I’ve lived in a house that has a Black Widow problem for 14 years. I had severe arachnophobia when I moved here. Unfortunately, I don’t use poisons in my house, so my only option was to kill them by hand. The first several years, I would do regular patrols of my garage and yard at night to squish them. Night is the best time to kill them because they will usually sit in the middle of their nests. If they are not in the nest, I can usually find a bug to throw in the web that draws them out quickly. I had a favorite tool for the job, but anything screwdriver-ish will work. I know all their favorite spots, so it doesn’t take long to do a sweep. I also destroy the egg sacks.

I realize that without covering my house with poison, I will never be rid of them. More than anything, I just try to keep my floors and yard tidy with less spots for them to call home. Luckily, I have never seen one in the house other than a few juveniles. I think there is no food in the house for them, so the small ones that get in the house end up starving.

Most people go with poisons, so I thought I would pop in with my weirdness. Don’t worry about it too much. But also take precautions like not leaving your shoes where they could get in. And inspect boxes that have been in the garage before bringing into the house.