Grilling Spiders?

   While clearing hurricane debris, it dawned on me that I had better clean the grill.  It is so large and awkward to move that it was left outside during the storm.  To keep the salt air that comes on the winds from rusting the metal, it has to be washed thoroughly and the a thin layer of cooking oil applied.  (Yeah, sounds strange to people not in hurricane prone areas but, hey, whatever works.)  I removed the cover and started "dismantling" the grill.  Any part that could be easily removed was set aside to make the cleaning easier.  It was after lifting the griddle plate that I became leery of the job at hand.

  Under that griddle plate, there were several pea-sized round things.  They were creamy white and had little spikes on them.  Uh, oh!  I recognized those things!  Those were brown widow spider egg sacs!  While I have no problem with spiders in general, widows are not to my liking.  After suffering a black widow bite, I have become quite uneasy when dealing with these critters!  So...it was time to get rid of the sacs!

  I have found that holding a lit match under the sacs works well at getting rid of them.  The things sizzle and then shrink.  I figure that I got rid of a number of the critters but where, oh where was the adult female?  I kept cleaning the grill and never found hide nor hair of her so she must have laid the eggs then died. (At least, I hope!)  

  The grill is now in good working order sans the spider egg sacs.  Hopefully, I won't be finding more of the critters any time soon.  I could do without them!  Folks, be careful where you put your hands and where kiddos put theirs.  The brown widows love to find secluded, warm places for their egg sacs. Outdoor toys, flower pots and grills are all happy hiding spots.  Be careful!