The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-08-24
BLACK WIDOW
IS NATIVE TO
LOCAL REGION
Bite Of Spider Rarely
Fatal, Entomologist
Says

A Black Widow spider, brought
to me Times-News office by Yates
Hemphill, local resident, is at
tracing much attention and num-
bers of people have visited the of
fee to take a look at the "old
lady"
The spider was found by Mr..
Hemphill when it jumped on his
arm from a basket of okra. He
captured it and brought it to the
office in a fruit jar.
With frequent reports of the
finding of poisonous Black Widow
spiders in this section, number
of questions have arisen.
Is the Black Widow something
new for this section, and, if not,
is the spider on the increase here
Just how deadly is the Black
Widow, and is it vicious?
For an answer to these and
other questions, the Asheville
Times went to DR.. B. H. MILFORD,
entomologist with the Appalachian
Forest Experiment station here,
The Black Widow" says The
Times, (which is claimed to be the
most poisonous spider in the coun-
try, is native to this state and has
always been in this section, &C
cordlng to records, DR.. Milford
said. 1t occurs almost throughout
the nation, but is more prevalent
in southern than in northern
states.
Admitting the possibility Of
favorable conditions affecting the
number of Black Widows, DR.. Will
ford said the occurrence of the
spider here probably is no greater
than ordinary. The increased dis
covery of the spiders in this Sec
ton, he said, is probably due to
the increased knowledge of the
public about the spiders as the re-
suit of newspaper articles.
"The Black Widow, DR.. MILFORD
continued, is not of an offensive
nature and has to be disturbed be-
fore it will bite. 1t does not lie in
wait for persons, he added.
"a sharp sting is felt when the
Black Widow bites. Later-vary-
ing from a few minutes to an hour
or more-a more severe gain is
felt. If the bite is in the finger,
for instance, the pain gradually
works up the arm, to the Shout
der, and into the chest cavity and
may even extend to the hips.
There are very few authentie
records of fatalities resulting
from the bite of the Black Widow,
he said.
First aid treatment for the
Black Widow bite, DR.. MILFORD
said, is similar to that used in
snake bite. The bite should be cut
through with a sharp instrument
to hasten and speed bleeding and
a suction applied. A disinfectant
may be used and, in the mean
time, a doctor should be called.
Alcoholic drinks, he said, should
be avoided.
"The Black Widow tends to fire.
quent outhouses, woodsheds, old
barns and possibly garages, DR..
MILFORD pointed out. As to meth
DDS of eradication, he said an un-
diluted creosote spray may be
used effectively. The creosote,
though, must hit the spider to be
effective. In addition, the creosote
tends to prevent other spiders
from making their homes where it
has been applied. However, DR..
MILFORD cautioned the creosote
must be used with forethought
since it is tough on paint or vege-
tation.
"The female Black Widow has a
shining black globe-shaped body
with a distinct red hour glass de.
sign on the lower part of the alb
domen and has red markings on
the upper side of the abdomen
The male spider has yellow instead
of red markings. A mature spider
is about a half-inch in length. The
poison glands are located at the