All base officials know is that the creatures appeared six years ago and aren't native to Japan. The black widow spider, infamous for its male-eating female and mild toxicity, has become a nagging problem at Iwakuni - more for the alarm it has created than a serious threat, officials say. More than 18,000 have been caught so far, although the numbers have dropped dramatically as the base instituted a spider-catching program...Last year, the government of Japan erected a low Plexiglas fence around part of the base to contain the spiders...more...