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Poisonous Critters in the Crawl Space by Erby the Central Kentucky Home Inspector

I've been fortunate that in all the crawl spaces in all the world (that I've been into) I hadn't yet found any of those nasty poisonous critters that tend to inhabit those dark nether regions of a house.

Until TODAY that is. Inspecting a brand new (one year, never been occupied) home in a subdivisiion north of Georgetown, Kentucky.

Fortunately I saw her before she saw me.

Black Widow Spider by Erby the Central Kentucky Home Inspector

Pretty as she was, there was still an audible "pop" as gloved hands sent her to Heaven. Along with a short note in the buyer's report about treating the crawl space for spiders.

Worst I've ever ran into before (and still) was a snarling possum behind a piece of plywood in the dirt floored cellar of an older home in Georgetown, KY.

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Erby Crofutt
KY Lic# HI-2041
B4 U Close Home Inspections & Radon Testing
Georgetown, KY
www.b4uclose.com
502-570-4054
859-797-3873
877-513-8235

B4 U Close Home Inspections serves Central, Northern & Eastern Kentucky real estate buyers & sellers
with Kentucky Licensed Home Inspections & Certified Kentucky Radon Testing
Appointments available 7 days a week - 7 AM to 9 PM.
Phones answered during same period.

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Why should you hire Erby to inspect your home? See what past clients have to say!!

Here's what one B4 U Close client says: (Clicki the line above to see others)

Thank You for the outstanding job you did on the inspection. We bought and sold 9 houses and this was the only inspection that was ever done properly. It was helpful and we will use it to do the repairs with a system, instead of the guess work we usually do. Thanks again

Mike & Barbara, Stamping Ground, KY (20050603

See a B 4 U Close Home Inspection sample report by clicking the report picture below

Posted by Erby Crofutt, the Central Kentucky Home Inspector, Lexington KY HI-2041 on 04/02/2008 03:14 PM

Comments (38)

kentucky home inspectors, georgetown, kentucky, black widow spiders, home inspections, new construction inspections

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38 Comments on Poisonous Critters in the Crawl Space by Erby the Central Kentucky Home Inspector

APR

2008

ewwww...one reason I could never be an inspector. This kind of stuff is too much for me. I give you credit and am glad you got the first look before you were spotted by the enemy.

Inspectors are daring,courageous and the unsung heros of the housing market!

YUCK!

Steve

What a nice surprise to be greeted with! Good work of dispatching it.

Thanks for making my skin crawl. I hate spiders and possums are a close second.

Erby, nice picture. Is Beauty always dangerous? I those native to your area?

Oh my goodness!! Although that was a very nice picture for your blog that made my skin crawl. YUCK YUCK YUCK!!! I'm glad you saw it first too!!!

Wendy: I'm glad too!

Steve: I'm glad you didn't see me with that snarling possum. You'd have changed your mind.

Georgina: It was quite a surprise. I think that's probably the first wild black widow that I've seen.

Rob: You're welcome. Where did it crawl off too?

Charles: Yes, they're native. And YES, BEAUTY is always (well, as maxims are never true, maybe I should say usually) DANGEROUS!

Kim: I took about 10 shots to get that one that showed her little red hourglass. She was wiggling and crawling aorund a lot.

Nice photo. I've never come across widow spider yet, just HUGE recluse and wolf spiders.

We have these black widows everywhere , plus scorpions!

APR

2008

In Louisiana, we have spiders, snakes, even the occasional alligator. Bravo to the intrepid inspectors who actually crawl into these dark spaces.

That's why I don't do crawl spaces or attics!!!

APR

2008

Great picture! Glad I didn't run into one. I had a new construction listed that had plenty last fall. Fortunately I wasn't the one that discovered them. Glad they got fumigated!

APR

2008

Good picture, I could not do your job, no thanks to bugs, bats and rats!

I had to open this post near bed time! Ick! Ick! Ick!

But, Erby, I need to ask - how do you know it was a "she"???

APR

2008

Erby that's gross! I don't kill any spiders. I take a cup and place it on top of them, slide an envelope under the cup and distribute them outside! Now, if they were to start barking at me or running at me that would be different. They usually look like this one in the picture...like...what's up? I don't want to hurt them. I don't like the pop.

But, I still admire what you do. I just couldn't. I will publish the photos of my water moccasin that I knifed to death though...heh,heh,heh. See, I do have cruel bones...

Later in the rain~Deb

APR

2008

Yep, we have them here in Missouri too! With an occasional Tiber Rattler, lots of Copperheads, Brown Recluse's, and occasional scorpions..... I love the lil critters, as long as they stay a long ways away from me! Growing up, my oldest sister used to feed a possum that would come to our sliding glass doors at night....

