Something to thing about when purchasing west coast vehicles

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[Posimoto]

My neighbor purchased a 70’s ford torino from Arizona this past July and yesterday was working on the rear seat when he reached around the back and was bitten by a black widow spider. He treated the bite and didn’t have a reaction as of yesterday.  

After it bit him he doused it with some brake cleaner and the thing wouldn’t die.  Black widows can be found in the northeast but are rarely encountered. They are not native to the northeast rather introduced from southern and western states.











Although blurry you can see the telltale red hour glass on the underside of her body.

[Ian]

will they freeze during the winter?

[Posimoto]

The females only live about 9 months so chances are they wouldn’t make a complete northeast winter. However, to survive they would need some kind of shelter/warmth.

[Jeepin Dave]

Wow thats some freaky stuff right there!  Not the first thing I would have been expecting to find under a seat of an old car. lol   Hope your neighbor is ok still.

[Crown Automotive - Jeff]

In high school, I worked at a grocery store called RoJack's in the produce department. I remember twice opening a case of grapes from southern California only to find black widows in there. Thankfully due to the shipping cooler, they were moving very slowly, but were still alive. I scooped them up into plastic containers, sealing it tight with plastic wrap, and crushing them.

They use to find tarantulas in the banana boxes, too, but I was never that lucky!

[j-dawg]

wow! that's crazy! you never know what you will find in a car!

there were many vehicles i found used needles in when i was detailing.
makes you think !!!

[Ian]

most cars i've owned my biggest fear was if my tetanus shot was up to date

[HEYzipupyourfly]

most cars i've owned my biggest fear was if my tetanus shot was up to date

haha
We billed a customer 4 hours once + a half dozen cans of insect killer to de-infest his alpine before even beggining to look at it. It had been stored under some willow tree for years and i dont know what kind of spiders but as soon as it came into the shop they started coming out of EVERYWHERE.

[XJFever]

so after a panic attack, and almost pissing myself....I have to say, this is the scariest thread I have ever read.....
thanks chuck.

[Mitch]

i cant afford anything south or west Vermont, so, i only have to worry about finding hippies in my old jeeps.