I had been bitten badly a few years back and I guess it just brought back any fear I had. I go out every day and try to do something but I do not get far. It is somewhat humiliating and frustrating to think that something so small has this much power over me. I was actually going to interview to be a master gardener but feel like an idiot over the spider incident.

Has anyone had a similar thing happen to them and how did you overcome it? Thank you for any help.

I sympathize strongly with your problem, as I can 'confess' to being an arachnophobe myself. Not much fun for a professional horticulturist! The 'treatment' for this fear is much the same as for any phobia: education and exposure.

The more I learned about spiders, the more in control I felt. Soon, I was able to identify nearly any spider I might come across, know its predictable behavior and habits, the pros and cons of leaving it alone, etc.

It's amazing how much power you can get from information. Not only about spider identification and behavior, but about how to prevent bites in the first place.

Regarding Black Widows. We have large numbers of them around the outside of our home and in the garage. I always look carefully for their tell-tale webs, which they seem to hang out like a warning flag. Gloves are a must when cleaning the garage....if we did it more often we could eliminate the spiders altogether!

I don't keep my pots stacked up near the house any more, and when I get ready to pull out my seedling flats and cell packs for early spring sowing, I'm prepared to kill a few widows.

By the way, I fear chemicals more that I do spiders these days! You can face your fear and conquer it. Trust me, if I can, so can you.