What makes you think there's a brown recluse nest nearby? Did you actually see them? They're really pretty rare.

My instinct would be that yes, any broad application of pesticide will harm the good bugs as well as the bad. What about treating just the trouble spot? I would call an expert, they might have another solution.

There is no pesticide that will kill spiders.... you will only harm other things. I have seen a few brown recluse here, but they can bite only when pressed upon, so unless you are planning on sitting where you think they are, I would say, just ignore them. When exterminators treat your house, they will tell you that what they are doing is destroying the spider's food supply, NOT the spider.

RE: There is no pesticide that will kill spiders

That's not right. There are many pesticides that will kill spiders. It just may not be worth it.

And brown recluse isn't really rare... But having said that I think you're overreacting a little. There are organic products to take care of the fire ant mound. I wouldn't sweat the spiders that you think may be there. Just be careful where you put you hands in your garage and attic. Turn a light on for a few minutes before you go in.

Yes, pesticides can and do harm lizards and frogs. This is the "year of the frog" by the way. Many species are threatened by loss of habitat and overuse of nasty chemicals.

I should have clarified - I was under the impression that ENCOUNTERS with them are rare, since they are "reclusive."

Plants77 brings up a good point that I'd forgotten. There really is a crisis right now in the amphibian population. The Ft. Worth Zoo has some good information on amphibians and the problems they're facing right now. Or at least, they did last time I looked; I think it was in with the articles on their new herpetarium, the Museum of Living Art.

If you only have one fire ant mound, you're a lucky guy! :) I don't know much about brown recluse, but I don't think they live out in the open. Aside from living in dark places that people build, I don't know what their natural habitat is.

Pesticides harm more than we realize when we use them. It's always after they are declared "safe" that some horrible effect is discovered. Where are all the fireflies? What has killed them off in the suburbs? No telling. I would tread as lightly as possible.

Is this an anole? and do you know what this plant is? Looks like blue clockvine to me but not sure. It has a little pouch under the flower.

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Mommyfox encounters with this spider is rare, same with the black widow.

Fool4flowers, Yes that is an anole. I love these little lizards.
When I first moved to our home we did not have any and I wanted some so bad. I found out that by buying plants from some of the mom and pop nurseries I could hopefully get plants with eggs on them and I did. So now I have a lot of these wonderful lizards running around :)

Here is a sight for more info on BRS.

Here is a link that might be useful: BRS- The spider

Yup, an anole! They're great.

I think the flower is a wishbone flower, otherwise known as torenia. I love 'em. That one looks like a hybrid, the flower's a bit bigger than the normal ones.

Thanks. They live at my next door neighbors and I hope to have some too, lol.

One way to attract lizards (especially geckos) is to leave an outdoor light on at night. This draws bugs, and the lizards come for free meals.

The flower looks just like the blooms on my clock vine.
Jim

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Oh my goodness, Jim, that thing is BEAUTIFUL !! I agree, the bloom does look like that.

Jim sure has a Green thumb....... That vine is beautiful.

Wow, Jim, gorgeous! I vote Thunbergia and anole!

I have black widow spiders living in my flower pot stacks. They stay put. When I need a pot, if it has a spider in it, I just get another one. Have had brown recluses in the house...and unfortunately, they are roaming spiders, but if I saw one outside somewhere, I would just leave it alone. I don't think you would ever find a brown recluse out in the open. You might find them in a shed or some place like that.

Gorgeous vine!!!

Wow, what a vine! I've never seen one like that before! How cool! Does it seed? Evergreen? Annual? Sun/part sun? Will it do my dishes?

Sorry for the hijack! Now I want more plants ... curse you people.

I would love to have one, Mommyfox, but I believe it is a tropical, and that means "overwintering".

Oh, wow. That looks like it. His isn't quite as full as yours but it looks the same. Now I have to find out how to propagate it so I can have one too. Whats one more thing to overwinter, lol. He says his is a perrenial here though but we are a little warmer down here. Thanks for the tip about leaving a light on. I have geckos that live in my breaker box during the winter but had never seen the anole until I was next door one day. I followed him around for quite a while watching him blow up his throat while he followed Cindy around, lol. I think there is one form of thunbergia that said clock vine is another name for it so that must be the oe. Thank you all.

Thanks for all of your kind comments on the vine.

Fool4flowers - The clock vine is perennial, in fact evergreen, for me here in zone 9. At the link below, there is a report of it coming back from the roots after a freeze in zone 8. It is easy to start from stem cuttings. I've never found seeds.

Jtyrie - sooo sorry we have hijacked your thread.
Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Clock vine 'Blue Boy'

I am sorry too. Just wanted to let you know I found a small plant for sale today when I was in the next town over and it was the only one they had. What luck! Now back to the lizards.