Pests We Treat - Surprise Spider found in Rodent Bait station in Toms River, NJ

While performing a follow-up servicing for a rodent infestation in Toms River, NJ, I came across a surprise in one of our LP (low profile) rodent bait stations. These tamper-resistant bait stations do not trap rodents. They are used to safely store baits. Rodents find their way into the bait stations as they move along the wall edges and before long, unwanted indoor rodent populations are reduced. Sometimes, however, insects find their way into the bait station, and so when I open them up to replenish the bait, I am never sure what’s inside and, just like a cracker jack box, there is a hidden surprise waiting for me! Insects like to use these bait stations as dark, quiet harborage areas, and the rodents don’t seem to mind since they use these bait stations as a drive-through fast food restaurant (except that they usually don’t return for seconds since one bait meal is usually their last bait meal!)

With this bait station, I happened to come across a spider. But not any old spider. This particular one was the infamous and most common poisonous spider found in New Jersey — the black widow! Most spiders have toxic venom to kill their prey, but the so-called “poisonous” spiders those whose venom typically causes a serious reaction in humans. The black widow received its ominous name because she often eats the male after mating.  Needless to say, for the male spider, it’s quite a price to pay to help propagate the species. The venom from black widows can cause a serious reaction in people, but death is very unlikely and many symptoms can be alleviated as long as medical treatment is obtained timely after the bite. By the way, people only need to worry about females. The male black widow is harmless. Only the female black widow can bite and inject enough venom to cause a painful reaction.  The female black widow has a shiny black body, slender black legs, and a red or orange mark in the shape of an hourglass on the underside of its abdomen.

I carefully removed the spider from the rodent station. The last thing this homeowner needed was to have a black widow producing offspring and spreading throughout the home.