Black Widow in Gear Bag!!!

[GETMETOCA]

I FINALLY got around to clearing out my gear bag from last weekend ( Yes, I was being lazy!!). Getting in at 4:00 am from Oregon last Monday, I deposited my gear bag on the garage floor, pulled out a few things and there it sat.

This weekend I hauled the bag into the laundry room and started pulling stuff out to organize and there was this big, fat Black Widow Spider crawling around in the bag!!!! I had a scoop of laundry detergent in my hand when I spotted her and that flew all over the place - another mess to clean!

Okay two lessons learned here: The longer you wait to wash the contents of your gear bag......okay no need for me to get graphic, I bet most of you know that one from experience!! :)

Lesson #2: I will definitely not leave anything on the garage floor for BW's to crawl into. I guess I should be glad that it wasn't a big snake incident like JPIVEY's!!!

I just went and looked inside my ride boots with a flashlight, then turned them upside down and shook the heck out of them, no BW's!!

 

[tileman]

Wow I left my gear bag in the garage one time and the Tom Cat we have
used it as a bed for a few nights. So when I got around to the bag to clean it :| it was a mess.
So no more gear bag in the garage
Ron.

 

[Hucker]

The only thing we have to worry about in Canada are those giant rabid beavers...

:p

 

[firecracker22]

Originally posted by Hucker
The only thing we have to worry about in Canada are those giant rabid beavers...

I'm not going to say anything . . .

I usually drag my gearbag into the house. Quite a feat since it's one of those HUGE Acerbis ones that you can crawl into and sleep in if you go camping. I think my darling is going to make me keep it in the garage now though, it's taking up too much room in the spare bedroom. :silly:

 

[Lissa]

After riding on Sunday's, I develop amnesia. Six days go by before remembering that crucial pieces of gear are still filthy from the previous journey. After gaging back the curds my stomach produces when I recieve a whiff of my spoils, I then remember the wet boots from that same Sunday six days ago. Those boots take on a green shade after festering for six days in the boot compartment of a gear bag. Thats all I'll ever find in my gear bag.

 

[GETMETOCA]

Lissa - my gear bag is actually a Dive bag (I'm working on my open water cert) so I got it goin' on with the netted boot/fin compartment!! That's about the only thing goin' on with that bag because its smaller than a normal gear bag and everthing gets crammed in so its extra special when I unzip it after a week!! LOL! At least its meant to be hosed down.

Tileman - your post made me remember why I don't pull the gear bag into the laundry room. My 16 year old cat will pee in any open suitcase or laundry basket left on the floor. She has ruined two suitcases of mine, I just try to keep the laundry basket up off the floor and the gear bag in the garage. After the black widow incident, I guess I will do what I am supposed to do and just empty it and do laundry in a timely manner!!

Hucker........hehehe You kill me.

 

[KLRay]

Yer supposed ta' clean yer gear?? Go figure!! :)

 

[bbbom]

Black Widow - no thanks. It was bad enough when I stuck my foot in my riding boot early last season and felt a mouse nest in it!!! :scream:

Luckily the mouse wasn't in there and they normally don't bother me BUT this time it was a big surprise. I screamed & threw the boot across the shop! Karl about fell over laughing at me (as usual - glad I keep him entertained).

From that time on I always smack the heel of the boot on the floor and dump it upside down before sticking my foot in!

 

[firecracker22]

Originally posted by bbbom
Karl about fell over laughing at me (as usual - glad I keep him entertained).

Funny, that's how Reese is with me. He keeps telling me I'm "dingier than Phoebe on Friends." Hmmm. :think: It's not MY fault I get uncontrollable giggles at the drop of a hat.

 

[FqntSoloFlyr]

wow, good thing you didn't squish her, or you'd have a nice bite!
just curious, what did you do with her anyway?

 

[GETMETOCA]

Who, Charlotte? I bought her a pig to give advice to!! She got smooshed, are you kidding? ASAP!!

I needed to make sure that when I squished her, it wasn't one of those halfway squishes where you pull away from the carnage and it gets up again and scrambles for cover, sans a few legs. I searched in the laundry room for something to do the job right and ended up using the cap off my Fresh Start Bottle. Far enough away to keep my fingers out of reach, yet smooth, compact and controllable surface for the main event.

Job done! I really hate spiders, this was not a fun chore. I think I hate spiders more than snakes or rats.

 

[Hot4Teacher]

My brother in-law had a stink bug in his boot for the whole day. He kept complaining about somthing crunchy in his boot and didn;t find out until later in the day(5 hours later).

bbbom if you had a whole nest in your boot... long time between rides? :uh: :)

 

[ktmboy]

I can tell you from experience that a black-widow bite is no laughing matter. They scare me more than snakes now!

 

[FLYIN_KAW]

Originally posted by Hucker
The only thing we have to worry about in Canada are those giant rabid beavers...

:p

Hey huck, don't forget about the "Beaver hunters" :p

 

[dt-100]

my dirt bike

my dirt bike is blue and on the fender it said black widow what kind of bike is it i bought it from rural king it is a 100cc

 

[sixds]

how serious is a black widow bite?

 

[THORmx_nucca]

how serious is a black widow bite?

The one and only thing I am scared of is a spider. I absolutely hate spiders. I am utterly terrified by them. >.<

The black widow spider produces a protein venom that affects the victim’s nervous system. Some people are slightly affected by the venom, but others may have a severe response. The first symptom is acute pain at the site of the bite though there may only be a minimal local reaction.

The local pain may be followed by localized or generalized severe muscle cramps, abdominal pain, weakness, and tremor. In severe cases, nausea, vomiting, faintness, dizziness, chest pain, and respiratory difficulties may follow.

People rarely die from a black widow's bite. Life-threatening reactions are generally seen only in small children and the elderly.

 

[GETMETOCA]

My gosh, how do you guys FIND this stuff? ;)

 

[Rooster]

my dirt bike is blue and on the fender it said black widow what kind of bike is it i bought it from rural king it is a 100cc

:think:

 

[squeaky]

my dirt bike is blue and on the fender it said black widow what kind of bike is it i bought it from rural king it is a 100cc

Okay so I may be half drunk and REALLY tired but DAYUM that makes no sense... :think:

 

[MXGirl230]

my dirt bike is blue and on the fender it said black widow what kind of bike is it i bought it from rural king it is a 100cc

and I thought I was random...

I HATE spiders too, they are pretty much the only thing I am afraid of. They ARE out to get me!

Glad you found Charlotte before she laid her eggs :yikes:

We actually brought a BW to Michigan when we moved here from So. Cal. Somehow it survived the entire winter in the cold garage.