Tree Hugger

Those of you who know me, know that I am a total tree hugger. At least that is what the Husband calls me. I don't kill any animals, or even bugs if I can help it. Generally, I will catch them and take them outside so they can make happy homes in a safe outdoor place. Years ago, I even caught a tarantula that was living in my house in South America and released it outdoors. Of course, the whole time I was doing it, I was screaming like a girl....but you get the idea.

Until this. As you can see from the photo below, the spider and about 10 of her closest friends have decided to make a home on our back patio. They are beautiful examples of Black Widow Spiders. The ladies hide during the day, and come out at night to eat or hang upside down in their web, protecting their egg sacs.

The freakiest thing about this spider and her family is that I didn't realize that they were Black Widows until just yesterday. In fact, when the Husband was cleaning the patio last week, I asked him not to disturb my spiders. I kind of liked them. I had NO idea that they were one of the few poisonous spiders in the US.
So, now, I can't decide how to get rid of these spiders. I have noticed that the birds are taking care of many of them, but there are still those big mama spiders who are taking care of their eggs. I think, I will just hose off the back patio and them too, until they decide to make a new home somewhere else. Or maybe I will let the Husband kill them. We definitely have to get rid of the egg sacs. Those things can have hundreds of spiders in them, and I really don't want Black Widows to get into the house.