Man lets spider in his garage live for a few months. Then he takes a closer look at it: ‘Black widows are great to have around’

For months, one man had an unspoken agreement with the spider living in his garage. Stay over there, eat the bugs, and we'll have no problems.

Then he got a better look at his eight-legged tenant.

“Yo, I've been letting this spider live,” Skeeterv24 (@skeeterv24) explains in a TikTok video. “This guy lives in my garage, and I walk by him like every day, and I've just been like, ‘alright, he's probably eating the bugs.'” 

His live-and-let-live philosophy worked just fine, until he noticed a rather important detail about the spider.

“I just got a better look at the guy,” he tells the camera before flipping it to show the arachnid sitting on a large spiderweb above a concrete floor. “Is that the guy that got Peter Parker? Dude, is that a black widow?” 

Suddenly, the arrangement is off.

“I'm gonna have to take this guy out, dude,” he concludes. “Unfortunate.” His video has since amassed more than 5,000 views.

But was his original strategy really a bad one?

Are Black Widow Spiders Good to Have Around?

Calling a black widow spider a welcome houseguest might be pushing it, but the man's assumption that it was helping keep other bugs in check is basically correct.

Spiders are predators that feed on insects and other arthropods, making them a natural form of pest control.

According to by injecting a venom and an enzyme to subdue and liquefy their prey.

You can spot a black widow by the red hourglass on its black abdomen, though sometimes it can be “whitish or yellow,” and may look like “a series of dots, triangles, or even a rectangle” rather than an hourglass.

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln notes that exterior lights can inadvertently create good feeding spots for widows by attracting insects that wind up in their webs. 

So black widows are not necessarily bad to have around. It's more a question of whether they're worth keeping.

Should You Let a Black Widow Live in Your Garage?

Unlike the vast majority of spiders you might find in your home, black widows can cause serious symptoms and might even be life-threatening for certain populations such as children, the elderly, or the immunocompromised.

While black widows are “shy, retiring creatures that bite reluctantly,” they have large fangs and will bite in self-defense if they're startled, per the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The Cleveland Clinic notes that a bite from a female “causes a sharp, pinprick-like pain” that might be followed by “a dull numbness.”

Other symptoms can include muscle spasms, severe pain, trouble breathing, nausea or vomiting, excessive sweating, and a fever.

If you're bitten, you may see tiny red fang marks and experience a rash or swelling at the bite site.

So even though black widows are generally timid, they can cause issues in a place like a garage.

Pest control experts don't usually recommend ignoring a black widow in your home. Instead, they usually say it's better to safely remove or dispose of the spider.

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln, for instance, recommends removing a black widow by crushing it with gloved hands or a tool.

Sometimes, it's worth getting to know your roommates before letting them live in your home indefinitely.

@skeeterv24

Subplot News reached out to Skeeterv24 via TikTok direct message for comment.

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