10News.com

Sustain San Diego
Sustain San Diego
10 News Leadership Award
San Diego News
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters
Related To Story

Poisonous Spiders Invade Local Family's Back Yard

POSTED: 4:27 pm PDT September 24, 2009
UPDATED: 3:30 pm PDT September 25, 2009

A new breed of spider is showing up around San Diego, and experts say the number of poisonous brown widow spiders -- which are not native to Southern California -- continues to grow.

Brown widow spiders have made the Webb family's back yard their home, and they refuse to leave.

"It's just creepy … when they start moving into the house that's when I move out," said Kelli Webb.

The Webbs have their very own spider colony on their property. The spiders are in their trash cans, flower pots and patio furniture.

"A couple weekends ago we found over 100," said Webb. "They're everywhere."

Originally from South Africa, the brown widow spiders were first spotted in San Diego in 2004. Experts say they have multiplied by the thousands and have been found as far north as Carlsbad and as far south as Imperial Beach.

The Webbs have a 3-month-old son and they think twice about spending any time in their back yard.

The brown widow spiders are poisonous, and in the first 15 minutes of 10News' visit more than a dozen were caught.

The brown widow's venom is more potent than the venom of its cousin, the black widow, and one bite can send a person to the hospital.

The spiders also multiply quickly, with eggs hatching in 20 days. One egg could contain 35 spiders.

"If you don't kill that or if you don't eliminate it somehow … now I hate to kill things but they're going to keep multiplying," said Webb.

San Diego County's bug experts say they are now seeing brown widows inland instead of just in ocean communities.

For now, the Webb family hopes the spiders won't build any more webs on their property, so their little boy can play outside without fear.

Spider bites are not required to be reported to the county, so no statistics were available.
The following are comments from our users. Opinions expressed are neither created nor endorsed by 10News.com. By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms of Use. To report an offensive or otherwise inappropriate comment, click the "Flag" link that appears beneath that comment. Flagging a comment will send it to our editorial staff for review.

Links We Like
Sponsored Content
Feeling bloated or uncomfortable after eating? Try these five recipes and find out why they are so good for digestion. More

Find out what a sputtering economy and an increasingly difficult to crack job market means to you. More

Embellish an empty abode with these easy, inexpensive projects and make your home feel more like home. More

Check out some of the most notorious police car chase scenes ever caught on tape. Don’t try this at home. More

Sponsored Links

BuyWithMe Deal

$10 For $25 Worth Of Food
- Red Zone
- Sports Bar & Grill
- Limited Offer!
See All Deals!
Subscribe To Our Deal Alerts And Get A Chance To Win An iPad!


Job Searching Tips

During the typical job interview, you'll be asked a lot of questions. But do you really understand what the interviewer needs to know? More