That's scary. This is funny...long before I became a real estate agent, I thought about being a home inspector - but knew I didn't want to do crawl spaces. I told this to my home inspector - and his reply was, "Girl, you won't be in business very long if you only want to inspect slab homes." LOL. I decided to be a real estate agent instead...

Just looking at that photo makes me put my feet up on my chair. My worse inspection fear is being in a crawlspace and having a spider crawl down my back. Around here I think the only dangerous spider is a brown recluse. However Detroit is home to some dog sized rats that will take you down.

APR

2008

Wow. That sure would scare me! My brother is a a licensed pest control person in Ohio and he has told me some crazy crawlspace stories. Once, he was in a crawl and noticed a horrible smell that seemed to be coming from a "package" that was all wrapped up in a blanket. He told the homeowner, who in turn contacted the police. Everyone thought it was a dead baby and my brother certainly didn't want to touch it. Turned out to be a dead cat wrapped up in that blanket. Why? Who knows! You just never know what you'll find!

APR

2008

Sounds like it can be a dangerous job. Great picture. The red on her underside was a really bright red.

APR

2008

Great picture Erby! I have seen only one of those spiders in the 10 years of crawling in, up and around homes. It too was in a new home but in the kitchen!

We do have some fun eh?

Here is another ... just a good picture I thought. Anyone know what kind this is?

APR

2008

In Chicago it's just spiders and cats. I don't know if I could this in a rattlesnake or scorpion area.

Commercial Building Inspection Chicago

JUN

2008

Erby, Have seen those "beauties" before. Good thing you got to her first. Of course here in Texas we have scorpions, too.

To answer Rick's question, why don't you Google "banana spider" and see if you can picture match the one you are seeing there. At least that is what we call them here. It may be one of its' many common names. You see them most frequently in the underbrush.

http://www.surviveoutdoors. com/reference/spiders/banana_spider.asp

Copy this link and remove the spacing between the dot and com to see another picture.

Intersting profession, Erby...guess you see it all.

AUG

2008

I never thought about inspectors and some of the situations you place yourself in daily in crawl spaces. I am assured some of stories are GREAT. Have a wonderful weekend

I really, really hate spiders. I'd rather have dealt with the possum. Found one of her cousins under a well head just 2 days ago. Had a white hour glass instead of red. I don't know what the difference is but to me it's just another spider.

AUG

2008

Erby - Wow. When we bought our house in Texas, there were two of these beauties between the windows and screens in the kitchen. My wife freaked out. We almost had to move out of the state. I did manage to dispose of them, and we did a thorough sweep of the house to her satisfaction, but it was a constant search from day one. Stay safe.

AUG

2008

I run across a lot of them this year. Most of them have been in the water meter box.

NOV

2008

It's too bad that you "sent her to heaven." They are very beautiful and useful creatures. As my wise old grandmother said, "All God's creatures have a right to live."

Tell the Grizzly Bears and Great Whites that you have a right to live in their territory!

NOV

2008

Erby,

Before I enter a crawlspace I usually use my little broom to clear the webs out of the way. I noticed that black widow webs seem to be much stronger than other spiders. When I feel the difference in the web, I go on high alert for the little critters. I have no trouble crushing them, and their little egg clusters.

I opened a crawlspace door earlier this year, and there was a huge black widow on the door, along with several hundred little babies. I used my wasp spray on them.

My opinion on letting them stay was changed after I found several black widows in the back of my truck. I must have got an egg cluster on my little broom, and brought it back to my truck - then they hatched. Spent an entire day cleaning out the back of my truck.

DEC

Heh heh, what's that crawling up your leg, Jack. Do you know?

DEC

Crawlspaces are generally a breeding ground for all sorts nasty stuff. Despite knowing all this, we used to simply open the access and allow the crawlspace to vent. Never, not once did we worry about what we were wearing. In the summer we wore short sleeves, in the winder a jacket or a hoodie.

Till this past summer, then this all changed. My husband was biten by a Brown Recluse Spider. He was definietly one of the lucky ones and didn't suffer any of the serious skin and muscle damage that the poison from this spider can cause. There was discomfort and mild fever for close to a week, skin discoloration and peeling as well. He did eventually heal completely, but the entire process took over 3 months.

Bottom line is.... you can't be too careful. I would have never considered killing a spider in a crawlspace before. Now... it's every man for himself. If I can't identify it as harmless, it's a goner.

DEC

Suesan: I'm glad to hear your husband was one of the lucky ones in that he didn't get the serious damage most people get from it. I feel the same as you, not harmless - it's a goner!

Be careful in there!

Thanks Erby, We'll certainly be more careful from now on.

Sue

DEC

You're welcome, Sue. Have a Happy New Year!

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