Black Widows at Westfield
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Anonymous
+1 The comments calling this a "cover up" and/or implying that this is newsworthy are ridiculous. Spiders, even black widow spiders, are common and are generally not a big deal. The odds are high that most of us have black widow spiders in our yards, garages, sheds, or even in our homes. Had there been multiple black widows inside the school or had there been multiple bites, and the school hadn't said anything, that would be a bigger issue. |
Anonymous
I'm not panicking about this, but just for clarity, yes Virginia does have black widow spiders. I am on a local naturalist list serv and it is not uncommon for folks to find them in the state. https://med.virginia.edu/brpc/wp-content/uploads/sites/274/2015/10/Spiders.pdf |
Anonymous
Black widows are not native to northern Virginia. |
Anonymous
| They found spiders in the school and moved a bunch of classes today. |
Anonymous
It is the senior court yard. Seniors use it. No idea why the principal is saying its not an area students go into. |
Anonymous
| Ha I clicked thinking Black Widows was a gang of some kind, like the Pink Ladies. |
Anonymous
What's your point? Do you think that means it doesn't live here? Northern Virginia hosts many non-native species that are now well-established. These species have adapted to the region and often outcompete native flora and fauna, disrupting local ecosystems. To name just a few non-native, but very well-established, plants and animals: - English Ivy - Butterfly bush - Japanese Honeysuckle - Asian Wisteria - Multiflora Rose - Phragmites - Crepe Myrtle - Hydrilla - Spotted Lanternfly - Emerald Ash Borer - Gypsy Moth / Spongy Moth - Northern Snakehead - Nutria - Rusty Crayfish - Zebra Mussel - Rapa Whelk - Asian Lady Beetle - Brown Marmorated Stink Bug - European Earwig - Yellow Garden Spider - European Starling - House Sparrow - Mute Swan - Rock Pigeon - Callery Pear - Tree of Heaven - Norway Maple - Heavenly Bamboo |
Anonymous
There are two types that are native to northern Virginia Latrodectus mactans and Latrodectus variolus |
Anonymous
Neither are white Europeans and yet…. |
Anonymous
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They moved 20 classrooms yesterday. My guess is the problem is bigger than they are admitting.
Hopefully they are using some common sense and taking the long weekend to fumigate and then air out the building. |
Anonymous
To anyone with english ivy in your yard, it is horrible, often screws over your neighbors by infiltrating their yard, should probably be outlawed from being sold, and makes mosquitoes worse. Rip it out (which will take constant, repeated effort with how it comes back). |
Anonymous
Textbook example of what happens when you fail to secure your borders... err, courtyards, against non-native invaders. |
Anonymous
Bears in a school should probably make the news. |
Anonymous
| Best part of the article is where someone asks why no one who cleans the classrooms has noticed them. People, I work in a school, and I promise you that no one cleans the classrooms. Someone comes in right after the kids leave and empties the trash and runs a large broom/dry dust mop through one or two of the aisles between the desks and then they leave. It's gross. It gets cleaned in summer and that's it. |
Anonymous
What? How many janitors work in each school? |