders usually survive too.
> 
> By the way, those tight soft cotton gardening and utility gloves are fantastic for this job. You can reach right into the web. The idea isn't to grab the spider but to get it onto the glove where is has tremendous difficulty walking on the fuzzy surface and can then be easily captured. Wear a long sleeved shirt taped to the glove so the spider can't get inside your clothes as they get really angry and nibbley  during this process. The tiny threads of the gloves tend to catch the spiders claws similar to a kitten climbing your pants leg.


I'm personally a stick/hands on guy myself. When I collect I just use my finger (!not recommending this ESPECIALLY FOR WIDOWS!) to coerce the spider to where I want it. If it gets into a hide I bust a stick out and force it out. Most spiders drop when threatened to a certain point. I hold the container under the spider and get it to  play dead right into the container. Works for me but probably not the best technique for inexperienced folks. Like others said using the lid and container to trap the spider is a good method too.


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## The Snark (Sep 8, 2012)

Ciphor said:


> I'm personally a stick/hands on guy myself. When I collect I just use my finger (!not recommending this ESPECIALLY FOR WIDOWS!) to coerce the spider to where I want it. If it gets into a hide I bust a stick out and force it out. Most spiders drop when threatened to a certain point. I hold the container under the spider and get it to  play dead right into the container. Works for me but probably not the best technique for inexperienced folks. Like others said using the lid and container to trap the spider is a good method too.


Ciphor, try those gloves sometimes. They rock! Comb or claw foot, they can barely move on them.


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## catfishrod69 (Sep 8, 2012)

The first mactans i caught was with bare hands, no sticks.





Ciphor said:


> I'm personally a stick/hands on guy myself. When I collect I just use my finger (!not recommending this ESPECIALLY FOR WIDOWS!) to coerce the spider to where I want it. If it gets into a hide I bust a stick out and force it out. Most spiders drop when threatened to a certain point. I hold the container under the spider and get it to  play dead right into the container. Works for me but probably not the best technique for inexperienced folks. Like others said using the lid and container to trap the spider is a good method too.


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## The Snark (Sep 8, 2012)

catfishrod69 said:


> The first mactans i caught was with bare hands, no sticks.


First Hesperus that caught me was bare hands, no stick.


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## catfishrod69 (Sep 8, 2012)

Caught you ?





The Snark said:


> First Hesperus that caught me was bare hands, no stick.


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## The Snark (Sep 9, 2012)

catfishrod69 said:


> Caught you ?


Latro: *MUNCH!*
Me: Hey! Ouch!


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## catfishrod69 (Sep 9, 2012)

Haha thats what i thought you meant. That had to suck. 





The Snark said:


> Latro: *MUNCH!*
> Me: Hey! Ouch!


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