- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Brown widow spiders are beginning to displace the more dangerous black widows in some parts of California, according to a story in the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
The brown widow spider, a native of South Africa, made its first American home in Florida. It became established in Southern California in the early 2000s and its range continues to expand. As of 2009, the spider was known in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, but as of 2010, it has shown up in Santa Barbara and Sacramento counties.
"They're very prolific," said Rick Vetter, a UC...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
After the raucous California budget struggle and an impending drought, Californians might enjoy a tidbit from the Early County News in Blakeley, Georgia. The story notes that the world's expert on brown recluse spiders is a UC Riverside scientist and he is certain there are no populations of the frightening aracnid anywhere in California.
UC Riverside entomologist Rick Vetter has actually published a 4,000-word manifesto on the Web about brown recluse spiders titled "Myth of the Brown Recluse: Fact, Fear, and Loathing." At the end of the tirade, he emphatically states in red, all...