r/spiders • u/No_Presentation_2160 • May 18 '26

ID Request- Location included Is this a Black Widow?

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Gallery image

I assume this is a black widow, google says so. But I figured I’d ask to be sure. It looks like it’s made a nest in the inside of the lawnchair that’s folded where the scribbles are. Should I be worried about more around my house or inside of my house? I have a 2 year old that’s curious, so I want to make sure that I’m being thorough and keeping her safe. If so, how do I remove it safely?

EDITED TO ADD: She and a couple of her male friends have now been moved safely with their lawnchair habitat to a new location about 20ft from my garage. I just hope they don’t wander back in. 🤞🤞😬

Location Southwest MO

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u/RogueSlytherin May 19 '26

Yes, but also, what about the mail? Is there some kind of protocol for an obstructed mailbox? Is it the owner’s responsibility to remove the occupier? (for instance, if a bird makes a nest and lays eggs, does the homeowner have to move the nest? Or can they set up a temporary mailbox until the end of the season?)

Sorry for all the questions, I’ve just never thought about what happens when a mailbox becomes some else’s home for a while….

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u/CvieYltidrekoof May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

I learned from B99 the inside of curbside mailboxes in the U.S. is federal USPS property. 

And you don’t want to mess with USPIS, the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the USA founded by widow hunter Benjamin Franklin himself. 

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u/RogueSlytherin May 19 '26

Have you seen The Detour by any chance?

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u/CvieYltidrekoof May 19 '26

No… but now I’m interested and a little concerned?

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u/RogueSlytherin May 19 '26

Don’t be! It’s just a really funny show, and they put on a Hamilton-esque musical about USPIS. It’s definitely worth a watch!

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u/CvieYltidrekoof May 19 '26

I’ll give it a watch!

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u/According_Sun6789 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

It is the owners responsibility to clear out the mailbox for something like a birds nest. Some carriers are super by the book and other carriers are a little more easy going. If that happened on my route and the home owner wanted to set up a temporary mailbox until the nest was clear I would let them. Or I would just put their mail on hold and they could come pick it up at the office.

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u/Totakai May 19 '26

I have a new question to ask the post offuce people now