Q: When my car was serviced a couple of days ago a large black widow and her nest fell on the technician. He took it down and we sprayed under the car but I’m concerned there are some inside the car. Also, I’m wondering how one would be nesting under my car. My car sits in a carport and is driven almost every day. What can I do to keep this from happening again and make sure they aren’t in the car?
A: It would be good to see the nest to know if any hatched but I bet from your description that you disposed of it already. Spraying under the car may have taken care of any young ones crawling about. Mothers will stay near to defend their egg sacs and the young spiderlings stay close by her soon after they hatch. Then they go ballooning away to start their own webs in a new spot if they survive and most do not.
It is not easy to keep insects, spiders, and even rodents out of vehicles. They are excellent shelters against the environment, especially when shaded as yours is by the carport. Parking in the sun could be a benefit in this situation since it would get very hot inside and probably not be a good habitat for anything for very long.
We can sometimes screen out rodents but smaller animals are more difficult. The best way to keep them out is to make the area around your carport less hospitable so they have farther to go to seek shelter. This can be accomplished by keeping the surrounding area clear of any plant material, be they ornamental plants or weeds, and other objects that could also act as a shelter such as a woodpile or a storage shed.
