Black widows in the apiary?

[Bob Wilson]

Twice now I have found black widows under or around my hives. Anyone else got a lot of spiders?

[cao]

No black widows here but I have seen a few banana spiders putting webs around my hives.

[The15thMember]

No widows for me, but definitely spiders.  It's that time of year, and I can barely walk up to the hives without getting caught in webs.  We have a lot of orb-weavers, the big orange marbled ones (we call them jack-o-lantern spiders) and some crazy black spiny orb-weavers (give them a google if you've never seen them).  Lots of harvestmen too, although they aren't really spiders.  I often find spider webs built in strategic positions to try and catch bees.  Any that are successful I of course tear down.             

[BeeMaster2]

I get a lot of jumpers (wolf) spiders in the tops are of my hives. I leave them there. They eat SHBs. Black widows like cool damp locations. They are usually found under the hive.
Jim Altmiller

[jtcmedic]

Black and brown widows for me, also the wolf in the lid and scorpions in my lids, I leave them all, doing there jobs. We also have golden orb weaver? Banana spider they come down in my way

[Nock]

Found one under a hive last year.

[Michael Bush]

Back when I put the hives on concrete blocks for stands I found them in the hollow of the concrete blocks often.  Not anymore.

[Acebird]

I don't know what to look for but it gives me the creeps to mow under the banana trees.  We still get spiders and lizards inside the lanai after re-screening.  I would have thought they would have starved.

[Bob Wilson]

Well. Maybe it is just this year. I killed the two I found.

[Hops Brewster]

I have seen lots of black widows this year, not just around the apiary, but around the house too.  In my AC condenser, power panel, shrubs, window wells, etc etc.  I rarely use insecticides, but this year I have made an exception.

[rast]

You havent had fun until you walk through a banana spiders web after dark, that is the stickiest web I know of.